"A beautiful edition for reading aloud," proclaimed Booklist. "Excitement and danger ebb and flow throughout," added Kirkus.

Soon after a flood washes Rikki into the garden of a family, he comes face-to-face with Nag and Nagaina, two giant cobras. The snakes are willing to attack Rikki, and even the human family who lives there, to claim the garden and house for themselves. But they do not count on the heart and pride of the brave little mongoose.

Jerry Pinkney was "widely acclaimed for his picture books honoring his Black heritage as well as for his richly detailed works reimagining well-loved fairy and folktales," noted Publishers Weekly. His version of The Lion & the Mouse by Aesop was awarded the Caldecott Medal, and his books also received five Caldecott Honor citations. He was recognized with two lifetime achievement awards: the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award (now known as the Children's Literature Legacy Award) and the Coretta Scott King Virginia Hamilton Award.