This was a nice little book about diversity, tolerance, expanding one's horizons, and even, I guess, about bullying. My niece likes this book quite well (she's apparently read it before), and my nephew seemed to appreciate it, too. Was it a remarkably impactful book? Meh. Probably not all that much, but it wasn't pointless, either.
Rosemary Wells just has a way of bringing kids' experiences of the world around them to life in her books. When my niece, nephew, and I read Rosemary Wells' books, those children tune in and really click with her characters. She is a talented author who gets to the heart of what it's like to be a kid in this world, and kids (or at least the kids in my life) appreciate that, I think.