Did Dawkins Blink?

Writing in the WSJ, Meghan Cox Gurdon reviews Richard Dawkins’s new science book for young folk:

…That young people might come to see poetic magic in the scientific method and the natural world is not, however, sufficient for the author of “The God Delusion,” the 2006 best seller. A crusading atheist, Mr. Dawkins has ridden his hobbyhorse into the children’s section of the bookstore. There is no doubt that he hopes to relieve young readers of any primitive vestigial religious belief to which they might cling.

In each chapter, dramatized by Dave McKean’s colorful graphic artwork, the author recounts the “made-up” and “fun” stories of various religious traditions. We are invited to smile at the idea of miracles and to regard as charmingly quaint such colorful individuals as the Hopi spider-woman goddess, the Tasmanian god Dromerdeener and the famous “Jewish preacher” who turned water into wine. Mr. Dawkins ranges widely across all manner of religious belief, so it is worth noting that he never mentions Muhammad or Islam. Perhaps he did not want to offend.

Tsk, tsk, did Dawkins blink?

On the other hand, reading the conclusion of the review made me warm to the book despite that lapse:

His tone throughout alternates between real delight over how things work and avuncular pity for the people who persist in seeing an author behind the machinery of the universe. Mr. Dawkins is rather like a subversive relative who comes to dinner and, while father is banging on about the Divine Plan, catches the attention of the teenagers at the table and rolls his eyes. There is no plan, winks Mr. Dawkins, nor any divinity. There is just the “magic” of the universe unfolding. If that is the view you wish your children to have of the cosmos, then “The Magic of Reality” will suit you very well.

Update

It seems like the answer to the question whether Dawkins blinked is no. Thanks to Prasad in the comments for the heads-up. According to a commenter (or should that be commentator: I never know) on Richard Dawkins’s site, the book includes this passage (on p.247) :

People who would laugh at the idea that a pumpkin could turn into a coach, and who know perfectly well that silk handkerchiefs don’t really turn into rabbits, are quite happy to believe that a prophet turned water into wine or, as devotees of another religion would have it, flew to heaven on a winged horse.

The chap on the winged horse was, of course, you know who.

So, apologies, Professor — and well played.