Before the celebrated novel The Wheel on the School secured the Newbery Medal, Meindert De Jong was already well-regarded for crafting stories that resonate deeply with the authentic experiences and emotions of children. His literary acclaim was further cemented with works like The House of Sixty Fathers (1956), an evocative narrative set in China during World War II—a period De Jong himself spent in the country. This novel stands out among his oeuvre, as most of his enduring works, such as Far out the Long Canal (1964) and Journey from Peppermint Street (1968), are rooted in the landscapes of The Netherlands. In his acceptance speech for the Hans Christian Andersen Award in 1962, De Jong vividly described The Netherlands as a place where "the tower rises out of Wierum right beside the dike . . . rises out of my childhood soul . . . strong and eternal, set forever." As the first American to receive this prestigious international award, De Jong's reflections highlight the profound influence of his Dutch heritage on his storytelling.

Central to De Jong's narratives are themes of friendship and family, often exploring these bonds through the lens of rejection or via connections with animals, for whom he expresses considerable empathy. His depiction of emotions is characterized by a distilled authenticity, arguably shaped by his family's challenging experiences upon immigrating to the United States during World War I. Facing relentless poverty, illness, and discrimination, these adversities honed De Jong's sensitivity to the plight of the mistreated and marginalized.

Despite the harsh realities of his youth, De Jong found solace in the imaginative recollection of his early days in Holland, a place he described with nostalgic sentiment as "set in amber." This duality of experience, both challenging and dreamlike, infused his work with a unique blend of realism and heartfelt imagination, resonating with readers across generations.