School Library Journal Review
PreS-Enzo the family dog becomes anxious as Halloween invades his home and neighborhood. It even transforms his owner Zoe into a fairy princess and her dad, Denny, into a scarecrow. When Zoe puts Enzo into a dragon costume, the pup begins to fret that he, too, is transforming. This cute picture book is a great way to explain Halloween to children who might be frightened by the festivities. As Enzo becomes uneasy about all the ghosts, pumpkins, and costumed creatures running around and believes the whole neighborhood will be haunted, children are able to see how silly his worries truly are. Young readers will identify with Enzo's runaway imagination, and this story can help ease their own concerns about the "spookiest night of the year." VERDICT This is a great book for one-on-one sharing with young worrywarts or children who might be apprehensive about Halloween. A solid addition for most libraries.-Shana Morales, Windsor Public Library, CT © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
In this third picture book spin-off from Stein's The Art of Racing in the Rain, Enzo the puppy is apprehensive about the Halloween preparations and activities going on around him. Not knowing that the costumes and decorations are all pretend, Enzo sees "demonic" transformations and inexplicable magic everywhere. As Enzo's imagination runs wild, so do Alley's mixed-media cartoons, which show the dog turning into a fire-breathing dragon, surrounded by witches and ghosts that no longer resemble kids in costumes. Unfortunately, the story bogs down in Enzo's repetitive, drawn-out narration ("I am cornered, but I refuse to unleash my terrible firebreath on these unfortunate creatures. They are about to pounce on me, but I will not defend myself!"), which doesn't talk down to readers but isn't especially well-targeted to them, either. Ages 4-8. Author's agent: Jeff Kleinman, Folio Literary Management. Illustrator's agent: Emily van Beek, Folio Literary Management. (July) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.