Charming and funny, a minor classic ... Quirky and philosophical, this is a fabulous read-aloud for children ages 6-11. - Wall Street Journal
Here's something new and wonderful. Lazar (1936-2006) was a Hungarian national treasure. . . . Move over Princess Bride: Arnica is a worthy successor to Buttercup. - Susan Harari, Keefe Library, in Youth Services Book Review
A quacking read... a wonderful, twisted fairytale, with gorgeous illustrations. -- The Times, Children's Book of the Week
Gorgeous illustrations! A beautiful Hungarian fairy tale... love, friendship and a wicked witch! Just brilliant! -- Independent Book Reviews
Ably translated from Hungarian into English, and uniquely enhanced with the original artwork of Jacqueline Molar, this delightfully entertaining retelling of an Hungarian folk tale by author Ervin Lazar is unreservedly recommended for family, elementary school, and community library collections. - Midwest Book Review
Something rather special... [a] fairytale of love and friendship... perfect to read aloud or to share with new slightly more confident readers. -- Angels and Urchins
A stunning fairytale about love, friendship and laughter, but Lazar also offers wise words about controlling one's anger, forgiveness and showing kindness... this is a magical tale to be enjoyed by readers young and old. -- Bluebird Reviews
Jacqueline Molnar's eye-catching illustrations have a wonderful folk art quality to them which wonderfully complement the text... contains all the most important ingredients of a fairy tale: friendship, peril, humour and a touch of magic. -- Library Girl and Book Boy blog
The style of writing is refreshingly modern and amusing... I have no way of knowing if this is the style of Ervin Lazar, capably translated by Anna Bentley, or if there is some magic happening in the translation... It's really very charming [and] ...the illustrations by Jacqueline Molnar turn out to be exactly what the book needs. -- Bookwitch blog
