Best of
Family

2008

Our Little Secret


Rosie Goodwin - 2008
    She's a mystery to everyone around her - and that's how she wants to keep it. Abused as a child and forced to sell her body to survive, Claire has built a barrier around herself that she is sure no one will ever penetrate.But folks are curious about why such an attractive young woman would move to Blackpool to run a hotel. Where are her friends? Her family? Claire is determined to keep the truth from them all until she attracts the attention of wealthy businessman, Gregory Nightingale, and she finds her past coming back to haunt her...

Loving Our Kids on Purpose: Making a Heart-To-Heart Connection


Danny Silk - 2008
    2 Corinthians 3:17 tells us that Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is freedom. Most parenting approaches train children to learn to accept being controlled by well meaning parents and adults. Unfortunately, God is not going to control us as we gain independence from our parents.We must learn to control ourselves.This book will teach parents to train their children to manage their freedoms and protect their important heart to heart relationships.

Stick Man


Julia Donaldson - 2008
    Stick Man lives in the family tree With his Stick Lady Love and their stick children three ..."a cracker of a book" - Financial Times"You'll read this book again and again" - Daily Mail

A Mother's Promise


Dilly Court - 2008
    But despite the threat of being turned out onto the streets by the unscrupulous tallyman and the never-ending struggle just to exist, Hetty is determined her family will never starve or want for a roof over their heads. Longing for something better out of life than the daily grind of making matchboxes for a pittance, she dreams of setting up her own business. With the help of friends she sells hot potatoes on the streets and things begin to look up for them all. But when the tallyman comes calling, they are faced once more with a future full of hardship and despair ...

Where's My Mom?


Julia Donaldson - 2008
    Little monkey says that his mother is big, so butterfly leads him to . . . an elephant. No, that's not right! Little monkey says his mom is furry, so butterfly leads him to . . . a bat. That's not right either. From then on, little monkey and butterfly meet many jungle animals, but they don't find Mom until little monkey comes up with just the right description.With Julia Donaldson's effortless rhyme and Axel Scheffler's vibrant illustrations, this circular tale combines funny miscommunication with a little bit of science for a charming feel-good adventure.

The 7 Habits of Happy Kids


Sean Covey - 2008
    Whether they're singing along with Pokey Porcupine's harmonica or playing soccer with Jumper Rabbit, everyone is having fun and learning all sorts of things. These seven stories show how practicing the 7 Habits makes this possible for the whole Seven Oaks Community. From learning how to take charge of their own lives to discovering how balance is best, the Seven Oaks friends have tons of adventures and find out how each and every kid can be a happy kid!

Crow's Revenge


Marcus Alexander - 2008
    I've just had a flesh-eating giant tearing around my house and now I'm in this strange land I don't know anything about'!Before she can untangle the mystery that will save Bellania, Charlie Keeper needs the answer to a life-changing secret her guardian, the dastardly Mr Crow, has been keeping from her ...Just who is Charlie Keeper?

Can I Get a Witness?


ReShonda Tate Billingsley - 2008
    After all, she's seen everything in her notorious Houston courtroom, where she's presided over the breakup of countless unhappy and disillusioned couples. Even her own sister, Dionne, is dealing with a relationship drama of her own, a betrayal that's left Dionne hungry for revenge on the man she hoped to marry. But when career-driven Vanessa chooses to work late on the night of her fifth wedding anniversary, her husband, Thomas, decides he's had enough of her putting work before starting the family he so desperately wants -- and he tells her he wants out. In a last-ditch effort to save the marriage, their own judge orders Vanessa and Thomas to attend a spiritual retreat. She goes -- but not without a fight. And just when she thinks she's won, fate steps in and helps her see things in a whole new light. Now Vanessa and her sister face the toughest choices of their lives. Can Dionne untangle herself from a payback plan gone horribly wrong? Can Vanessa rebuild a bond that she had a big part in destroying? Will she learn from her own mistakes and her years of experience on the bench? Or will she need something else to keep a tide of bitterness from taking over her life?

How Do I Love You?


Marion Dane Bauer - 2008
    . ."In this book, a parent declares her love...as the bees love a flower, a duck loves a shower, a bird loves to sing, a bear loves the spring.

It's Time to Sleep, My Love


Eric Metaxas - 2008
    Animals who live in the jungle, the forest, the sea--all whisper to their babies a soft refrain: It's time to sleep, my love.As comforting as a soft blanket and warm as a goodnight hug, Eric Metaxas's lullaby is lovingly brought to life by bestselling artist Nancy Tillman (On the Night You Were Born), whose illustrations celebrate the wonders of the natural world, and the bonds of family.It's Time to Sleep, My Love is a 2009 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

My Family for the War


Anne C. Voorhoeve - 2008
    Batchelder medal for most oustanding children's book in translation.Escaping Nazi Germany on the kindertransport changes one girl's life foreverAt the start of World War II, ten-year-old Franziska Mangold is torn from her family when she boards the kindertransport in Berlin, the train that secretly took nearly 10,000 children out of Nazi territory to safety in England. Taken in by strangers who soon become more like family than her real parents, Frances (as she is now known) courageously pieces together a new life for herself because she doesn't know when or if she'll see her true family again. Against the backdrop of war-torn London, Frances struggles with questions of identity, family, and love, and these experiences shape her into a dauntless, charming young woman.Originally published in Germany, Anne Voorhoeve's award-winning novel is filled with humor, danger, and romance.

Ways to Live Forever


Sally Nicholls - 2008
    I am eleven years old. I collect stories and fantastic facts. By the time you read this, I will probably be dead." Sam loves facts. He wants to know about UFOs and horror movies and airships and ghosts and scientists, and how it feels to kiss a girl. And because he has leukaemia he wants to know the facts about dying. Sam needs answers to the questions nobody will answer. "Ways To Live Forever" is the first novel from an extraordinarily talented young writer. Funny and honest, it is one of the most powerful and uplifting books you will ever read.

Now You Wanna Come Back


Anna Black - 2008
    She was stuck on her husband Devon and never thought she would ever stop loving him; even through the constant pain and suffering, she still had hopes that he’d come back to her. Cold and unwilling to do right, Devon did what was best for him and that was treat Leila horribly and lie to her time after time, leaving her no choice but to be rescued by another man. Rayshon Johnson, not the perfect man - but a good man - came along and rolled the storm away and gave Leila back all the things that Devon took away. He kissed her where it hurt and helped her to get over her insecurities about herself. By giving her back that confidence, she let go and letting go was the wrong answer for Devon and he refused to let her move on without him. He was determined to get his good thing back - no matter what the cost, he was determined to come back.

If Animals Kissed Good Night


Ann Whitford Paul - 2008
    Would Wolf and his pup “kiss and then HOWL”? Would Bear and her cub “kiss and then GROWL”? But what about Sloth and her baby? They move soooo slooowwwww . . . they’re sure to be kissing from early evening until long after everyone else is fast asleep!With its whimsical art and playful rhymed verse, this affectionate picture book is bound to become a bedtime favorite.

Fancy Nancy: Bonjour, Butterfly


Jane O'Connor - 2008
    And that is why she can't wait for her friend Bree's Butterfly Birthday. It's going to be the fanciest birthday party ever!But when Nancy finds out she can't go because her grandparents' fiftieth anniversary party is the same day, she is furious. (Mad is way too plain for how she feels.) How Nancy overcomes her disappointment and reconnects with her family is a fun and meaningful story for young readers.Perfect for fans of the Eloise and Olivia books. From the dazzling New York Times bestselling duo Jane O’Connor and Robin Preiss Glasser.This edition is a jacketed hardcover.

It's a Good Thing They're Cute


Brian Anderson - 2008
     Together, this dynamic duo adjusts to sharing the spotlight, the toys, and the affections of Mom and Dad, while exploring nature and its majesty, the couch and its cushions, and the cookie jar and its contents.

Three Little Words


Ashley Rhodes-Courter - 2008
    You must mind the one taking care of you, but she's not your mama." Ashley Rhodes-Courter spent nine years of her life in fourteen different foster homes, living by those words. As her mother spirals out of control, Ashley is left clinging to an unpredictable, dissolving relationship, all the while getting pulled deeper and deeper into the foster care system. Painful memories of being taken away from her home quickly become consumed by real-life horrors, where Ashley is juggled between caseworkers, shuffled from school to school, and forced to endure manipulative,humiliating treatment from a very abusive foster family. In this inspiring, unforgettable memoir, Ashley finds the courage to succeed - and in doing so, discovers the power of her own voice.

Will I Ever Be Good Enough? Healing the Daughters of Narcissistic Mothers


Karyl McBride - 2008
    The first book for the millions of daughters suffering from the emotional abuse of selfish, self-involved mothers, Will I Ever Be Good Enough? provides the expert advice readers need to overcome debilitating histories and reclaim their lives.

Finding Forever


Keisha Ervin - 2008
    Does true love really exist? For Koran, it did more than eight years ago when the love of his life left without an explanation. Once brokenhearted, time heals all things and being the big baller that he is, love for him now is riding around in his expensive cars, wearing the best jewelry money can buy and staying dipped in the latest fashions, while lying back in his beautiful crib. Whitney left Koran, the love of her life, so long ago. The pain she felt, knowing she would never see him again was so great that she was unable to express why she had to go. Leaving Koran was hard, but facing her problems was worse. Returning with a Bachelor's degree, a new lease on life and working on her Master's she suddenly comes face-to-face with the man of her past. Unfortunately, Koran is living a different life with his crew, than the one they talked about as teenagers. Will love return, and if it does will Koran give up his lifestyle of selling dope and chasing after more and more money or will he follow his heart back into the arms of his first love?

A Fraction of the Whole


Steve Toltz - 2008
    But now that Martin is dead, Jasper can fully reflect on the crackpot who raised him in intellectual captivity, and what he realizes is that, for all its lunacy, theirs was a grand adventure.As he recollects the events that led to his father’s demise, Jasper recounts a boyhood of outrageous schemes and shocking discoveries—about his infamous outlaw uncle, Terry, his mysteriously absent European mother, and Martin’s constant losing battle to make a lasting mark on the world he so disdains. It’s a story that takes them from the Australian bush to the cafés of bohemian Paris, from the Thai jungle to strip clubs, asylums, labyrinths, and criminal lairs, and from the highs of first love to the lows of failed ambition. The result is a wild rollercoaster ride from obscurity to infamy, and the moving, memorable story of a father and son whose spiritual symmetry transcends all their many shortcomings.A Fraction of the Whole is an uproarious indictment of the modern world and its mores, and the epic debut of the blisteringly funny and talented Steve Toltz.

Instructing a Child's Heart


Tedd Tripp - 2008
    Instructing a Child's Heart is essential to Shepherding a Child's Heart. The instruction that you provide for them not only informs their mind; it is directed to persuading their hearts of the wisdom and truthfulness of God's ways. Impress truth on the hearts of your children, not to control or manage them, but to point them to the greatest joy and happiness that they can experience delighting in God and the goodness of his ways.

One Hen: How One Small Loan Made a Big Difference


Katie Smith Milway - 2008
    When his mother receives a loan from some village families, she gives a little money to her son. With this tiny loan, Kojo buys a hen.A year later, Kojo has built up a flock of 25 hens. With his earnings Kojo is able to return to school. Soon Kojo's farm grows to become the largest in the region.Kojo's story is inspired by the life of Kwabena Darko, who as a boy started a tiny poultry farm just like Kojo's, which later grew to be the largest in Ghana, and one of the largest in west Africa. Kwabena also started a trust that gives out small loans to people who cannot get a loan from a bank.One Hen shows what happens when a little help makes a big difference. The final pages of One Hen explain the microloan system and include a list of relevant organizations for children to explore.One Hen is part of CitizenKid: A collection of books that inform children about the world and inspire them to be better global citizens.

Bird


Zetta Elliott - 2008
    With drawings, he can erase the things that don't turn out right. In real life, problems aren't so easily fixed.As Bird struggles to understand the death of his beloved grandfather and his older brother's drug addiction, he escapes into his art. Drawing is an outlet for Bird's emotions and imagination, and provides a path to making sense of his world. In time, with the help of his grandfather's friend, Bird finds his own special something and wings to fly.Told with spare grace, Bird is a touching look at a young boy coping with real-life troubles. Readers will be heartened by Bird's quiet resilience, and moved by the healing power of putting pencil to paper.Bird, the recipient of Lee & Low's New Voices Award Honor, is the first picture book of both Zetta Elliot and Shadra Strickland.

August: Osage County


Tracy Letts - 2008
    When the patriarch of the Weston clan disappears one hot summer night, the family reunites at the Oklahoma homestead, where long-held secrets are unflinchingly and uproariously revealed. The three-act, three-and-a-half-hour mammoth of a play combines epic tragedy with black comedy, dramatizing three generations of unfulfilled dreams and leaving not one of its thirteen characters unscathed.

The One Year Love Language Minute Devotional


Gary Chapman - 2008
    She gives you a hug when what you really need is a home-cooked meal. The problem isn't love--it's your love language. The Love Languages Devotional is your daily guide to how to express heartfelt love to your loved one.

The Adventures of Suppandi-1: A Collection of Stories from 25 Years of Tinkle


Luis Fernandes - 2008
    He has been creating trouble and evoking laughter since January 1983, issue Tinkle 27. He’s a total goof and will make you laugh with his silly antics. Suppandi has had multiple jobs however none of them have lasted very long. He takes instructions from his employers, applies his own literal logic to them and causes total mayhem. The character of Suppandi is based on a Tamil folklore character, Chappandi. Ram Waeerkar, the legendary Tinkle artist gave form to Suppandi. Currently, his daughter, Archana Amberkar, illustrates the strip.Meet the Cool CastMaddy: Suppandi’s best friend who often gives him advice and nearly always regrets it, but he is the only one who will stick with Suppandi and bears his gaffes.Soupy: Suppandi’s admirer, who usually has Suppandi fleeing her attentions.Frooty: Suppandi’s crush, she is the only one who understands the intent behind Suppandi’s actions and so always has a smile for SuppandiAbout TinkleContinuously published since 1980, Tinkle is one of the oldest and most cherished children’s comics magazines in India. It boasts of a large fan following and beloved characters that include such household names as Suppandi, Shikari Shambu and Tantri the Mantri.

Such Sweet Sorrow


Katie Flynn - 2008
    Marianne seems to have everything. She is married to a handsome naval officer, Neil Sheridan, commander of a corvette. They have a daughter, Libby, and a beautiful home near Prince's Park in Liverpool. When war comes, Marianne takes war work and moves into Crocus Street with her mother, Mrs Wainwright, and younger sister. Neil disapproves because the Wainwrights live so near the docks, which are bound to be a bombing target, but Marianne is firm. Meanwhile, Libby is evacuated to the country to stay with Miss Williams, who lives in an ancient house, Tregarth, at the head of a valley in North Wales and Libby, the wheelchair-bound Matthew and Miss Williams assume they can settle down to see out the war in comparative safety. But, Libby is forced to return to the city when her mother suffers an accident and her gran finds herself unable to cope...

A Real Boy: How Autism Shattered Our Lives and Made a Family from the Pieces


Christopher Stevens - 2008
    He is unable to speak more than a few words, barely capable of expressing his most basic needs, oblivious to danger and blind to other people’s emotions. This is the heart-wrenching story of bringing up a child who will always be a little boy and an account of both the heartbreak and the unexpected joy of autism. With raw and sometimes brutal honesty, Christopher and Nicola Stevens lay bare their experiences, which are by turns harrowing, funny, and inspirational. As David’s story unfolds, his parents reveal how the condition has both tested their limits, and helped to forge an unbreakable bond of love.

The Breastfeeding Mother's Guide to Making More Milk


Diana West - 2008
    Written by two leading experts who have been there themselves and officially recommended by La Leche League International, The Breastfeeding Mother's Guide to Making More Milk incorporates the latest research and discoveries about causes of low milk supply, the way your body makes milk, and how babies contribute to your milk production. Best of all, you'll find valuable suggestions for both time-honored and innovative ways to make more milk.Learn the facts about:Determining if baby is really getting enough milkSupplementing without decreasing your supplyMaximizing the amount of milk you can makeIdentifying the causes of your low supplyIncreasing your supply with the most effective methods, including pumping, herbs, medications, foods, and alternative therapiesMaking more milk when you return to work, exclusively pump, have a premie or multiples, relactate, or induce lactation

The Boy in the Dress


David Walliams - 2008
    Dennis was different. Why was he different, you ask? Well, a small clue might be in the title of this book! Charming, surprising and hilarious—The Boy in the Dress is everything you would expect from the co-creator of Little Britain. David Walliams's beautiful first novel will touch the hearts (and funny bones) of children and adults alike.

You Gotta Sin to Get Saved


J.D. Mason - 2008
    Too much love, too much attention, and had too many big dreams.   It was how she ended up abandoning her two daughters, Connie and Reesy to chase after a man and the promise of a dream life.   But Charlotte never anticipated how her world would be irrevocably changed.  Now, twenty-seven years later, her whole world shifts yet again with a letter from one of her daughters.  And the past is about to bust wide open.   Reesy has always been obsessed with something.  Obsessed with finding her birth mother. Obsessed with her sister’s life. Obsessed with her own adopted daughter never finding out that Reesy is really her aunt.  With a neglected husband, who is unknowingly drifting further and further away, a sister who is trying to escape her well-meaning clutches, and a daughter becoming more and more curious about her true parentage, finding the mother she always dreamed about seems to be an answered prayer to Reesy.  That is until Reesy is brought crashing back to earth to find that her perfect life is in tattered pieces.Connie has always expected too little. Too little from the man she’s been living with for years. Too little from her modest jewelry business.  And too little from her relationships, or lack thereof, with her daughter, mother and sister. And too little from herself.  Until she discovers she is pregnant again and decides that this time she is keeping her baby, sending her life and her relationship into a tailspin.  And rediscovering the mother who left them behind is the last thing she wants.  Thrown back together again, in a maelstrom of shocking truths, Charlotte, Reesy and Connie will discover on their journey to forgiveness and redemption that you just might have to sin first in order to be saved.

Unpacking Forgiveness: Biblical Answers for Complex Questions and Deep Wounds


Chris Brauns - 2008
    This question is part of Chris Brauns's Forgiveness Quiz that draws readers into his book and gets them thinking about the subject of forgiveness. The truth is, pastors and counselors disagree profoundly on this subject. Unpacking Forgiveness combines sound theological thinking and honesty about the complicated questions many face to provide readers with a solid understanding of biblical forgiveness.Only God's Word can unpack forgiveness. The wounds are too deep for us to find healing on our own, and the questions are too complex to be unraveled by anything but the wisdom of God. This book goes beyond a feel-good doctrine of automatic forgiveness, balancing the beauty of God's grace and the necessity of forgiveness with the teaching that forgiveness must take place in a way that is consistent with justice.

Child C: Surviving a Foster Mother's Reign of Terror


Christopher Spry - 2008
    Her home had become a prison where over the course of 20 years she routinely abused and tortured her charges. Behind closed doors she was a sadistic tyrant who beat her children with metal bars, forced wooden sticks down their throats, and made them eat lard, bleach, vomit, and feces. In this harrowing account, one of the victims of Spry’s wrath—known during the trial as Child C—tells the full, shocking story of his enforced isolation and the psychological and physical abuse he endured. Despite years of suffering and abandonment, with his mother now behind bars, today Christopher Spry is a survivor with a zest for life.

I Love You As Big As the World


David Van Buren - 2008
    It is big enough to fill the whole wide world. Lush, brightly-colored illustrations, from the illustrator of Little Honey Bear and the Smiley Moon, capture the humor and intimacy of a very special relationship with irresistible tenderness and grace. Children will treasure this reminder of how much they are loved.

Ladybug Girl


David Soman - 2008
    Her dog, Bingo the basset hound, is always by her side and the two prove that they are not too little to explore nature, build forts, and make their own big fun.For fans of Fancy Nancy and Toot and Puddle, the Ladybug Girl series honors individuality, creativity, and a love of the outdoors!

Feeling Good Together: The Secret to Making Troubled Relationships Work


David D. Burns - 2008
    Whether it's our spouse, co-worker or neighbour, something about the relationship just rubs us up the wrong way, and though our natural instinct is to blame the other person, that can just make things worse.In Feeling Good Together, renowned US psychiatrist Dr David Burns applies his successful method of cognitive interpersonal therapy to teach us how to take control of our relationships.Building on the principles that he first introduced in Feeling Good, Burns offers innovative techniques designed to improve communication skills and shows us how to cope with different personality types, such as the big ego, the jealous type, the stubborn mule and the critic, and reveals the five secrets of effective communication.This groundbreaking book will identify the behaviours that are sabotaging your relationships and give you the tools to change.

One Foot In Heaven


Heidi Telpner - 2008
    While most people in America die in a hospital, many families choose hospice for end of life care. Death, as experienced by hospice nurses, can be beautiful, peaceful, humorous, touching, tragic, disturbing, and even otherworldly. Hospice nurses act as midwives to dying people every day. Death transforms not just the patient and family, but the hospice nurse as well. The stories in this book are presented with the hope that their transformation extends to you, too. Heidi Telpner, R.N.

Cul de Sac: This Exit


Richard Thompson - 2008
    I think you're in for a real treat." --Bill Watterson, creator of Calvin and Hobbes, 2008"One of the five best features in any newspaper, period." --The Comics Reporter"One of the few strips around where nearly every individual panel is stand-alone delight." --The Onion "...it really seems like the inheritor of 'Calvin and Hobbes.'" --Art Spiegelman"I can't say enough in his favor, so much is my admiration for his work." --Pat OliphantMore than half of our nation's population resides in the 'burbs. Knowingly, Richard Thompson's Cul de Sac follows the antics of four-year-old Alice Otterloop as she navigates her way through life at Blisshaven Preschool, "the scene of [her] daily toil." Suburbanites across the nation will easily recognize the quirks and conundrums associated with house-lined streets, sidewalk canvases, and magnetified refrigerator art.Instructed by the proper Miss Bliss, Alice regularly has issues with taking a nap, speaking out of turn, and remembering what a triangle looks like. Helping her through life's ups and downs are her eight-year-old brother Petey, Dad (a.k.a. Peter), and Mom (a.k.a. Madeline), as well as Mr. Danders, the preschool's pompously pedantic guinea pig.This is the strip's first book collection incorporating more than a year's worth of strips dating back to the cartoon's 2007 debut. Thompson has received critical praise for doing a masterful job of commenting on social issues while entertaining in a freshly amusing and unexpected way.

The Secret Story of Sonia Rodriguez


Alan Sitomer - 2008
    Sitomer, an acclaimed author as well as California's Teacher of the Year for 2007, delivers a poignant, funny coming-of-age story about a first-generation Hispanic teen torn between her dreams and her familia.

Knucklehead: Tall Tales and Mostly True Stories of Growing Up Scieszka


Jon Scieszka - 2008
    Throw in Catholic school, lots of comic books, lazy summers at the lake with time to kill, babysitting misadventures, TV shows, jokes told at family dinner, and the result is Knucklehead. Part memoir, part scrapbook, this hilarious trip down memory lane provides a unique glimpse into the formation of a creative mind and a free spirit.Watch a QuickTime trailer for this book.

Tea for Ruby


Sarah Ferguson - 2008
    You can't take Ruby anywhere! One sunny morning, the postman brings Ruby an amazing invitation to have tea with -- the Queen! Ruby had better polish her manners and quickly. Will Ruby really be ready in time?Illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser, illustrator of the "Fancy Nancy" series.

A Dream of Love


Rosie Harris - 2008
    Despite many difficulties, Molly is determined to make a better life for herself, hoping that one day she'll find love. But abused by a man she trusted and estranged from the boy who was once her best friend, Molly wonders if this dream will ever come true. When her father is killed in a fight and her mother turns to drink in her sorrow, Molly finds herself the only wage owner. She tries to take care of her mother and younger sister, Jodie. But when a fire destroys their home, not only do Molly and Jodie lose their mother, but they find themselves homeless and with a very bleak future ahead of them...

The Manning Grooms


Debbie Macomber - 2008
    Then a precocious girl named Carrie Weston decides to play matchmaker, introducing him to her mother, Charlotte. To his relief, Charlotte is as averse to marriage as he is. But Jason's feelings start to change once he gets to know his Bride on the Loose.James Wilkens was almost a Manning groom—because he almost married one of the Manning sisters. With that broken engagement behind him, he spends New Year's Eve in Las Vegas…where he meets Summer Lawton. She's just suffered a painful betrayal, and James promises her that in a year, she'll be over it. To prove his point, he makes a date to meet her in Vegas Same Time, Next Year. Except it turns out to be more than a date—it's a wedding!

Shin-chi's Canoe


Nicola I. Campbell - 2008
    For Shinchi, life becomes an endless cycle of church mass, school, and work, punctuated by skimpy meals. He finds solace at the river, clutching a tiny cedar canoe, a gift from his father, and dreaming of the day when the salmon return to the river — a sign that it’s almost time to return home. This poignant story about a devastating chapter in First Nations history is told at a child’s level of understanding.

The Lost Island of Tamarind


Nadia Aguiar - 2008
    She's spent her whole life living on the sea with her marine biologist parents, her younger brother, Simon, and baby sister, Penny. Maya used to love living on a sailboat, but lately, everything feels terribly claustrophobic. Maya longs to go to school on land. To make friends. To lead a normal life. But when a violent storm hits and Maya's parents are washed overboard, life becomes anything but normal. The children manage to steer the boat toward a mysterious island, to a place that doesn't exist on a map.Welcome to Tamarind, where fish can fly, pirates patrol the waters, jaguars lurk, the islanders are at war, and an evil, child-stealing enchantress rules the jungle.Maya never imagined she'd have to face so many dangers. But then, who could have imagined a place like Tamarind. . . .?In her stunning first novel, Nadia Aguiar presents a heart-pounding adventure tale about a haunting, fantastical island cut off from the outside world.

Setting Boundaries with Your Adult Children: Six Steps to Hope and Healing for Struggling Parents


Allison Bottke - 2008
    Additional real life stories from other parents are woven through the text.A tough–love book to help readers cope with dysfunctional adult children, Setting Boundaries® with Your Adult Children will empower families by offering hope and healing through S.A.N.I.T.Y.—a six–step program to help parents regain control in their homes and in their lives.S = STOP Enabling, STOP Blaming Yourself, and STOP the Flow of MoneyA = Assemble a Support GroupN = Nip Excuses in the BudI = Implement Rules/BoundariesT = Trust Your InstinctsY = Yield Everything to GodForeword by Carol Kent (When I Lay My Isaac Down)

Waiting for Normal


Leslie Connor - 2008
    But Addie's mother has an all-or-nothing approach to life: a food fiesta or an empty pantry, her way or no way.Addie’s mother is bipolar, and she often neglects Addie. All-or-nothing never adds up to normal, and it can't bring Addie home, where she wants to be with her half-sisters and her stepfather. But Addie never stops hoping that one day, maybe, she'll find normal.

Brain Quest Workbook: 2nd Grade


Liane Onish - 2008
    Each page is jam packed with hands-on activities and games covering building sentences, addition and subtraction, fractions, telling time, geography, science, and much, much more—with friendly illustrations throughout. Aligned with Common Core State Standards and expertly vetted by award-winning teachers, this workbook is designed to appeal to kids’ natural curiosity, with interactive layouts and easy-to-follow explanations that take the intimidation out of learning. Plus, it’s written to help parents follow along and explain key concepts for homework help! With colorful stickers, a fold-out poster, award certificate, and Brain Quest Mini Decks in the back.Also available: Summer Brain Quest Workbooks (Pre-K & K through Grades 5 & 6) and Brain Quest Decks (Pre-K through Grade 7).

Brumby's Run


Jennifer Scoullar - 2008
    Within days, city girl Sam finds herself breaking brumbies and running cattle with the help of handsome neighbour Drew Chandler, her sister’s erstwhile boyfriend.A daunting challenge soon becomes a wholehearted tree change as Sam begins to fall in love with Brumby’s Run – and with Drew. But what will happen when Charlie returns to claim what is rightfully hers?PRAISE FOR BRUMBY'S RUN:‘This book celebrates the country and more importantly, the bush, as a life-changing environment. But we also have a heart-thumping romance …’ The Weekly Times‘A lovely story of family, self-discovery, love of the land and the wildlife that live on it.’ 1 Girl … 2 Many Books‘Another wonderful addition to the Australian rural genre … Brumby’s Run is a story characterised by family secrets, relationships, growth and passion and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.’ The Australian BookshelfBrumby's Run is the first book of The Wild Australia Stories. Buy it now to discover why Jennifer Scoullar is one of Australia’s favourite story-tellers!

The Food of Love: Your Formula for Successful Breastfeeding


Kate Evans - 2008
    Your baby is your baby, and so utterly unique, it is not like any of the ones in the books. This Book Will Tell You all the information you need to breastfeed successfully . . . Along With some refreshingly honest discussions about childcare and original insights into all those things you may not have thought about . . . As Well As loads of fantastically funny illustrations . . . Plus it's square, so it'll stay open, and you can read it when you've got both hands full. The Food of Love explores all aspects of breastfeeding and babycare using words, pictures, personal insights, and humor. Kate Evans shares old ways with new parents: how to breastfeed, co-sleep, and choose babywear. Yet it's not prescriptive. Cribs, strollers, and even formula milk all have a part to play in good mothering. It's all about choice, and The Food of Love aims to support women in all of them.

What to Do About Alice?: How Alice Roosevelt Broke the Rules, Charmed the World, and Drove Her Father Teddy Crazy!


Barbara Kerley - 2008
    a gleeful celebration." —Kirkus Reviews, starred reviewTheodore Roosevelt had a small problem. Her name was Alice. Alice Lee Roosevelt was hungry to go places, meet people, do things. Father called it "running riot." Alice called it "eating up the world." Whether she was entertaining important White House visitors with her pet snake or traveling the globe, Alice bucked convention and turned every new experience into an adventure!Brimming with affection and wit, this spirited biography gives readers a peek at family life inside the White House. Prose and pictures spring, gambol, and two-step across the pages to celebrate a maverick American heroine.

Practical Happiness: A Young Man's Guide to a Contented Life


Bob Schultz - 2008
    Without counsel how can they find the path that leads to inner joy and lasting contentment? Practical Happiness: A Young Man's Guide to a Contented Life offers such counsel. Through short, captivating stories, Bob Schultz has crafted a book to lead young men toward a life of contentment that can only be found by seeking the heart of God. Bob writes with a homespun wisdom born out of experience as well as a quest for a closer walk with God. His goal is to help young men chart a smooth course through life by addressing areas of faith, character, and subtleties of attitude that must be adjusted in order to direct them on the path to inner joy and lasting contentment.

History for the Classical Child: The Middle Ages Activity Book: Volume 2: From the Fall of Rome to the Rise of the Renaissance


Susan Wise Bauer - 2008
    Children and parents love the activities, ranging from cooking projects to crafts, board games to science experiments, and puzzles to projects.Each Story of the World Activity Book provides a full year of history study when combined with the Textbook, Audiobook, and Tests—each available separately to accompany each volume of The Story of the World Activity Book. Activity Book 2 Grade Recommendation: Grades 1-6.

Olivia and the Little Way


Nancy Carabio Belanger - 2008
    Therese of Lisieux. Follow Olivia's trials as she tries to fit in at St. Michael's School. With the help of her grandmother, she learns about the Little Way of serving God and how it can change everything!

A Labour of Love


Anne Baker - 2008
    Sophie, seventeen years old and stunning, falls in love with Darrell, the school caretaker, who has plans to make it big with his rock band. But when Sophie discovers that she’s pregnant, her relationship with Darrell comes to an end. Though happiness is on the horizon for Sophie, it will take her time to realise who she is destined to be with. Charlie, eighteen and having struggled at school, is unhappy in his job as a chef. With Sophie’s help, Charlie joins the family business with surprising results...

Growing Up Country: Memories of an Iowa Farm Girl


Carol Bodensteiner - 2008
    In charming and memorable vignettes, Carol Bodensteiner captures rural life in middle America, in the middle of the 20th Century. Bodensteiner grew up on a family-owned dairy farm in the 1950s, a time when a family could make a good living on 180 acres. In these pages you can step back and relish a time simple but not easy, a time innocent yet challenging. If you grew up in rural America, these stories will trigger your memories and your senses, releasing a wealth of stories of your own. If the rural Midwest is foreign territory to you, Carol's stories will invite you into a fascinating and disappearing world.

Her Mother's Face


Roddy Doyle - 2008
    When Siobhan was just three years old, her mother died, leaving Siobhan and her father alone in their house in Dublin. They never talk about her, and now, at ten years old, Siobhan no longer remembers her mother's face. One day, Siobhan meets a mysterious woman in the park who tells her that to remember her mother, she just needs to look in a mirror. As Siobhan grows older, she sees more and more of her mother's face in her own reflection. With time, she and her father and her own daughter are able to remember Siobhan's mother with joy and laughter instead of tears.

Ponyo Picture Book


Hayao Miyazaki - 2008
    One day, Ponyo's curiosity takes her far from home. After accidentally hitching a ride on a jellyfish, Ponyo washes up on the shore and is found by Sosuke, a kindly human boy. The two become fast friends and are swept away on an incredible adventure.Ponyo is a sweet-faced goldfish from a magical realm under the sea. One day, Ponyo's curiosity takes her far from home. After accidentally hitching a ride on a jellyfish, Ponyo washes up on the shore and is found by Sosuke, a kindly human boy. The two become fast friends and are swept away on an incredible adventure.

The Best Story


Eileen Spinelli - 2008
    Her father thinks the best stories are the funniest. And Aunt Jane tells her that the best stories have to make people cry. A story that does all these things doesn't seem quite right, though, and the one thing the whole family can agree on is that the best story has to be your own.Anne Wilsdorf's hilarious illustrations perfectly capture this colorful family and their outrageous stories in Eileen Spinelli's heartfelt tale about creativity and finding your own voice.

Parenting Your Internationally Adopted Child: From Your First Hours Together Through the Teen Years


Patty Cogen - 2008
    A guide for adoptive parents from preparations for a child's arrival through the teen years.

Too Many Toys


David Shannon - 2008
    Now it's time to give some of the mountain of goodies away, but Spencer finds it hard. In the end, he fills a box, but decides the one toy he can't part with is the box!

Brain Quest Workbook: 3rd Grade


Janet A. Meyer - 2008
    Each page is jam packed with hands-on activities and games covering spelling and vocabulary, reading comprehension, parts of speech, odds and evens, multiplication tables, and much, much more—with friendly illustrations throughout. Aligned with Common Core State Standards and expertly vetted by award-winning teachers, this workbook is designed to appeal to kids’ natural curiosity, with interactive layouts and easy-to-follow explanations that take the intimidation out of learning. Plus, it’s written to help parents follow along and explain key concepts for homework help! With colorful stickers, a fold-out poster, award certificate, and Brain Quest Mini Decks in the backAlso available: Summer Brain Quest Workbooks (Pre-K & K through Grades 5 & 6) and Brain Quest Decks (Pre-K through Grade 7).

All the Way Home: Building a Family in a Falling-Down House


David Giffels - 2008
    Rebuilding one from a crumbling pile—to say nothing of making it into a home—is even harder.With their infant son in tow, David Giffels and his wife comb the environs of Akron, Ohio, in search of just the right house for their burgeoning family. Running through David's head the whole time are the lyrics of a Replacements song, ". . . Look me in the eye, then tell me that I'm satisfied," and it gives all the more purpose to their quest. But nothing seems right . . . until they spot a beautiful, decaying Gilded Age mansion. A former rubber industry executive's domain, the once grand residence lacks functional plumbing and electricity, leaks rain like a cartoon shack, and is infested with all manner of wildlife. But for a young man at a coming-of-age crossroads—"suspended between a perpetual youth and an inevitable adulthood"—the challenge is exactly the allure.All the Way Home follows Giffels's funny, poignant, and confounding journey as he and his wife and a colorful collection of helpers turn a money pit into a house that will complete their family. Nothing could prepare them for a home restoration epic that includes evicting squatters (both four- and two-legged), battling an invading wisteria vine, hunting a ghost, and discovering thousands of dollars in hidden Depression-era cash. But the story's heart lies deeper, in an unexpected series of personal hardships that call into question what "home" really means, and what it means to grow up.Written with the humor and insight of Bill Bryson and John Grogan, All the Way Home is the engaging tale of a young father's struggle to restore a house and find his way . . . without losing himself.

Stitchin' and Pullin': A Gee's Bend Quilt


Patricia C. McKissack - 2008
    For a hundred years, generations of women from Gee’s Bend have quilted together, sharing stories, trading recipes, singing hymns—all the while stitchin’ and pullin’ thread through cloth. Every day Baby Girl listens, watches, and waits, until she’s called to sit at the quilting frame. Piece by piece, she puzzles her quilt together—telling not just her story, but the story of her family, the story of Gee’s Bend, and the story of her ancestors’ struggle for freedom.

Da Crockydile Book o' Frendsheep: A Pearls Before Swine Gift Book


Stephan Pastis - 2008
    Do geeft book.' And we is like, 'OKay. Whatevers. Just pays us monees.'Den dey is say, 'Make book about frensheep.' And we is like, 'But we ees hate evrybodies.' ANd dey is go, 'But dat make most monees.' So we is like, 'Okay. We expert.'"And experts they are, as they show in such an endearing expression of care as, "If you is have a beeg butt, frend sometime honesst and say, 'you have beeg butt.'"Named Best Comic Strip of the Year by the National Cartoonists Society in 2004 and 2007, Pearls Before Swine has a devoted fan following of crockydiles and humans alike.

Mr. Men: The Complete Collection


Roger Hargreaves - 2008
    

The Night of the Moon: A Muslim Holiday Story


Hena Khan - 2008
    With lush illustrations that evoke Islamic art, this beautiful story offers a window into modern Muslim culture—and into the ancient roots from within its traditions have grown.

Kitchen Dance


Maurie J. Manning - 2008
    She rouses her brother, and they sneak downstairs and peek into the kitchen. To their amazement and delight, their parents are dancing and singing---"?Como te quiero! Oh, how I love you!" ---as they clean up and put food away. Mama and Papa discover the two kids and sweep them into the embrace of a family dance. Slowly, the song changes to a lullaby. . . the children close sleepy eyes. . . then Mama and Papa tuck them into bed again. The story reads like poetry. The art moves from subdued tones to hot tropical colors and back again. And as you turn the pages, you can almost hear the music---changing from a pop ballad to a hot tango to a cozy lullaby. All in all, it's a perfect bedtime book, with a satisfying hugs-and-kisses ending.

Stand By Me


Wendell Berry - 2008
    Short story published in The Atlantic magazine

Song For Jenny: A Mother's Story of Love and Loss


Julie Nicholson - 2008
    Her daughter, Jenny, was killed on her way to work in the London bombings, shaking Julie's beliefs. With heartbreaking honesty and integrity, Julie tells her story of love, tragedy and heartache for the first time. Jenny Nicolson was travelling to work when a bomb exploded at Edgware Road Tube station. Her mother, Reverend Julie Nicholson, struggled to comprehend the tragedy, her sorrow and longing for her daughter turning to rage and anger. Finding herself unable to articulate the three parts of the Eucharist: peace, reconciliation and forgiveness, because she 'felt so far from those herself', Julie made the difficult decision to resign her role as priest-in-charge of St Aidan with St George Church, Bristol, unable to reconcile her feelings with her position. She continued working with the church, in a youth arts project.

Courage in Patience


Beth Fehlbaum - 2008
    After confiding in her teacher—the only adult whom Ashley can trust—she is removed from her home and sent to live with her father and his second wife, Beverly, an English teacher. Nurtured by Beverly, an extraordinarily positive influence in her life, Ashley and a summer school class of troubled teens learn to face their fears and discover who they really are.

Sweeping Up Glass


Carolyn Wall - 2008
    Olivia Harker Cross owns a strip of mountain in Pope County, Kentucky, a land where whites and blacks eke out a living in separate, tattered kingdoms and where silver-faced wolves howl in the night. But someone is killing the wolves of Big Foley Mountain–and Olivia is beginning to realize how much of her own bitter history she’s never understood: Her mother’s madness, building toward a fiery crescendo. Her daughter’s flight to California, leaving her to raise Will’m, her beloved grandson. And most of all, her town’s fear, for Olivia has real and dangerous enemies. Now this proud, lonely woman will face her mother and daughter, her neighbors and the wolf hunters of Big Foley Mountain. And when she does, she’ll ignite a conflict that will embroil an entire community–and change her own life in the most astonishing of ways.

Counseling Through Your Bible Handbook: Providing Biblical Hope and Practical Help for 50 Everyday Problems


June Hunt - 2008
    Mark L. BaileyPresident, Dallas Theological SeminaryBestselling author June Hunt's Biblical Counseling Handbook is now available in hardcover! This powerful resource is based on many years of careful research, thousands of counseling phone calls, and countless hundreds of pages of written resources produced by Hope for the Heart.This 450-page handbook brings together the very best of June's extraordinary counseling ministry, which has offered Christ-centered hope and guidance to people around the world. The 50 chapters deal with the most pressing issues people face today, and offer practical solutions firmly based on Scripture. Among the topics are...anger & adultery fear & phobias alcohol & drug abuse guilt & grief codependency & cults rejection & rape depression & divorce self-worth & suicideReaders will want to keep this life-changing resource handy alongside their Bibles.

Brain Quest Kindergarten Workbook [With Stickers]


Lisa Trumbauer - 2008
    The workbook 's lively layout and easy-to-follow explanations make learning fun, interactive, and concrete. Plus it 's written to help parents follow and explain key concepts. Includes ABCs, 123s, mazes, paint by letters, sorting games, phonics, shapes and colors, money, telling time, and much, much more.

Radical Gratitude And Other Life Lessons Learned In Siberia


Andrew Bienkowski - 2008
    Andrew Bienkowski learned this as a young Polish boy at the age of five when, exiled with his immediate family, he watched his grandfather starve to death so they could survive. Reminiscent of Viktor Frankel's great classic, Man's Search for Meaning, this extraordinary book moves back and forth from the family's terrible journey of survival in Siberia, to how to become a person who can give to others.Each chapter details powerful ways to achieve this with such concepts as radical gratitude (learning to be grateful, even for the difficult experiences in life), who we can and cannot help, genuine being with others in need, and the remarkable changes that we can experience when we do.The feel of this book can best be summed up by Churchill's famous saying - 'We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give.'

Fireproof Your Marriage Couple's Kit


Jennifer Dion - 2008
    The Fireproof Your Marriage study integrates video clips from the movie FIREPROOF, along with key Scriptures, thought-provoking questions and devotionals. The Couple's Kit includes a six-session DVD and two Participant's guides. Also makes a great wedding or anniversary gift! Fireproof Your Marriage includes these six sessions: 1.) He Said/She Said: appreciating the God-designed differences between men and women. 2.) He First Loved Us: God's love for you and how it enables you to love others.3.) Love for a Lifetime: marriage as a lifelong covenant. 4.) Breaking Free: freeing yourself from temptations that can destroy a marriage. 5.) Forgiveness: offering and receiving forgiveness. 6.) A Better Way of Loving: unconditional love.

Most Loved in All the World


Tonya Cherie Hegamin - 2008
    Before sending her daughter north to freedom, the mother sews a quilt for her daughter, not only to guide her with its symbols of moss and the north star, but also to remind her always that the smiling girl in the center of the quilt is "most loved in all the world." Strikingly illustrated in unique textile collaging and expressive acrylic paintings.

The Color of My Paint


Mario L. Vázquez - 2008
    The author shares his experiences in search of his artistic expression during his childhood upbringing.

One Year of Dinner Table Devotions & Discussion Starters: 365 Opportunities to Grow Closer to God as a Family


Nancy Guthrie - 2008
    As the meal comes to a close, family members can take turns turning to the dinner-table devotion for that day, designed to be done together as a family in 10 to 15 minutes. The result is a meaningful daily discussion in which every family member can participate, drawing the whole family closer to God . . . and each other.

The 3 Big Questions for a Frantic Family: A Leadership Fable... about Restoring Sanity to the Most Important Organization in Your Life


Patrick Lencioni - 2008
    As a husband and the father of four young boys, Lencioni realized the discrepancy between the time and energy his clients put into running their organizations and the reactive way most people run their personal lives. Having experienced the stress of a frantic family firsthand, he and his wife began applying some of the tools he uses with Fortune 500 companies at home, and with surprising results.

Duck


Randy Cecil - 2008
    Flying is all she can think about, until the day a lost little duckling waddles into her life. Soon Duck and Duckling are inseparable: they walk together, play together, even dream of flying together. Then the time comes when Duckling's yellow fuzz is replaced by long white feathers, and Duck is determined to do whatever it takes to help him learn to fly. But what if helping Duckling find his wings means being left behind?

Just for Boys


Matt Crossick - 2008
    Packed with advice, tips, facts, and a special Q&A section, this book makes an ideal gift for your young one.

First Space Encyclopedia


Caroline Bingham - 2008
    A delightful first reference book about space for young astronomers, First Space Encyclopedia takes readers on a journey through the universe, from the beginning of space itself to current space technology.Find out what it takes to be an astronaut, what it is like to live in space, and what they take with them in their suitcases! Children can test their knowledge with quizzes, try out at-home space activities, learn how to find constellations in the night sky, and see the phases of the moon.Packed full of engaging photography and easy-to-follow text, First Space Encyclopedia brings space down to Earth for curious young readers.

You Can Do It!


Tony Dungy - 2008
    Linden is the youngest of the Dungy family and the least motivated because he hasn't found "it." In a family where everyone seems to have found their special talent, all Linden knows is that he wants to make people happy. With encouragement from his parents, a helping hand from his older brother Tony, and inspiration from God, Linden learns that if he dreams big and has faith, he can do anything!

Beyond My Control: One Man's Struggle with Epilepsy, Seizure Surgery & Beyond


Stuart Ross McCallum - 2008
    McCallum vividly describes his twenty-year journey of living with epilepsy and how this unpredictable disease has not only impacted his life but the lives of everyone around him. For years he operated a business and managed his staff while battling an ever-increasing number of seizures. As his condition worsened and his postseizure responses became more intense, he was often prone to violent outbursts that threatened his safety as well as the safety of those in his inner circle. McCallum shares how the perception of the disease and the socially unacceptable behaviors that occurred as a result of his seizures eventually forced him to risk everything-he made the life-altering decision to undergo two brain operations that he hoped would provide freedom from a life of instability, danger, and stares from strangers.Beyond My Control provides an honest, emotional look into a highly complex and often misunderstood condition and how one man's perseverance helped him break through the darkness to find hope on the other side.

NIV Adventure Bible Book of Devotions: 365 Days of Adventure


Robin Schmitt - 2008
    In a format that reflects the tone and structure of the newly revised NIV Adventure Bible, this devotional uses intriguing fictional adventure stories and other fascinating features to teach children about God, themselves, and what it means to live a life of faith.

The Glen Rock Book of the Dead


Marion Winik - 2008
    . . they go to the cemetery and stay all night, praying, singing, drinking, wailing. They tell the sad stories and the noble ones; they eat cookies shaped like skeletons. They celebrate and mourn at once.” Striking that balance, The Glen Rock Book of the Dead presents snapshot portraits of The Jeweler, The Driving Instructor, The Bad Influence, The Queen of New Jersey—and roughly fifty others who have touched Winik’s life, from her son’s second grade teacher to Keith Haring. Tied together by the inimitable, poignant voice of Winik, these losses form not only an autobiography but a story of our time, delivering a lyrical journey that ultimately raises the spirits.

Leon and the Place Between


Angela McAllister - 2008
    Take a journey right through the die-cut pages of this book into the Place Between, where magic becomes truly real. Angela McAllister has conjured a spellbinding story that unfolds in the mysterious world of Grahame Baker-Smith’s stunning illustrations.

Interstellar: Original Screenplay


Jonathan Nolan - 2008
    IT WAS NEVER MEANT TO DIE HERE. Christopher Nolan takes on the infinite canvas of space to deliver a cutting-edge, emotionally charged adventure that will amaze movie audiences of all ages. This is the living blueprint of Nolan's journey. Interstellar, Nolan's much anticipated sci-fi film, opens in November 2014 and stars, among others, Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Jessica Chastain, Michael Caine, Casey Affleck, William Devane, Topher Grace, John Lithgow.

Crackers!


Alan MacDonald - 2008
    Join Bertie for three comically chaotic Christmas stories as he makes his very own Christmas crackers, performs in the school nativity play and has to dress up as an elf to help out at Santa's Grotto.

Dreaming Me: Black, Baptist, and Buddhist--One Woman's Spiritual Journey


Jan Willis - 2008
    She is simply both. Dreaming Me is the story of her life, as a child growing up in the Jim Crow South, dealing with racism in an Ivy League college, and becoming involved with the Black Panther Party. But it wasn't until meeting Lama Yeshe, a Tibetan Buddhist monk living in the mountains of Nepal, that she realized who the real Jan Willis was, and how to make the most of the life she was living.

Just In Case: A Trickster Tale and Spanish Alphabet Book


Yuyi Morales - 2008
    Señor Calvera is worried. He can’t figure out what to give Grandma Beetle for her birthday. Misunderstanding the advice of Zelmiro the Ghost, Señor Calvera decides not to get her one gift, but instead one gift for every letter of the alphabet, just in case. Una Acordéon: An accordion for her to dance to. Bigotes: A mustache because she has none. Cosquillas: Tickles to make her laugh… only to find out at the end of the alphabet that the best gift of all is seeing her friends. Morales’s art glows in this heart-warming original tale with folklore themes, a companion book to her Pura Belpré-winning JUST A MINUTE.Just In Case is a 2009 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year, the winner of the 2009 Pura Belpré Medal for Illustration and a Pura Belpré Honor Book for Narrative.Latino Interest. In English with Spanish vocabulary.

A Regular Guy: Growing Up with Autism


Laura Shumaker - 2008
    It answers the many questions that people have about autism through the story of Matthew's life spanning from babyhood to young adulthood. A Regular Guy illustrates the many ways in which family, friends and strangers are touched by Matthew's desperate desire to be a regular guy, and how his brutal honesty and social awkwardness bring out the best and worst in people in touching and humorous ways. In turn, A Regular Guy leads readers to love and accept Matthew, quirks and all, and inspires them to understand and tolerate the differences in others.

Time For a Change


Lynda Page - 2008
    But when her beloved husband Gil is sacked from work, having been wrongly accused of molesting a female member of staff, her whole world is suddenly turned upside down. For the first time in twenty-five years, Lex needs to get a job in order to make ends meet, so she goes to work in a marriage bureau and puts her skill to good use.

Home and Away


John Marsden - 2008
    What would happen if a typical Australian family found themselves refugees?

A Cuddle For Little Duck


Claire Freedman - 2008
    Little Duck has a busy day ahead!Little Duck is a cute and curious ball of fluff!Come along on a day packed full of small discoveries and big wonder.This rhyming story, paired with gentle illustrations, will enchant little ones everywhere.

Going Public: Your Child Can Thrive in Public School


David Pritchard - 2008
    Taking this verse at face value provides the perfect opportunity to prove it in the educational setting of our children, say the authors of Going Public. By nurturing the life and power of Christ within them, students will be ready to stand against negative influences no matter the environment, even bringing light to a dark place. They will also benefit from many of the services that the often well-financed public school system has to offer. Readers of this practical guide will learn how moms and dads have a strategic role to play in the ongoing development of their school-age children. Discover what the Bible says about education, the three most important things to teach your public-school child, how to shape your child through teachable moments, the importance of getting involved at school and why everyone should “home-school,” in addition to public school.

Truly Tan


Jen Storer - 2008
    She′s funny. She′s lively. She has the mind of a Great Detective ...Dear DiaryIt′s official. Our whole family has moved to the country. The pets are disturbed and restless. My sisters are disturbed and restless -- although that′s normal. What is not normal is a cursed fox and a haunted clubhouse. That is definitely unnormal.At least the country people now have an expert in their midst. Someone with a cool head and a sharp eye. Someone who can solve intriguing mysteries and knows how to keep detailed Secret Spy Files.Really, it′s lucky I came along when I did.TrulyTanAges:8--12

Ma! There's Nothing to Do Here!


Barbara Park - 2008
    It’s not exactly a scintillating experience spending nine months in your mother’s womb. You’re just stuck there at the end of that dumb bungee cord (a.k.a. the umbilical cord), with nothing whatsoever to do but slosh around. But, oh, the endless joys you have to look forward to as you listen to the tick-tock of ma’s happy heart clock and await that happy day when you finally come out to play.

Family and Civilization


Carle C. Zimmerman - 2008
    In this unjustly forgotten work Zimmerman demonstrates the close and causal connections between the rise and fall of different types of families and the rise and fall of civilizations, particularly ancient Greece and Rome, medieval and modern Europe, and the United States. Zimmerman traces the evolution of family structure from tribes and clans to extended and large nuclear families to the small nuclear families and broken families of today. And he shows the consequences of each structure for the bearing and rearing of children; for religion, law, and everyday life; and for the fate of civilization itself.            Originally published in 1947, this compelling analysis predicted many of today’s cultural and social controversies and trends, including youth violence and depression, abortion and homosexuality, the demographic collapse of Europe and of the West more generally, and the displacement of peoples. This new edition, part of ISI Books’ Background series, has been edited and abridged by cultural commentator James Kurth of Swarthmore College and includes essays on the text by Kurth, Allan Carlson, and Bryce Christensen.