What makes a great children's book? It's that combination of words and pictures, action and magic, that you find in this desert story. This is such a creative and surprising tale. It starts out scary - describing all the things in the dessert at night that prowl and sneak. And then all of those creatures come to a group of travelers, one by one, and dance with a little boy. I cannot recommend this book more highly. Each page is a new adventure with a new animal, and it's the perfect length to keep your child interested.

L'Engle has created the perfect blend of poetry, short stories, and reflections on Christmas. The page design is lovely, and each piece slows the reader to a more thoughtful pace. I feel that I will have a more complete Christmas this year as I read and re-read this collection. It's one of those purchases that you will never regret, and one of those books that I will never sell. If you already appreciate L'Engle, this is a must-have. It is a rich, spiritual, wonderful, timeless work.

I heard about this book through a friend of a friend whom I didn't know and went out on a limb and bought it....and now, I think I may have found another author (apart from Brennan Manning) who is so challenging, insightful and exhilerating, you can't help but sit back, breathe deep and simply thank God for her words.

This book offers and demands honesty with ourselves and others in our search for peace. Beginning with a section called "Paradoxes", Arnold recognizes that peace is a slippery concept that's easily warped by doublespeaking politicians, New Age gurus, or self-righteous activists. The center piece of the book is a section of fifteen "stepping stones" on the way to piece, including forgiveness, humility, honesty, conviction, and realism. The final section of the book expresses a vision of true peace: peace is creative force whose characteristics are justice, wholeness, and joy.

If I have one argument with the book, it is that the chapter on "Justice" might have been given a more prominent place in the structure of the book. A deepgoing meditation on the slogan "No justice, no peace", this chapter stands alone as an awesome statement of spiritual truth, which takes full account of the horrors of oppression while reaffirming the power of reconciliation. For me, this moment of synthesis is the heart not only of the book, but also of all sincere religious and social movements.

No one said it better than the author Jonathan Kozol, who is quoted on the back cover of Arnold's book: "SEEKING PEACE is a tough, transcendent envisioning of peace: neither fatuous nor sentimental, but arduous and courageous." Every person of good will, of whatever denominational or political stripe, owes it to themselves to embrace, and act on, Arnold's message.