although the picture book is evenly split between a full page of black and white picture, and the other half having full text that runs on average of 10 lines. The words are easy to read and easy for children's to follow the literature on the pages. the story is interesting to follow, and something that will not distract the reader. ( )

This story would lead to a great discussion about inferences and allusions. The ending leaves it up to the reader to decide what they believe. Did a bird fly over? Or did the dog really disappear for that time? I personally don't know, but I would love to hear a child's opinion on it.

Summary: a journey that Alan goes through for taking care of Fritz, Miss Hester's dog. It makes the reader question what they just read.

I found this story to be very cute. I enjoyed the element of magic that the little boy experienced when the dog ran to the garden and "got turned into a duck" by Mr. Gasazi. My favorite part was when he discovered that that didn't actually happen, as the dog ran home, and Mr. Gasazi tricked him into thinking that he turned him into a duck. It was even better when the boy left, and Miss Hester is shown asking why the dog had Alan's hat after all. ( )

Van Allsburg's illustrations are beautiful, as always, but the story left me disappointed. The cover holds promise of a magical tale, which I didn't feel was brought to life. ( )