But good manners are a prerequisite for the growth of moral character; they are the habits of conduct and behavior by which we express in the most ordinary circumstances our fundamental respect for others, whether parents, friends, colleagues, or strangers.Fortunately, Karen Santorum has produced for parents and teachers a wonderfully rich and instructive anthology to help instill good manners in our children—and stand against a decline of civility and a coarsening of our common life.Under such headings as “Honor Your Mother and Father,” “Please and Thank You,” “No Hurtful Words,” “Good Behavior in Sport,” and “Showing Respect for Country,” Everyday Graces features stories and poems that will develop and enrich the moral imagination. This marvelous anthology features classic selections from such well-known authors as Hans Christian Anderson, Beatrix Potter, Mark Twain, Frances Hodgson Burnett, C. S. Lewis, Max Lucado, and Arnold Lobel, as well as forgotten gems that deserve a new hearing.Mrs. Santorum writes that this anthology grew out of the frustration of not being able to find a book on manners that instructs through stories rather than by rules of dos and don’ts. She and her husband tried and tested many of these selections on their six children. Each of the selections is briefly introduced with a thoughtful commentary at the close, producing an informality and intimacy that is inviting and infectious.Find out why Everyday Graces has become a beloved feature in homes, schools, churches, and libraries across America.

    As we dream with him, we are taken further and further into mathematical theory, where ideas eventually take flight, until everyone--from those who fumble over fractions to those who solve complex equations in their heads--winds up marveling at what numbers can do.Hans Magnus Enzensberger is a true polymath, the kind of superb intellectual who loves thinking and marshals all of his charm and wit to share his passions with the world. In The Number Devil, he brings together the surreal logic of Alice in Wonderland and the existential geometry of Flatland with the kind of math everyone would love, if only they had a number devil to teach them.

    Author Gemma Elwin Harris has lovingly compiled weighty questions from precocious grade school children—queries that have long dumbfounded even intelligent adults—and she’s gathered together a notable crew of scientists, specialists, philosophers, and writers to answer them.Authors Mary Roach and Phillip Pullman, evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins, chef Gordon Ramsay, adventurist Bear Gryllis, and linguist Noam Chomsky are among the top experts responding to the Big Questions from Little People, (“Do animals have feelings?”, “Why can’t I tickle myself?”, “Who is God?”) with well-known comedians, columnists, and raconteurs offering hilarious alternative answers. Miles above your average general knowledge and trivia collections, this charming compendium is a book fans of the E.H. Gombrich classic, A Little History of the World, will adore.

    A whole family sat for hours around the fire in the middle of the room. That fire gave the only light. Shadows flitted in the dark corners. Smoke curled along the high beams of the ceiling. The children sat on the dirt floor close by the fire. The grown people were on a long narrow bench that they had pulled up to the light and warmth. Everybody's hands were busy with wool. As the family worked in the red fire-light, the father told of the kings of Norway, of long voyages to strange lands, of good fights. And in farmhouses all through Iceland these old tales were told over and over until everybody knew them and loved them. Men who could sing and play the harp were called "skalds," and they called their songs "sagas." Eventually these stories were written down on sheepskin or vellum so that we can enjoy them today. We follow the fortunes of Harald from the time he is acknowledged by his father as a baby and given his own thrall at the cutting of his first tooth, through his exploits as a viking adventurer, to his crowning as King of Norway. It is when Harald is King of Norway that population pressures at home and eagerness for adventure and booty from other lands combine to drive some of the bolder Vikings to set forth from their native land. Sailing ever westward across the Atlantic, they hop along the chain of islands that loosely connects Norway with America-Orkneys and Shetlands, Faeroes, Iceland, and Greenland. It is from link to link of this chain that the characters in our story sail in search of home and adventure. Discoveries are made by accident. Ships are driven by the wind into unknown ports, resulting in landings and settlements in Iceland, Greenland, and America. The crude courage of these men and strangeness of their adventures appeal strongly to children, while their love of truth, hardy endurance, and faithfulness to the promised word make them characters to emulate. Suitable for children ages 9 and up to read to themselves and for children as young as 6 as a read-aloud.

    a quick, easy reference to using your Kindle Fire -- to the max!Amazon's Kindle Fire is the handiest tablet available, and is your portal to an infinite universe of education and entertainment. This valuable reference book helps you get the maximum bang for your Kindle bucks. You'll see how to quickly set up your Kindle, navigate the touch-screen, buy, rent or stream video, and browse the world's largest library of digital books.This reference guide from Amazon guru Steve Weber demystifies the Kindle and explains in plain English how to master the Kindle basics, plus secret tips, tricks and shortcuts you won't find elsewhere. Each section includes clearly written step-by-step instructions, illustrated with screenshots and menus just like you'll see on your own Kindle screen. You'll see how to:■ Change your Kindle's setting just the way you want.■ Charge your Kindle's battery properly and prolong its life.■ Enjoy an infinite supply of the best books, music and video from Amazon, iTunes or virtually any other source.■ Use personal and office documents, including word processing files, PDFs, and spreadsheets. Chuck your laptop and PDA, and do everything you want on your Kindle!■ The easy way to harvest your own content and get it onto your Kindle Fire, including gems you didn't buy at Amazon. ■ How to download free games and educational apps, plus free bonuses from Amazon's Android App Store or other sources.■ How to download, organize and read your favorite books, magazines and newspapers on the Kindle Fire.■ How to get current and archived editions of the world's most popular newspapers, magazines and websites streamed to your Kindle--updated constantly, with no fees whatsoever!■ Use Amazon's free "Cloud" service for unlimited storage of your digital content.■ Purchase or rent thousands of movies and TV shows, and how to find a gold mine of free video.■ Find the best free content in the world, downloadable to your Kindle. (You might never have to pay for books, movies or music again--ever!)■ Use Amazon Prime to stream movies using your home's Internet service.■ Use your Kindle to send and receive email from Gmail, Yahoo! Mail, Hotmail, and virtually any other service.■ Surf the Web at daredevil speeds using Kindle's built-in Silk Web browser.■ Show off your own photos and videos on your Kindle, no matter which camera you used.About the author:ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Steve Weber has been writing about Amazon for nearly a decade. He is the founding publisher of KindleBuffet.com, a website and newsletter that features the best free Kindle eBooks currently being offered as free promotions.