You can not go wrong with Max. He is a delightful well-mannered dog, always polite, positive and eager to learn. In this volume, you will have great fun with Max as he travels to a cowboy ranch and learns an amazing array of new skills in the dazzling American Southwest. Children bond with Max immediately, delighting in his various adventures and engaging with him in their fertile imaginations. Max is a dog with a dream. He is always ready to try new and different things. The exceptional drawings in this book fill the pages with the brilliant colors found in the Southwest-those that children find most appealing. Max finds the desert a magical place. Here, he learns he can make many of his dreams into reality. He learns to hike then discovers exactly why he should remember a rule to avoid touching strange new desert plants. Max learns that diligent practice and asking for help make it possible for him to learn guitar playing, horseback riding, and even roping. Max loves to pretend; his friends on the ranch even help him to become the honorary sheriff of the whole ranch. Children adore this book of adventure and fun. Parents are delighted that the questions peppered throughout the book help them learn about their children's dreams and ideas. Parents utilize this information to lead into meaningful family discussions that strengthen familial relationships. As Max becomes the hero of his readers, they pick up his good manners and learn to understand how the world works through Max's examples. Max's Magical Journey is certain to become a favorite and well loved book over the generations. You will find this Grow as You Go book perfect from the Read to Me stage through the lower grades as children read to themselves. Pre-teens and even teens are reluctant to give up their copies of Max's Magical Journey.