"Underneath the light verses is a playful but profound reminder
of our connection with the natural world
and the notion that we aren’t so different from our fellow nonhuman beings,
with whom we share a reality in an intricate mesh of belonging.
But Krauss’s most important message wasn’t an overt one.
In fact, what makes her books especially exceptional
is that she frequently featured female protagonists --
far from the norm at the time and,
sadly, still an exception half a century later when only 31% of books feature female lead characters. It may seem like a simple thing --
the seemingly benign choice of hero or heroine in a children’s story --
but to offer a quietly dissenting alternative to a fragment of hegemonic culture is no small gift.
Krauss was a generous gift-giver."