It won the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award in 1969 and was one of the final recipients of the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award in 1979. Margaret Atwood called it one of the "wellsprings" of fantasy literature.
The book was recognized by the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award in 1969 and the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award in 1979, which are both prestigious awards for children's literature. Margaret Atwood considers it to be a significant source of inspiration for fantasy literature.