DANCE IN THE DESERT

"The dragons and the owls honor him because he gives waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, and drink to his people." The words of the child's mother articulate what has become apparent during the procession of real and fabled creatures to the desert caravan's overnight camp. Each in his own way does obeisance to the joyful little boy; it is the "extraordinary night. . . when nobody was afraid and everybody danced." As designed, the book as a whole is a desert night on the journey into Egypt, the text appearing against the glowing sands, the flickering fire, the shadowy dunes; fittingly, the last picture is an almost traditional Madonna and Child. What may seem florid (in the illustrations) and sticky (in the story) to some is, if taken in the spirit in which it was meant, a fervent testimonial.