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Small Elephant's Bathtime
by Tatyana FeeneySmall Elephant likes water . . . but not when it's in a bath. Small Elephant's mommy tries to make the bath more fun with toys and bubbles, but he is not fooled. He is too busy to take a bath. He has said no many times. He is getting very cross. And then he disappears! (Elephants who cannot be found cannot take baths.) But Small Elephant's daddy has a way to make the bath fun. He may look silly doing it--but it just might work! With spare text and sprightly illustrations, Tatyana Feeney, three-time author of gently funny books for the youngest readers, takes on another very important toddler topic--bathtime!
A Small Fortune
by Rosie DastgirAn entertaining debut novel reminiscent of Zadie Smith’s White Teeth that explores the lives of an extended Pakistani family of immigrants in London-all with a gently humorous touch and fond but wry eye Harris, the presumed patriarch of his large extended family in both England and Pakistan, has unexpectedly received a "small fortune” from his divorce settlement with an English woman: £53,000. As a devout Muslim, Harris views this sum as a "burden of riches” that he must unload on someone else as quickly as possible. But deciding which relative to give it to proves to be a burden of its own, and soon he has promised it both to his extremely poor cousins in Pakistan and to his Westernized, college-student daughter. Then, in a rash bout of guilt and misunderstanding, Harris signs the entire sum away to the least deserving, most prosperous cousin of all. This solves none of his problems and creates many more, exacerbating a tricky web of familial debt and obligation on two sides of the world, until the younger generation steps in to help. With insight, affection, and a great gift for character and story, Dastgir immerses us in a rich, beautifully drawn immigrant community and complex extended family. She considers the challenges between relatives of different cultural backgrounds, generations, and experiences-and the things they have to teach one another. A Small Fortune offers an affectionate and affecting look at class, culture, and the heartbreak of misinterpretation. .
A Small Fortune: A Single Dad Romance (The Fortunes of Texas: Southern Invasion #3)
by Marie FerrarellaA little fortune is a good thingMarnie McCafferty has received her share of propositions over the years, but never one like this. Little Jace Fortune is determined to make his new nanny a permanent part of the family. The problem is he hasn't bothered to okay his plan with his father, the amazingly hunky, comfortably rich and completely love-shy Asher Fortune.Normally, Asher would be amused by his son's matchmaking efforts. But this time, Jace has struck a nerve. It would be all too easy for Asher to fall for the unaffected, straight-talking brunette who has become his son's nanny; all too easy for Marnie to mean too much. But the millionaire from Atlanta will consider no further investments of the heart-no matter how sweet the payoff might be....
A Small Free Kiss in the Dark
by Glenda MillardTwo young boys, an old tramp, a beautiful teenage dancer, and the girl's baby--ragtag survivors of a sudden war--form a fragile family, hiding out in the ruins of an amusement park. This complex and haunting exploration of life on the edge and what it takes to triumph over adversity is a story about the indomitable nature of hope.
Small Fry: A Memoir
by Lisa Brennan-JobsA heartbreaking memoir, beautifully rendered...It's a love story for the father that she had, flaws and all... A wise, thoughtful, and ultimately loving portrayal of her father.
Small Great Things: The bestselling novel you won't want to miss
by Jodi PicoultA RICHARD AND JUDY BOOK CLUB 2017 PICK A SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERA NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERThe best books make you see differently. This is one of them. The eye-opening new novel from Jodi Picoult, with the biggest of themes: birth, death, and responsibility.When a newborn baby dies after a routine hospital procedure, there is no doubt about who will be held responsible: the nurse who had been banned from looking after him by his father. What the nurse, her lawyer and the father of the child cannot know is how this death will irrevocably change all of their lives, in ways both expected and not.Small Great Things is about prejudice and power; it is about that which divides and unites us.It is about opening your eyes. SOON TO BE A MAJOR FILM STARRING VIOLA DAVIS AND JULIA ROBERTS
Small Great Things: The bestselling novel you won't want to miss
by Jodi PicoultWhen a newborn baby dies after a routine hospital procedure, there is no doubt about who will be held responsible: the nurse who had been banned from looking after him by his father. What the nurse, her lawyer and the father of the child cannot know is how this death will irrevocably change all of their lives, in ways both expected and not.Small Great Things is about prejudice and power; it is about that which divides and unites us.It is about opening your eyes. 'It's hard to exaggerate how well Picoult writes' Financial Times(P)2016 Hodder & Stoughton
Small Great Things: The bestselling novel you won't want to miss
by Jodi PicoultA RICHARD AND JUDY BOOK CLUB 2017 PICK A SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLERA NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERThe best books make you see differently. This is one of them. The eye-opening new novel from Jodi Picoult, with the biggest of themes: birth, death, and responsibility.When a newborn baby dies after a routine hospital procedure, there is no doubt about who will be held responsible: the nurse who had been banned from looking after him by his father. What the nurse, her lawyer and the father of the child cannot know is how this death will irrevocably change all of their lives, in ways both expected and not.Small Great Things is about prejudice and power; it is about that which divides and unites us.It is about opening your eyes. SOON TO BE A MAJOR FILM STARRING VIOLA DAVIS AND JULIA ROBERTSMAD HONEY, the stunning and compelling Sunday Times bestseller by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan is available now.
Small Hours
by Jennifer KitsesIn the vein of Richard Russo and Tom Perrotta, a gripping, suspenseful, and gorgeous debut novel--told hour-by-hour over the course of a single day--in which a husband and wife try to outrun long-buried secrets, sending their lives spiraling into chaos.
Small Hours: the spellbinding new novel from the author of ISAAC AND THE EGG
by Bobby Palmer'Powerful' JOANNA GLEN'Beautiful' KATE SAWYER'A triumph' JENNIE GODFREYThe eagerly awaited new novel from Bobby Palmer, author of the critically acclaimed debut Isaac and the Egg.If you stood before sunrise in this wild old place, looking through the trees into the garden, here's what you'd see:A father and son, a fox standing between them.Jack, home for the first time in years, still determined to be the opposite of his father.Gerry, who would rather talk to animals than the angry man back under his roof.Everything that follows is because of the fox, and because Jack's mother is missing. It spans generations of big dreams and lost time, unexpected connections and things falling apart, great wide worlds and the moments that define us.If you met them in the small hours, you'd begin to piece together their story.PRAISE FOR ISAAC AND THE EGG'Truly one of the most beautiful stories you will ever read' Joanna Cannon'Unique, tender and funny' Pandora Sykes'A future classic' Clare Mackintosh'Like nothing I've ever read before' Stylist'An arresting debut novel about grief in the most wonderfully oblique way' Reverend Richard Coles'Just magic' Kate Sawyer'Quirky and raw' Grazia(P)2024 Headline Publishing Group Ltd
Small Hours: the spellbinding new novel from the author of ISAAC AND THE EGG
by Bobby Palmer'Powerful' JOANNA GLEN'Beautiful' KATE SAWYER'A triumph' JENNIE GODFREYThe eagerly awaited new novel from Bobby Palmer, author of the critically acclaimed debut Isaac and the Egg.If you stood before sunrise in this wild old place, looking through the trees into the garden, here's what you'd see:A father and son, a fox standing between them.Jack, home for the first time in years, still determined to be the opposite of his father.Gerry, who would rather talk to animals than the angry man back under his roof.Everything that follows is because of the fox, and because Jack's mother is missing. It spans generations of big dreams and lost time, unexpected connections and things falling apart, great wide worlds and the moments that define us.If you met them in the small hours, you'd begin to piece together their story.'A magical, comforting read that touches on father-son relationships, male mental health and the healing power of nature' GOOD HOUSEKEEPING'A beautiful examination of love and loss' HEAT'Tender and touching' GLAMOUR PRAISE FOR ISAAC AND THE EGG'A tender story of love, grief and the transformative power of friendship' Guardian'Truly one of the most beautiful stories you will ever read' Joanna Cannon'Will linger longer after the final page' Independent'Unique, tender and funny' Pandora Sykes'A future classic' Clare Mackintosh'Like nothing I've ever read before' Stylist'An arresting debut novel about grief in the most wonderfully oblique way' Reverend Richard Coles'Just magic' Kate Sawyer
Small Hours: the spellbinding new novel from the author of ISAAC AND THE EGG
by Bobby Palmer'Powerful' JOANNA GLEN'Beautiful' KATE SAWYER'A triumph' JENNIE GODFREYThe eagerly awaited new novel from Bobby Palmer, author of the critically acclaimed debut Isaac and the Egg.If you stood before sunrise in this wild old place, looking through the trees into the garden, here's what you'd see:A father and son, a fox standing between them.Jack, home for the first time in years, still determined to be the opposite of his father.Gerry, who would rather talk to animals than the angry man back under his roof.Everything that follows is because of the fox, and because Jack's mother is missing. It spans generations of big dreams and lost time, unexpected connections and things falling apart, great wide worlds and the moments that define us.If you met them in the small hours, you'd begin to piece together their story.'A magical, comforting read that touches on father-son relationships, male mental health and the healing power of nature' GOOD HOUSEKEEPING'A beautiful examination of love and loss' HEAT'Tender and touching' GLAMOUR PRAISE FOR ISAAC AND THE EGG'A tender story of love, grief and the transformative power of friendship' Guardian'Truly one of the most beautiful stories you will ever read' Joanna Cannon'Will linger longer after the final page' Independent'Unique, tender and funny' Pandora Sykes'A future classic' Clare Mackintosh'Like nothing I've ever read before' Stylist'An arresting debut novel about grief in the most wonderfully oblique way' Reverend Richard Coles'Just magic' Kate Sawyer
Small Island: A Novel (Charnwood Large Print Ser.)
by Andrea LevySmall Island by bestselling author Andrea Levy won the Orange Prize for Fiction, as well as the Commonwealth Writers' Prize and the Whitbread. It is possibly the definitive fictional account of the experiences of the Empire Windrush generation. Now a major BBC drama starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Naomie Harris, its enduring appeal will captivate fans of Maya Angelou and Zadie Smith. 'A great read... honest, skilful, thoughtful and important' - GuardianIt is 1948, and England is recovering from a war. But at 21 Nevern Street, London, the conflict has only just begun. Queenie Bligh's neighbours do not approve when she agrees to take in Jamaican lodgers, but Queenie doesn't know when her husband will return, or if he will come back at all. What else can she do? Gilbert Joseph was one of the several thousand Jamaican men who joined the RAF to fight against Hitler. Returning to England as a civilian he finds himself treated very differently. It's desperation that makes him remember a wartime friendship with Queenie and knock at her door. Gilbert's wife Hortense, too, had longed to leave Jamaica and start a better life in England. But when she joins him she is shocked to find London shabby, decrepit, and far from the golden city of her dreams. Even Gilbert is not the man she thought he was...
Small Island (Nhb Modern Plays Ser.)
by Andrea LevySmall Island by bestselling author Andrea Levy won the Orange Prize for Fiction, as well as the Commonwealth Writers' Prize and the Whitbread. It is possibly the definitive fictional account of the experiences of the Empire Windrush generation. Now a major BBC drama starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Naomie Harris, its enduring appeal will captivate fans of Maya Angelou and Zadie Smith. 'A great read... honest, skilful, thoughtful and important' - GuardianIt is 1948, and England is recovering from a war. But at 21 Nevern Street, London, the conflict has only just begun. Queenie Bligh's neighbours do not approve when she agrees to take in Jamaican lodgers, but Queenie doesn't know when her husband will return, or if he will come back at all. What else can she do? Gilbert Joseph was one of the several thousand Jamaican men who joined the RAF to fight against Hitler. Returning to England as a civilian he finds himself treated very differently. It's desperation that makes him remember a wartime friendship with Queenie and knock at her door. Gilbert's wife Hortense, too, had longed to leave Jamaica and start a better life in England. But when she joins him she is shocked to find London shabby, decrepit, and far from the golden city of her dreams. Even Gilbert is not the man she thought he was...
Small Island
by Andrea LevySmall Island by bestselling author Andrea Levy won the Orange Prize for Fiction, as well as many other awards, including the Commonwealth Writers' Prize and the Whitbread. Now a major BBC drama starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Naomie Harris, its enduring appeal will captivate fans of Maya Angelou and Zadie Smith. 'A great read... honest, skilful, thoughtful and important' - GuardianIt is 1948, and England is recovering from a war. But at 21 Nevern Street, London, the conflict has only just begun. Queenie Bligh's neighbours do not approve when she agrees to take in Jamaican lodgers, but Queenie doesn't know when her husband will return, or if he will come back at all. What else can she do? Gilbert Joseph was one of the several thousand Jamaican men who joined the RAF to fight against Hitler. Returning to England as a civilian he finds himself treated very differently. It's desperation that makes him remember a wartime friendship with Queenie and knock at her door. Gilbert's wife Hortense, too, had longed to leave Jamaica and start a better life in England. But when she joins him she is shocked to find London shabby, decrepit, and far from the golden city of her dreams. Even Gilbert is not the man she thought he was...(P)2015 Headline Publishing Group Ltd
Small Island: A Novel
by Andrea Levy&“Levy&’s beautifully wrought novel is a window into 1948 England . . . A bristling, funny, angry tale of love and sacrifice.&” —Entertainment Weekly The Basis for the PBS Masterpiece ClassicWinner of the Orange Prize and Whitbread Book of the Year Hortense Joseph arrives in London from Jamaica in 1948 with her life in her suitcase, her heart broken, her resolve intact. Her husband, Gilbert Joseph, returns from the war expecting to be received as a hero, but finds his status as a black man in Britain to be second class. His white landlady, Queenie, raised as a farmer&’s daughter, befriends Gilbert, and later Hortense, with innocence and courage, until the unexpected arrival of her husband, Bernard, who returns from combat with issues of his own to resolve. Told in these four voices, Small Island is a courageous novel of tender emotion and sparkling wit, of crossings taken and passages lost, of shattering compassion and of reckless optimism in the face of insurmountable barriers—in short, an encapsulation of that most American of experiences: the immigrant&’s life. &“Andrea Levy gives us a new, urgent take on our past.&” —Vogue &“A perfectly crafted tale of crossed lives and oceans . . . Happily, the hype is warranted—Small Island is a triumph.&” —San Francisco Chronicle &“Levy tells a good story, and she tells it well—using narrative voices across time and space as she revisits the conventions of the historical novel and imagines the hopes and pains of the immigrant&’s saga anew.&” —The Washington Post
Small Joys: The most moving and uplifting debut novel of 2023
by Elvin James MensahThe sensational debut novel about love, friendship and finding happiness in the most unexpected places. &“Elvin James Mensah's Small Joys is breathtaking and heartrending, by turns hilarious and devastating and surprising and wild. Mensah's prose makes the intangible deft and tremendous — from the balm of friendship, to the beauty of queerness, and the all-encompassing elixir of community. Tender, thrilling, and honest; Small Joys is a beam of light.&” Bryan Washington, author of Memorial &‘I adored Small Joys – a sweet, moving, funny, strikingly open story. I don&’t know if I&’ve ever rooted so much for a protagonist as I did for Harley – what a gorgeous novel.&’ Jennifer Saint, No. 1 bestselling author of Elektra "This heartwarming, witty, and moving debut is one of the most charming books you'll read this year. Exploring love, friendship, grief, and the bittersweet joy of being young, Small Joys is utterly beautiful." Louise O'Neill, bestselling author of Idol 'I loved it - Small Joys is a wonderful book full of music, life and a great deal of heart. An extremely BIG joy!' Matson Taylor, bestselling author of The Miseducation of Evie Epworth &‘A captivatingly tender novel . . . it&’s beautiful.&’ Natasha Onwuemezi, The Bookseller&‘Could I one day inspire happiness in others, the same way he seemed to do in me?&’ Harley is a young queer Black man struggling to find his way in mid-noughties Britain. Returning home to Dartford, having just dropped out of an undergraduate course in music journalism, he is wracked by feelings of failure and inadequacy. Standing in the local woods one day, on the verge of doing something drastic and irreversible, his hand is stayed by a stranger: a tall husky guy who emerges from the bushes holding a pair of binoculars. Muddy is an ebullient Mancunian whose lust for his own life makes others feel better by association. A keen birdwatcher, rugby fanatic and Oasis obsessive, he quickly becomes a devoted and loyal friend to Harley who finds his enthusiasm infectious and his dimples irresistible. In no time at all, they become inseparable. Harley starts to think that life may be worth living after all, while Muddy discovers things about himself that the lads down the rugby club may struggle to understand. But when figures from the past threaten to plunge Harley back into the depths of depression, his only hope of survival is Muddy and the small joys they create together. Moving, funny and tender, Small Joys is an epic novel about ordinary lives that introduces the world to an unforgettable cast of characters and a major new literary talent.
A Small Madness
by Dianne TouchellRose and Michael are good students with bright futures. They are also in love. But when Rose gets pregnant, her behavior becomes increasingly strange as she pulls away from her best friend, and from Michael, while she struggles to cope with her predicament.Rose cannot admit that she is pregnant (“If I say it, it will come to be true.”). She moves from denial to ineptly trying to terminate her pregnancy, to believing that she has miscarried, while deep inside, she is on a mental and emotional downward spiral. Meanwhile, Michael, in his confusion, desperation to help and fear of the wrath of his controlling father, sinks into his own kind of small madness.Inspired by the story of two teens in the US who were arrested for hiding the girl’s pregnancy and later disposing of the baby, Touchell says, “When I saw them on TV I was amazed to see they looked like normal kids. They were from good families; they just looked destroyed… . I thought, there’s more than one victim here; what went on with these kids and why did they think they had no one to go to?”This is a moving and powerfully written novel told from the alternating viewpoints of Rose and Michael with compassion and a gentle touch. It is an honest, unflinching look at the complex world of young readers.
Small Marvels: Stories
by Scott Russell SandersIn Limestone, Indiana, a city tucked away among forested hills, peculiar things happen, often in the vicinity of a jack-of-all-trades named Gordon Mills. Centaurs and nymphs shelter in a local cave, alligators lurk in the sewers, warm snow falls on the Fourth of July, cornstalks rise higher than chimneys, and the northern lights shine down on the municipal dump.Gordon takes such events in stride and deals with them as part of his work on the city maintenance crew. He earns just enough to support a boisterous family, which includes his formidable wife Mabel, their four children, Mabel's parents, and his widowed mother—nine souls packed into an old house that falls apart as fast as Gordon can fix it.Part folktale, part tall tale, part comic romance, Small Marvels revels in the wonders of everyday life. So, welcome to Limestone, Indiana. You won't find it on a map, but you may remember visiting the place in dreams, the rare, blissful ones in which puzzles are solved, kids flourish, hard work pays off, and love endures.
Small Mercies: A Novel
by Eddie Joyce“An intimate family portrait.” —The New York Times “Eddie Joyce’s terrific first novel is so American that the story might as well have taken place at the base of the Statue of Liberty.” —Richard Russo “An inside look at one Staten Island family’s struggle with grief . . . [A] poignant, deeply affecting tale.” —Martha Stewart Living, a Book Club selection “[A] terrific debut novel. . . . Joyce layers . . . different characters’ perspectives nimbly and skillfully, infusing his portrait of a messy, complicated, loving family with heartfelt emotion.” —Sara Vilkomerson, Entertainment Weekly, A- A startling and tender portrait of one family’s struggle to make peace with their son’s death An ingeniously layered narrative, told over the course of one week, Eddie Joyce’s debut novel masterfully depicts an Italian-Irish American family on Staten Island and their complicated emotional history. Ten years after the loss of Bobby—the Amendola family’s youngest son—everyone is still struggling to recover from the firefighter’s unexpected death. Bobby’s mother, Gail; his widow, Tina; his older brothers Peter, the corporate lawyer, and Franky, the misfit; and his father, Michael, have all dealt with their grief in different ways. But as the family gathers together for Bobby Jr.’s birthday party, they must each find a way to accept a new man in Tina’s life while reconciling their feelings for their lost loved one.In unflinching but lyrical prose, Joyce shows us one mother’s struggle to keep her family together and preserve the memory of her son. Following Gail as she moves from the corner offices of white-shoe Manhattan law firms to the blue-collar gin mills of the outer boroughs, Small Mercies reveals a different New York, one that exists in the hearts and minds of its inhabitants.Presented through multiple points of view, Small Mercies explores the conflicts and deep attachments that exist within families. Heart-wrenching and profoundly relatable, Joyce’s debut is a love letter to Staten Island and a deeply affecting portrait of an American family.From the Hardcover edition.
Small Persons with Wings
by Ellen BooraemEver since she was teased for believing in fairies, Mellie has adopted a strictly scientific and logical approach to life. But when her parents inherit her grandfather's inn, she learns that for generations, her family members have been fairy guardians. The fairies exchanged some of their powers for this protection but now they want their magic back. An evil temptress in disguise wants the magic too, and before she knows it, Mellie is turned into a frog, her grandfather is discovered alive, and her parents are trapped in an evil spell that only lets them see the truth (which can be awfully brutal). Thank goodness for Timmo - the cute boy next door - and Durindana, a fairy outcast, who help Mellie save the day and encourage her to loosen up her views on family, fairies, and friendship. This is a hilarious, irreverent, and highly sarcastic take on fairies---who, by the way, just hate to be called fairies.
Small Pleasures: Longlisted for the Women's Prize for Fiction
by Clare ChambersLONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTIONA BBC 2 'BETWEEN THE COVERS' BOOK CLUB PICK'Wonderful' RICHARD OSMAN'Perfect' INDIA KNIGHT'Beautiful' JESSIE BURTON'Witty and sharp' DAVID NICHOLLS1957, the suburbs of south east London. Jean Swinney is a journalist on a local paper, trapped in a life of duty and disappointment from which there is no likelihood of escape. When a young woman, Gretchen Tilbury, contacts the paper to claim that her daughter is the result of a virgin birth, it is down to Jean to discover whether she is a miracle or a fraud. As the investigation turns her quiet life inside out, Jean is suddenly given an unexpected chance at friendship, love and - possibly - happiness.'Gorgeous . . . I could not recommend it more' PANDORA SYKES'Remarkable . . . Small Pleasures is no small pleasure' THE TIMES'Irresistible . . . wry, perceptive and quietly devastating' MAIL ON SUNDAY
The Small Rain: A Novel (Katherine Forrester Vigneras)
by Madeleine L'Engle"An unusual and beautiful book," the first novel by the bestselling author of A Wrinkle in Time explores the life of a young artist (Los Angeles Times). At only ten years old, Katherine Forrester has already experienced her fair share of upheaval. It has been three years since she last saw her mother, a concert pianist whose career was cut short by a terrible accident. After a brief reunion, tragedy strikes once more, forcing Katherine from the familiarity of New York City to a foreign Swiss boarding school. Far from home, she struggles with the challenges of growing up. Stifled by her daily routine and the pettiness of her classmates, Katherine's piano lessons with a gifted young teacher provide an anchor in the storm. After graduation, she follows in her mother's footsteps, pursuing a career as a pianist in Greenwich Village. There, she must learn to reconcile her blossoming relationship with her fiancé with the one consistent and dominant force in her life: music. Inspired by the author's time living among artists, The Small Rain follows Katherine's journey from a distraught girl to an exuberant and talented woman with the breadth and poignancy that defines Madeleine L'Engle's signature style. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Madeleine L'Engle including rare images from the author's estate.
Small Steps Forward: Using Games and Activities to Help Your Pre-School Child with Special Needs Second Edition
by Sarah NewmanPraise for the First Edition: 'A warm feeling of positive reassurance and guidance runs throughout the book. [It] offers practical and emotional help, not only to a child's family, but equally to health and educational workers starting out within this field. This book should have a prominent place in every toy and leisure library as well as within childcare agencies.' - Play Matters 'This very useful and readable book provides a wealth of resource ideas to support parents of young children with special needs.' - Downs Syndrome Association (UK) 'This is a very practical book, full of common sense and simple ideas. Although intended for parents this book will also be an invaluable resource for anyone working with children with special needs.' - Let's Play When young children are diagnosed with conditions such as Down Syndrome, autism or other forms of developmental delay, there is much that parents can do to help. This new edition of the award-winning Small Steps Forward includes up-to-date research and practice, providing parents and carers with the information they need and a host of ideas to encourage their child's development. The games and activities use toys and materials which most children will already have, and involve no special preparation. They are also fun to play. Sarah Newman divides skills into six areas - cognitive, linguistic, physical, sensory, social and emotional - for convenient reference. She deals with general issues, such as behaviour management, toilet-training and sleep management, which may be encountered by parents of children with any form of disability - physical, learning or sensory. She also provides an outline of child development so that parents can place their child's progress in context, and gives practical advice on coping with stress of having a child with special needs. This book is an essential guide for parents of young children with developmental disabilities and will also be invaluable to anyone who works with children with special needs.
Small Talk: Learning From My Children About What Matters Most
by Amy Julia BeckerAlmost every day, one of Amy Julia’s children says something or asks something that prompts her to think more carefully: “Why Mommy crying?” (Marilee, when the family learned a young boy had died of cancer); “Booful, Mommy” (“Beautiful, Mommy,” as Penny proclaimed just as Amy Julia was looking in the mirror and critiquing her post-pregnancy body in her head); “What lasting mean?” (William, when he heard a song in church about God being an everlasting God). These conversations deepen her relationships with her children, but they also deepen and refine her own understanding of what she believes, why she believes it, and what she hopes to pass along to the next generation. Small Talk is a narrative based upon these conversations. It is not a parenting guide. It does not offer prescriptive lessons about how to talk with children. Rather, it tells stories based upon the questions and statements Amy Julia’s children have made about the things that make life good (such as love, kindness, beauty, laughter, and friendship), the things that make life hard (such as death, failure, and tragedy), and what we believe (such as prayer, God, and miracles). Amy Julia explores three parts—body, mind, spirit—as she moves in rough chronological order through the basic questions her kids asked when they were very young to the intellectual and then spiritual questions of later childhood. It invites other parents into these same conversations, with their children, with God, and with themselves. Moving from humorous exchanges to profound questions to heart-wrenching moments, Amy Julia encourages parents to ask themselves—and to talk with their children about—what matters most.