	"Booklist" wrote "Shepard's charmingly droll version of a Finnish folktale combines classic elements with unexpected, witty details" and "The jewel-toned art has beautiful luminescence; the elongated, somewhat blocky look of the characters reinforces the fantasy; and the mice are downright irresistible.", the School Library Journal wrote "On the whole, though, this is a pleasant, attractive addition to folklore shelves." while "Horn Book" found it a "well-told tale"