I wish the author’s note in the back of this book had been printed in the front instead.  Unless students are already fairly familiar with the artist’s work, they won’t know until the end (if they bother to read it) that the illustrations in the story are based on the surreal paintings of Rene Magritte.  Though the artwork is certainly intriguing on its own, and the occasional clear pages which alter the pages behind them with just a turn of the page will delight readers, the story of this artistic dog who purchases a mysterious hat that goes off on adventures of its own is certainly more grounded when read with some context.  Those readers who don’t bother reading the author’s note may be left puzzling over the book (which I guess is what happens when one views surreal art, too).  This is one of those picture books which could be useful in high schools as well, as part of the art curriculum.