“Here's a wonderfully fluent fable about man's need to have something to believe in. . . . The strength of this tale is in Natalie Babbitt's clean, modern, very confident telling. For children, especially, this is fine writing.” —School Library Journal, Starred Review

“An enchanting tale imbued with a folk flavor.” —Booklist, Starred Review

“The allegory seems to have grown slowly and surely, so much folk feeling does it have along with its symbolism and satire. Beautifully and clearly written, the story can be read aloud with pleasure.” —The Horn Book Magazine

“Natalie Babbitt's prose is as clean as her pen line. Like The Search . . . delicious.” —Kirkus Reviews

“The theme is ageless--it poses the questions: Who is the fool? Who is the wise man? With help from her characters and from a sly cat and a very endearing old dog, Natalie Babbitt gives a brilliant answer--brilliant because her star, with each new book she writes, shines brighter in the universe of children's books.” —Publishers Weekly

“Fantasy for the whole family.” —Cleveland Plain Dealer

“A delightful fantasy stressing man's need for a belief in the supernatural.” —The Kansas City Star