We opened our box from Amazon.com with great excitement. We knew that it contained the first two books (and only two for now) of The Wingfeather Saga by Andrew Peterson: On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness (here is my brief review) and North! Or Be Eaten. I had already finished listening to the audio book of One the Edge and loved every minute of it. So I dove right into North! I may be even better, if that is possible. I highly recommend these books. Here is a drawing of the Sea Dragons that appear in both books.
On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness
A couple of weeks ago I discovered that Andrew Peterson's "children's" book was available on iTunes for $3.95. So I downloaded it and haved listened to about a third of it. The books is wonderfully titled: On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness: Adventure, Peril, Lost Jewels, and the Fearsome Toothy Cows of Skree. Knowing of Peterson's appreciation of the legendary 
otherworldly creations of Lewis and Tolkien, it is easy to see how they inspired him. Peterson has indeed brought forth a new world, complete with enchanting humans and many other strange creatures. But he is no copycat. This is a fresh and unique story, with wonderfully developed characters and a writing style all his own. I look forward to enjoying the whole Wingfeather Saga!
And don't forget that Andrew Peterson's primary contribution to bringing light and hope to this life is his music! He is one of my top three all time favorite artists.