Van Allsburg writes the best stories. His descriptive writing is loved by all ages. His animation is sensetive and realistic making the story come to life in your hands. He is my favorite of all the children's writers. Now I am passing my books on to my kids to read the grandcildren.

Both my son (now 24) and I found this book so entrancing that it has become a standard baby gift, even though children probably can't follow it until they're four or five - they will love it for years. Since we might not remember all those babies later, we want to be sure they don't miss "The Wreck of the Zephyr"!

Even among Chris Van Allsburg's outstanding books, the magic of this one stood out for us. Other favorites were "Jumanji" and "The Polar Express". We thought Van Allsburg's books lost some imaginative steam when he turned to "messages" about things like pollution in the late 1980s. And then, of course, my son grew up so I've not read more recent books. These three books should be part of every child's life. Being able to imagine and dream do more than enrich our experiences; they are also the stuff of which medical breakthroughs, inventions, new business ideas and future wonderful books are made.

I chose this wonderful author not only for his story, but equally importantly for his exquisite illustrations. I gave it to my grandson for his second birthday and he is enthralled with it, and frequently chooses it at bedtime for his Grandma Janet to read again and again. I love it as much as he does, and it is a timeless classic.

Students love this story. Great for teaching how to infer.

My two sons adored this book and I have now purchased it for my grandchildren. I read it each year to a class of first graders and they love using their imaginations to see the boats sailing - and to write their own ending. A great book.

The tale might be a little trite, but if you've ever sailed a wooden boat on a fall afternoon or listened to one when the breeze catches the winter cover while she sits on the hard in December... you'd swear it was alive. And Van Allsberg catches this here. His other tales might be be more universal -- this one's for the imagination that's just a little peculiar, a tad obsessed with the interface between land and water and ocean. Van Allsburg asks you to bring your imagination to this story, instead of doing all the work himself. There's nothing wrong with that, if you're able.

There really isn't much to say about this picture book. Yes, the paintings are wonderful and if you love Allsburg's art work, then by all means get the book. But the story, such as it is, is incredibly lame. One can only hope this will not be made into a 100+ million dollar movie. The only emotion you are likely to feel at the end of the book is: "So what."