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Carl's Nose    by Karen Lee Schmidt Amazon.com order for
Carl's Nose
by Karen Lee Schmidt
Order:  USA  Can
Harcourt, 2006 (2006)
Hardcover
* *   Reviewed by Hilary Daninhirsch

Carl is a weather dog. He uses his nose to alert townspeople to oncoming storms and other bad weather in Grimsville, a dreary town located at the bottom of Old Man Mountain. 

One day, sunshine peeks through the town. Sunshine is such a rarity that Carl's weather predictions are wrong for several weeks at a time, and he begins to lose credibility. Depressed, Carl locks himself in his room for days on end, until he sets off in search of Tiny Norman, who has disappeared in the mountains. Called into action, Carl uses his nose to sniff him out, saving his own reputation in the process and establishing himself as a hero.

This picture book offers a subtle lesson in self-esteem and self-worth. It shows that you can get over mistakes, move forward, and that we all have gifts: we just need to learn the best way in which to use them.

This feel-good book is made even more appealing by the illustrations: Carl is adorable, as are the other animals/townsfolk of Grimsville, all of whom look like they belong in the 1990s television show, Northern Exposure. Carl is very expressive, his nose appropriately exaggerated.  In any weather, Carl's Nose is a warm and cozy book.

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