JUNA'S JOURNEY

In his village, white-bearded Juna ``dreamt for others, and as his dreams were his guide, he in turn became a guide for others''—until an enigmatic dream sets him on a last journey. On the way, he meets six other ``helpers'': Paloa, whose boat carries him over a river; Zelio, who chooses the best of three ravines; etc. In the end, ``leaving forever behind,'' the seven are carried upward by balloon to a ``new beginning'' they have earned through ``their trust in something bigger than themselves.'' Though written with some grace by a Newbery Honor winner, this parable is too cerebral for most readers. There's virtually no characterization; and the ripple of interest on the story's surface comes from asides whose real intent is their secondary messages rather than their relation to the plot—which has neither the dramatic tension of a true adventure nor a sense of revelation given by fresh insights. On the other hand, Hogrogian (two Caldecotts) realizes the imaginary scene with a certain beauty in mixed-media art depicting the good-hearted pilgrims in a spare landscape of elemental simplicity. A gentle book that may find a place in thoughtful discussions of the hereafter. (Fiction/Picture book. 6+)