 Both Helen E. Walker of Library Journal and Emily Maxwell of The New Yorker felt that the book would appeal to older children as well as to its target audience of first- and second @-@ graders . The reviewer for The Bookmark concurred , writing , " Recommended enthusiastically as a picture book as well as a reader " . In contrast , Heloise P. Mailloux wrote in The Horn Book Magazine , " This is a fine book for remedial purposes , but self @-@ conscious children often refuse material if its seems meant for younger children . " She felt that the book 's limited vocabulary kept it from reaching " the absurd excellence of early Seuss books " . 
