I like this story because it's so fresh. The little girl in the story is determined and imaginative. She goes on a journey while her father is at the hospital icking up Mom and her new baby sister and grandma is takinga nap with brother. She takes all her bears and her dog and without fear of the consequences leaves and crosses several blocks. At the end of the journey, she gets off her intended courses when a dog runs away with part of the train and you think this is the place for some nice, adult or animal to help a poor lost child. But no She remains calm and trusts her own sense of direction until she's back in familiar territory. i like the illustrations. Christina is wonderfully, realisticly unkempt and there are extra details that let you draw assumptions about other things which are happening in the story. ( )