Structure

The book is divided into 27 chapters. Each is identified by chapter and title. The titles provide some insight into the events of that chapter. For example, in Chapter 14, titled “Dewey's Great Escape,” Vicki detailed the two days Dewey was missing after slipping through an open door. With the exception of the first chapter, each includes a photo of Dewey above the chapter title. Some of those photos are fairly generic, such as Dewey sleeping in a box or chair, but some are more specific to the events of that chapter. In the chapter that details the changing technology at the library, the photo shows Dewey sleeping on top of a large computer monitor.

The most current version of the book opens with a letter from the author that she wrote a decade after writing the book. This is followed by an Introduction titled “Welcome to Iowa” in...