Though criticized by reviewers as "mush"[3] and "too perfectly lovely,"[4] the novel was very popular in the early half of the twentieth century in middle and high schools, and has recently seen a number of reprints.

The novel was transcribed in Braille in 1922,[5] and translated in Chinese (1959), Russian (2005), Italian (2019) and Vietnamese (2019) David is a ten-year-old boy who plays the violin and does not know his last name.

His innocence and musical skills charm the villagers and change several of their lives, uniting in marriage two childhood sweethearts who had grown apart.

David, who barely understands death, is raised in an environment that has prevented him from learning sin or evil, in what critics have called a "glad book.

"[7] The widespread theme of the orphan in American literature is central in the main character of Just David, who through his extraordinary talent restores order to the community and heals broken relationships.

[10] According to The American Library Annual (using information compiled from Publishers Weekly), Just David was the number three book of the year.

[4] A New York Times reviewer felt the novel was predictable, stating "of course, at the end [David's] identity was discovered, all the good people were rewarded, and everything was just too perfectly lovely for words.