This courage is needed when Will is kidnapped by hunters, and finds out about threats to the rainforest through trade in exotic pets, animal furs, palm oil and timber.

[4] British author Linda Newbery opined that Morpurgo has the "happy knack of speaking to both child and adult readers, and the vast body of his work ... are those exploring bonds between humans and animals; with its emphasis on animal instincts and social behaviour, part epic adventure, part plea for threatened habitats, this novel will surely rank alongside his best-loved books".

[6] David Robinson from The Scotsman wrote that "the ecological twist he gives to the story, and its message that humankind can be saved through contact with animals, could almost be the template for Morpurgo's work".

[3] John Millen wrote in the South China Morning Post that "Will's survival and adventures in the jungle make exciting reading, but the question of how he will be rescued, and then reunited with his grandparents, hangs over a lot of the action; at the end of the novel, Morpurgo offers no easy solutions to the problem of Will's future".

She went on to say that it was the "lifesize animal puppets who are the real draw in a piece that lacks a convincing emotional underpinning – Lilly's loss of both parents seem to pass almost unnoticed – and is way too earnest in the delivery of its conservation message; but it's a brilliant spectacle".

[9] Primary Times said "epic production, complete with spectacular life-size puppets, tells an emotional and moving story of love, loss and loyalty and of living for the moment".