Quite a schizophrenic tale. Half the story is in rhyme and the other half is using words that I think might be over a young child's head leaving the reading partner to explain what some of the words mean and losing the overall flow of the story.
Trixie and his dog companion Jinx have to spend a week apart and poor old Trixie is struggling to find a new friend. This tale does emphasis the special place a good friend holds in our lives, so from that standpoint, this could be a good conversation starter.
Dean Koontz is an adult horror writer, so when I saw his name associated with a children's book, I was curious. Not a good match. He needs to bring his craft down a notch or two to speak more clearly to his young audience.