When confronted with the riot of flowers in Mrs. Crocodile's garden he retreats to his bed in distress, where he is comforted by the neat floral rows of the wallpaper.

ALA wrote "Short, original fables with fresh, unexpected morals poke subtle fun at human foibles through the antics of animals.

",[2] while Kirkus Reviews found "there's not a jot of wit, wisdom, style, or originality in these 20 flat and predictable items.

"[3] Horn Book wrote, "the author-illustrator has invented twenty animal fables with an original flavor" and "Each miniature narrative occupies a page by itself and is balanced by a full-page picture which reflects the crucial event of the fable and portrays the joyfully conceived characters.

"[5] In a retrospective essay about the Caldecott Medal-winning books from 1976 to 1985, Barbara Bader wrote that "in Lobel's natural hand, in spontaneous, cartoony sketches or comic stylizations, the work would have had more sparkle and less ponderousness.