About her work Sandra says: “”I think that one of the reasons my illustrations have appealed to people is that they can sense my sincerity. Since then, two other Darling Rottweilers have posed as Carl in the seven sequels: the late Arambarri, who was named for one of the Darlings’ favorite jai alai players and Zabala, who currently moonlights as an Our Best Friend therapy dog, visiting hospitals to cheer patients. The Darlings’ own dog, a Rottweiler named Toby, was the model for the book’s main character. This image proved the inspiration for Good Dog, Carl. That same year, she was visiting Zurich, Switzerland, when she came across a volume of old German picture sheets, one of which featured a poodle playing with a baby who was supposed to be taking a nap. Sandra illustrated her first book in 1983: The Teddy Bears’ Picnic, a popular children’s song by Jimmy Kennedy.

Living in the country also provided plenty of time for reading, a life-long passion. Here young Sandra grew especially fond of riding and training horses, and became a dog owner for the first time. For four years, the family lived on a hundred-acre farm in Kentucky.

Painting was a popular family recreation, and almost every family excursion included one or more easels and a variety of sketch pads, chalks, paints, and pencils. Darling was born in 1941 in Cincinnati, Ohio, to a large and close-knit family. She is the author of Good Dog, Carl and the rest of the beloved Carl books, including Carl Goes Shopping, Carl’s Christmas, Carl’s Birthday and Carl’s Snowy Afternoon. Alexandra Day is the pseudonym for Sandra Louise Woodward Darling.

Alexandra day carl books