When playful Duck invites careful Hippo to go for a walk in the rain, they have trouble sharing Duck’s umbrella. But Duck and Hippo won’t let that stop them. Soon they are puddle-jumping and sailing down the river! Until…WHOOOSH! A terrible wind sends the umbrella flying up, up, up into the air, with one friend holding on. What will Duck and Hippo do now? Jonathan London’s charming text and Andrew Joyner’s delightful art bring to life two lovable friends in this fun new series.

    Richard Smoley, an expert in esoteric Christianity, traces the Gnostic legacy from its ancient roots in the Gospel of Thomas, discovered in Egypt; early 2nd-century Gnostic communities of the Roman Empire & the Manichaeans of Central Asia. He tracks how the Gnostic impulse was publicly repressed but survived underground in various forms of Christianity, surfacing again in the Middle Ages with the Cathars, a mysterious group of heretics who inspired the medieval tradition of courtly love but were then wiped out by the Inquisition. Since then the Gnostic legacy has survived into the modern era with the help of Kabbalists, the Freemasonry of our founding fathers, Wm Blake's poetry, the intuitive insights of 19th-century Theosophists & the psychological work of C.G. Jung. Finally, we learn how some of their key teachings are being revived in Harold Bloom's criticism, the sf of Philip K. Dick & films like The Matrix & The Da Vinci Code. Why should Gnosticism exercise such a lasting fascination? Throughout most of Christian history, Gnosticism was the "forbidden faith," & such condemnation by the official Church might actually have served to endow the movement with glamour. But that explanation goes only so far. For the Gnostics to have such lasting appeal, it seems logical that they must offer solutions to some problems, solutions overlooked by mainstream religion. Forbidden Faith provides the enduring story & continuing legacy of those errant faithful who've had direct experiences of the divine that can't be explained by the official beliefs of the Church.

    "Truth of philosophy is of a merely theoretical value unless it can be lived, and we have therefore tried in The Synthesis of Yoga to arrive at a synthetical view of the principles and methods of the various lines of spiritual self-discipline and the way in which they can lead to an integral divine life in the human existence." Index.

    Is there anything fun to do inside?Beginning readers will love this easy-to-read addition to the Splat library!

    They swim among discards and debris. Do you see them, too? Or is it just me? Through lyrical text and her incomparable mixed-media collage illustrations, Lois Ehlert introduces readers to “rain fish”—the varied, colorful, and unique little collections of materials that float along on streams of rain water during storms. From a scrap of newspaper with a seashell eye and feather smile to a piece of cardboard with an orange peel eye and a leaf for a fin, Ehlert’s rain fish come in all shapes and sizes. Complete with an author’s note explaining how Ehlert collected the found materials she used to make the book over the course of a year, Rain Fish is a spirited celebration of imagination, creativity, and observing the world in your own way—and it invites you to discover your own rain fish.

    The ancient manuscript is genuine-so what are Christians to make of the claims therein? Claims such as -Judas was doing what Jesus asked him to do when he betrayed Jesus -Jesus came to offer secret knowledge of how to escape this earthly world, rather than to usher in God's kingdom on earth -Jesus felt no pain on the cross -and more This timely and necessary response to the Gospel of Judas is the authoritative, orthodox word on what it really tells us--and does not tell us--about Jesus, Judas, early Christianity, and Gnosticism. Tom Wright, as both a bishop and an historian, is uniquely qualified to speak on the subject and answers the questions Christians have after encountering this "new gospel."

     Mom's Choice Award - GoldThings aren’t always what they seem in this charming tale of imagination, sharing and friendship. When Elephant takes a peaceful walk with his green umbrella, he’s interrupted by Hedgehog, Cat, Bear, and Rabbit—all claiming that they’ve had exciting adventures with his umbrella. After all, it is an umbrella, and it certainly hasn’t been on any adventures more exciting than a walk in the rain. Or has it? Jackie Azúa Kramer and illustrator Maral Sassouni both make their debut in this fun read-aloud!

    . .and became a pond. . .and spilled over into a lake. . .and grew larger and larger until it joined with a river and travelled out to sea.With this classic picture book, young readers can follow the course of a heavy rain as it drenches people and animals and changes the landscape below. With its poetic text and lovely, detailed illustrations, Rain Drop Splash is a delight to read, rain or shine.

    Health professionals broadly discourage all forms of cosleeping, which, along with the potentially devastating consequences, makes deciding how and where your baby should sleep both confusing and frightening. Parents who cherish the closeness, security, and warmth of cosleeping are finding themselves conflicted, concerned, and exhausted. Cosleeping, a term which encompasses sleeping in the same room or on the same bed as your infant, is a common parental instinct driven by physiology and seen throughout human history. Despite mainstream opposition, thousands of parents continue the practice, whether intentionally, accidentally, or out of necessity. So, why do current medical guidelines insist that cosleeping is unsafe? What is the difference between SIDS and SUID, and are they related to cosleeping? What should parents do to make a safe sleep space for their infant? If a family chooses to cosleep, how should they respond to reproach from friends, family, or medical professionals? In Safe Infant Sleep, the world's authority on cosleeping breaks down the complicated political and social aspects of sleep safety, exposes common misconceptions, and compares current recommendations to hard science. With the latest information on the abundant scientific benefits of cosleeping, Dr. James J. Mckenna informs readers about the dangers of following over-simplified recommendations against the age-old practice, and encourages parents to trust their knowledge and instincts about what is and is not safe for their baby. This book offers a range of options and safety tips for your family's ideal cosleeping arrangement. These include variations of roomsharing and bedsharing, and introduce the concept of "breastsleeping." This term, coined by Dr. McKenna himself, is based on the inherent biological connection between breastfeeding and infant sleep, and provides readers with everything they need to know about safely sharing a bed with their baby. Complete with resource listings for both parents and professionals, this book teaches you how to confidently choose a safe sleeping arrangement as unique as your family.

    And sometimes it's not.This is a thoughtful exploration of the ways to get and be wet by children's book author Carey Sookocheff--from puddles and pools, to puppydog kisses. A boy describes how he gets wet at the swimming pool, at the playground, at home. Emotionally resonant and carefully observed, with a gentle bedtime ending, this is a poetic celebration of wetness--and childhood.

    Yellow sun. White clouds. Then, suddenly, gray clouds. Gray sky. RAIN. Using bold graphics and few words, Rain explores concepts like weather, colors, and a changing landscape. It's a book for very young readers to enjoy and learn from, rain or shine.

    Of course, Jack to Douglas is C. S. Lewis to the rest of the world. The informal address Gresham uses to refer to the great writer is indicative of the intimacy he shared with Lewis for a dozen years, living in England as Lewis's stepson. Jack's Life is an affectionate account of days now long gone. It is a personal memoir of a man who touched many in the classroom, even more with his pen, and made a significant, lasting, and eternal impression on one young man. Douglas Gresham is uniquely qualified to offer such an extraordinary portrait.

    The Cathars, whose religion was based on the Gospels but contradicted the tenets set forth by Rome, found themselves the focus of ruthless repression. In systematic waves of brutal persecution, thousands of Cathars were captured, summarily tried, and burned at the stake as heretics. Yet so ardent was their faith that during the years 1290 to 1329, the Cathars rose up one last time. René Weis tells the dramatic and moving story of these thirty years, offering a rich medieval tale of faith, adventure, sex, and courage. Having spent years exploring a rich trove of untouched information, including trial records and interrogation transcripts, Weis creates a remarkably detailed portrait of the last great gasp of the movement and the day-to-day life of the individual Cathars in their villages. This is an exceptionally vivid re-creation of a fascinating, and otherwise lost, world.

    And Ava knew that meant one thing…A RAINBOW!And not just any rainbow—this was the most beautiful rainbow Ava had ever seen. She wished that it could stay up in the bright sky forever. When the rainbow was still there the next day, and the next day, Ava realized it was true—the rainbow had decided to stay! Everyone loved the rainbow as much as Ava. And she was happy.But when people start to lose interest in the rainbow, Ava learns that sometimes the rare and special things in life are the most valuable and precious of all.

    The new Scholars Version translation captures the full spirit and vitality of the original texts. This gospel picture of early traditions and Christian origins gives the reader a fresh and exciting glimpse into the world of Jesus and his followers. Informative and highly-readable introductions, essays, notes, and annotations make this work a remarkably comprehensive one-volume library of all gospel texts.