The text is a series of word songs, the child's first conception of poetry, dealing simply and repetitively with each object pictured, whether grass or sky, an apple, shoes, rain, or what have you.

"[2] In a retrospective review on the 75th anniversary of the book's publication, Matthew Kaplowitz wrote, "It’s shocking to realize how descriptive these passages are, profound from the perspective of an adult, and innocently natural to the way a child interprets their surroundings.

There’s a naivety to the language, yet these simple summaries create perfect visualizations of a personal experience rather than what the story dictates you should think about.

Brown doesn’t clutter the reader with fancy wordplay, but wants them to open their minds to their own memories that each page brings them.

"[3] Mark Frauenfelder, calling the book Brown's magnum opus, described it as "true poetry about perceiving the world around us" that "rekindles the sense of wonder we were born with".