THE BIG BOOK FOR PEACE

Sixteen top authors (Alexander to Zolotow) and as many artists (Agee to Zimmer) have contributed to this handsome volume of stories, poems, and historical vignettes: birds nesting atop a Sendak monster; a Kellogg Peaceable Kingdom; a true, harrowing Meltzer account of a Civil War pacifist; a Paterson story about a boy befriending a homeless woman. Written to order, some seem to lack an author's propelling inner vision; still, a worthy effort that should have wide appeal, to enjoy and discuss.