Seamless from childhood to adulthood
350132
it's just a wonderful binder. The inner storage makes it even more versatile. I loved them for school as a kid and now use this one for adult-y projects.
272137
Complex social construct narrated in an emotionally safe manner that is suitable for all ages. It is easily transferable to multiple audiences without much effort. My only concern about the ebook version is that it displayed severed pages on both kindle and ipad devices. Other than that, the ebook was superbly structured, illustrated, and made available to multifarious audiences. Thanks.
2393293
Brain Rules for Baby offers a key to emotionally healthy children. Growing up in a confusing world full of adult rules that make no sense to a young, curious explorer requires limit setting, along with deep, true empathy for baby's perspective and experience.  In our culture, we under-utilize an empathic response to our children and to each other. Empathy is mistaken for permissiveness. When paired with reasonable limits and a moderate amount of genuine admiration for accomplishments, empathy softens baby's disappointment and frustration in matching inner-eagerness with adult needs. It feels good to know someone understands our harder emotions. Dr Medina has given a gift in an easy to understand, friendly voice that reads easily, like a great novel.  Thanks John Medina!
3193531
Every generation needs clear voices to speak to central matters of life, faith, and relationship. Kara Oliver is such a voice for parents of our time. This book contributes significantly to the age-old question of how families can best share the values and practices of faith in successive generations. Oliver reclaims the centrality of family conversation, adding symbols and rituals to keep things from getting too heady and to help hold traction through the week. Simple but not simplistic, Oliver's content is inviting, flexible and clear. Four weeks of themes and process for each season is neither exhaustive nor exhausting. Ingeniously, she blends the most beloved seasons of the church calendar (Advent and Lent) with the two markers of the school year best know to children: summer vacation and back-to-school. The effect is to integrate "secular" and "sacred" so that the book is rooted in Christian tradition without feeling churchy.
  Oliver provides a leader's guide for Parent Reflection Groups, along with optional sessions for those who would like more than 4 weeks per season. Rich with additional practices and supports for family spiritual life, these segments add greatly to the value of the book. And, in keeping with the gifts of her generation, the author offers an interactive website for downloads of illustrations and practical helps, along with an invitation to build together further practical resources--so the text could be seedbed to a dynamic interactive community! But least we get ahead of ourselves, Oliver models the patience of a good farmer in her Introduction: "What you plant in one season may not take root and flower for many seasons to come, but God honors the efforts and desires of your heart." I say, Let the planting begin!
1569580
This book is recommended for parents, grandparents, teachers, and children of all ages.  It was written to show how valuable all the little things that we do and share in life with our families create the adult that we become.  Our precious memories will always remain in our hearts.  It also sends a message of the importance of sharing time with family members.
This book also depicts a time in the past when little things, like canning, cooking, and drinking sodas at the country store were so important to the author. Both of my parents passed away within a few months of each other.  This book helped me relive some of my childhood memories, while healing from my grief.
3511284
This is one of those children's books that your kids might keep well into adulthood. It has a timeless feeling with artwork that would make it easy to enjoy, reminisce over and pass down to the next generation of kids! The first-time author is also a professional percussionist. He released a children's album, also called The Lost Bicycle, that won a bunch of awards. You can almost hear the staccato rhythm in his writing.
The illustrator of the book, Matsue Wiles, is Liberian but living in Louisiana. It's easy to see both the Southern and African influences in her colorful, memorable illos.
The simple yet compelling story, about a boy trying to recover his lost bicycle and all the obstacles he faces, draws heavily draws on elements of African storytelling and ancient myths. This makes it a good jumping-off point for introducing kids to more classic works from those genres if you are a teacher, librarian or a parent with a driven reading agenda ;-)
This small, new book publisher, AcuteByDesign, launched last year and focuses on publishing high-quality multicultural children's books. With just a few titles under their belts so far, they have already made quite an impression Can't wait to see what they do next!
1054754
As America has become more urban, the experiences of children growing up in the "country" have become the exception, rather than the rule. The past has been called "simpler" times, but the process of maturation is never simple. However regardless of childhood, when one looks back on it, the sense of proportion totally changes. If childhood and adolescent memories are tempered by a sense of humor, they provide an entertaining look at life and offer anecdotes to which anyone can relate, regardless of their age or home location. In a larger sense, they also show how the process of maturing is universal--regardless of the context in which it takes place.

Uyless Black presents this concept in a look at life in the mid twentieth century Southwest. The book is a collection of reminiscences as Black grew up in the period from 1939 to the mid 1950's in Lea County, New Mexico. The chapters are independent, though some do reference one another and build on each other's stories. Some chapters are very personal. For example, Black describes how he came to be named Uyless. Other chapters entertain as Black relates stories about personalities, events, and aspects of life during his childhood and adolescence.

Black does an excellent job at describing these anecdotes and explaining them in a manner than can be understood by one who never experienced them, as well as keeping readers engaged who are familiar with the processes involved. The book is liberally sprinkled with diagrams, photos and charts to assist the reading in visualizing the context of the story.  For example, Black's description of branding cattle is described as a step by step process very similar to the way that "working cattle" is still done today. Even if a reader has never experienced the process, it is easy to understand what is going on, then enjoy reading how Black relates his personal experience to it.

Toward the end of the book, Black takes the reader back to Lea County, as an adult visiting his aged parents in a personal care home. At first, this abrupt shift in time seems out of place, but it quickly becomes obvious that he is pointing out the change in perspective, as well as commenting on Wolfe's statement, "You can't go home again." Black says, "Yes you can, Mr. Wolfe, if you allow your memories to take you back in time."

That is the thesis of this book. Whether one grows up in rural New Mexico or the inner city, the experiences and learning of life are to be treasured and remembered, because they are the essence of making a person what they eventually become.
3136419
This is a fantastic kids album. The songs are a mix of classic childrens songs and more adult songs that are perfect for kids. The music is in no way cloying or over-produced, but rather has a homey, folksy sound. This is an album FOR kids but that parents will enjoy (or at least not mind) listening to as well. You can only hope that your child will consider this his/her favorite album rather than some frenetic Baby Einstein monstrosity.
3336344
This a book which I read as a child and opened my eyes to different viewpoints on life. It was good enough that I had to buy it as an adult to read to my wife. The story is straightforward and easy to comprehend at any level. Don't think that makes it boring though; the character development is really the driving force behind the plot.
3804755
Perfect for adults who learned so much from Mr. Rogers as a child. It's very upbeat, delivers a message in an adult format with the same familiar lyrics. Be prepared to sing along and get a smile on your face. I ordered two, one for my adult son, one for myself. I will most probably order one for my preteen grandsons and their mother. Mr. Rogers gave life lessons that can apply at any age.
1039519
Kari Joys shows the quality of her skills as a psychotherapist in this simple book that delivers ideas and suggestions about the nature of joy and love accompanied by lush illustrations by Ioanna Kiriakou. It's an hypnotic read as Joys encourages the reader to begin to think like child again, to remember pure love, recognize when their ideas about love and joy changed and ultimately guides us to the path back to loving ourselves and finding joy.

Written in the style of a childrens book, it works to disarm the reader and quickly get them to a safe place that they can observe some of the more complex issues that have Stolen their Joy. Joys expertise shows in the way she makes associations with feelings of happiness and connectedness to people, simple events and the natural world that young children are so unselfconsciously connected but as adults we have often learned to overlook.
A beautiful book and an invaluable tool for anyone across the generations that has, or is, living through challenging times.
Make sure you click on the link in the Post Script it delivers beautiful and practical toolkit for helping those that are seeking to find and fulfill a joyful life.
4441569
My 22 year old received her first Good Dog, Carl book when she was 6 months old.  She grew up with the Carl books and, to this day, they are still special to her.  Our entire family loved how we could make up our own stories based on the pictures since this is a wordless book after page 1.  The colors are vibrant, the book is hardback, easy to wipe up and well-made.  Carl and the characters (baby and parents) are adorable.

Fast forward to 2014 when my daughter's friend had her first baby.  I bought the Good Dog, Carl book as a gift.  My daughter's husband was so excited when he found this in the bag of gifts.  He, too, had grown up with Carl and had the fondest of memories.

We found these books to be appropriate when you first start reading to your child up to 5 or 6 years of age.  I know that's a wide range, but they work well because, as your child grows, he/she, too, can start making up their own words and scenarios.  It helps with their creativity.

All the Good Dog, Carl books are a must!!!
4501951
Lou Del Bianco's When I Was a Kid is a character education teacher's dream come true.
Lou was and still is way ahead of his time, intuitively including what have become character ed buzz-words: responsibility, honesty,respect, kindness, in his entire repertoire. The respect and kindness DelBianco reveals in his mythical story "Gecooch"; his painfully honest sense of personal responsibility for his own childhood mistakes in "Corroded Margaret" take root in the heart of the listenener no matter what age.
And then there are the lively, varied songs that bring truths with their harmonious arrangements. Lou's compilation of songs and stories - not only easy to listen to for children 4+, but honest and non-preachy - should be made into a book for elementary school age children to read, write and speak about.
Imagine a collection of songs and stories so profound, yet highly entertaining! This is it.
2278484
This is the parenting book which ends the discussion about how we should do parenting.  Why?  First, because it is solidly based in brain research, unlike parenting opinions of previous generations.  Second, because it works.  This is how I raised my kids, having studied a lot of earlier brain information while learning about educational approaches.  I wish I had had their simple, easy-to-remember language, but I got to the same place by reminding myself to take time to understand what was happening from the kid's point of view.  Kids do not set out to be difficult.  If they are doing something wrong, it is because they are trying to solve some problem, and they have not figured out an appropriate way to do it.  Our job as parents is to appreciate what their problem is, and help them find a more appropriate way to solve it. Life becomes SO SIMPLE.  Two basic principles:  1) Reconnect, then Redirect.  2) When, in the heat of the moment, you do not succeed in doing that perfectly -- later when you are able, Repair.  And how do you Repair?  You Reconnect and, together with your child, Redirect both of you -- by taking time to understand what happened, and each understanding and appreciating what happened for the other person.  That's it!  It's the only "rule" you need.  And it builds a very high quality of relationship between parent and child, which you get to enjoy for the rest of your life.  It's a good way to deal with your spouse and among siblings, too.  Simple human respect:  what does each of us need, and how can we help each other get there?  Of course all this has to be done in a developmentally appropriate way; it looks different with toddlers than it does with 10-year-olds than it does with teenagers.  But it's simple.  It's just kindness and respect.  And it works.
2873444
Thanks to the @kidlitexchange network for the review copy of this book - all opinions are my own.

Its a short and simple read, perfect for young ones, but it also opens up limitless conversations about breaking down gender stereotypes with older children too. I think its an all around great family book covering simple color concepts and bigger ideas like social norms.

I wish wed had this book when my oldest daughter was a baby. Its not easy to change the mind of an almost 8-year-old when shes grown up hearing Pink is for girls.
3424428
Thirty years ago, I was taught to read with this. Different pictures, same poems. I learned to imagine and believe in ordinary, yet beautiful things. Even today, in my own writing, I smile realizing how and when I learned a technique, just by listening to my mother whisper these poems nightly.

Aptly named, RLS has the reader remembering the wonderful days of playing alone and with friends, of delighting in the moment.

This edition only has eight poems. The original collection has many more. As a sampler for your child, this edition may serve well. If you are confident your child will enjoy poetry, buy a longer version, and enjoy many times the pleasure and warmth.

All of these years later, these lines to "The Land of Counterpane" come to mind:

I was the giant great and still

That sits upon the pillow-hill,

And sees before him, dale and plain,

The pleasant land of counterpane.

Your child will gain an understanding of classic children's poetry, of the rhythm and rhyme. They sound eloquent aloud, and read gentle at bedtime.

I fullt recommend "A Child's Garden of Verses" by Robert Louis Stevenson.

Anthony Trendl

editor, HungarianBookstore.com
2579980
This album is quite a compilation of favorites, time-tested songs performed by adult-popular artists of great musicianship.  Kids start life new, so you can never go wrong with classics like these no matter how much the songs age.
I noticed that many reviewers were thankful in particular that this is a CD that remains enjoyable to them as adults while their kids play it over and over again, because of the excellent songs and top musicianship--these qualities are definitely missing from lots of kids music.
However, I can wholeheartedly recommend one artist whose music is rich in texture and variety, singable and is just as much fun for parents as kids; the underexposed Skip West has put out two stellar albums, 'Blue Sky City' and 'All Around the World', chock full of original songs to delight and expand little minds while having the musicianship and depth to keep parents sane on the 7th listen of the day. Enjoy :^) You can thank me later, hee hee.