Carl and the Meaning of Life
Poor Carl! Carl was living a happy, content life until one day a field mouse came upon him and asked Carl a question which he didn’t know the answer to. Carl never knew why he did, what he did but now, the question was out there and he needed an answer.
Carl talks to many animals as he makes his journey. Crawling over many miles, Carl’s tone begins to change as his journey is beginning to take forever. Everyone that Carl is talking to seems to know their purpose except for Carl. Finally, when Carl hears the cry of a beetle, he gets the answer to his question.
I love how the author put this novel together. It’s not a fact-telling story, it’s a story about helping others and being part of a larger picture. It’s about a community, about being needed and how each individual is important. I liked the simplicity of the illustrations. They were beautiful to look at and I enjoyed watching Carl as he traveled over the fields.
