Thurber's other fairy tales show similar themes and qualities. In Many Moons, a sick princess cannot get well unless she is given the moon. In The Great Quillow, only a scorned toymaker can save the town from a dangerous giant. In The Thirteen Clocks, the wicked Duke has driven love and warmth from his land, and a minstrel prince is needed. The Wonderful Ojoins The White Deer among the most satisfying of these tales. In that story, the evil pirate, Black, makes the letter "O" illegal on a small, once happy island. Love becomes unpronounceable and poet becomes pet.

The efforts of poets and lovers banish Black and restore the "O." In each of these, as in many of Thurber's other stories, artists with words and music most often are able to restore love and hope to wasted worlds.