At the Dalai Lama's residence in Dharamsala, India, an unusual visitor has arrived. His Holiness interrupts his morning meditation to greet a troubled Giant Panda who has travelled many miles to see him. Welcoming him as a friend, His Holiness invites the Panda on a walk through a cedar forest. There in the shadow of the Himalayas, surrounded by beauty, they discuss matters great and small . . .

With a galvanizing message about the future of our plane--text by His Holiness accompanied by McDonnell's masterful illustrations--Heart to Heart calls for a Compassionate Revolution, reminding us that "we are indeed all members of a single family, sharing one little house." Told with whimsy, wisdom, and warmth, this beautiful book is deceptively simple in its approach and all the more powerful for it, as it elegantly and decisively conveys a message of joy, hope and change.

"There are only two days in the year that nothing can be done. One is called Yesterday, and one is called Tomorrow."

Heart to Heart: A Conversation on Love and Hope for Our Precious Planet, Dalai Lama, HarperOne, Hardcover, 144 pp, $24.99

His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, was born in 1935 to a peasant family in northeastern Tibet and was recognized at the age of two as the reincarnation of his predecessor, the Thirteenth Dalai Lama. The world's foremost Buddhist leader, he travels extensively, speaking eloquently in favor of ecumenical understanding , kindness and compassion, respect for the environment, and above all, world peace.

Patrick McDonnell (illustrator) is the creator of the beloved internationally syndicated comic strip MUTTS, which features the characters that star in five of his children's picture books: Just Like Heaven, Hug Time, South, Wag!, and The Gift of Nothing. He is also the creator of Me . . . Jane, a Caldecott Honor Book and a New York Times bestselling picture book biography of Dr. Jane Goodall, and has written and illustrated A Perfectly Messed-Up Story and the award-winning picture book Art. He lives in New Jersey with his wife, Karen; their formerly feral cat, Not Ootie; and their adopted terrier, Amelie.