Daddy, Did You Hear That Bird?


Book Description

On a cloudless spring day nearly three years after Cal and Michele met, they stood before a preacher and Cal promised to love Michele and to give her everything. Soon after, they began an almost fairy-tale existence of wedded bliss, complete with a white picket fence, two cats in the yard, and a perfect family-including the baby girl Michele always wanted. They had carefully planned and prepared for the arrival of their daughter, Lourdess, whose name means "miracles of healing." Although she entered the world perfect, the standard hearing test mandated by the state produced spirit-crushing results. To their shock and disbelief, their wonderful little angel had profound hearing loss. Daddy, Did You Hear That Bird?: The Miracles of Hearing, Family, and Love shares the touching story of how they got through the trials of having a deaf child, including the natural grieving process they experienced upon learning the news. Even though they wondered about her future, their strong personal relationship helped them overcome the stress that destroys some marriages burdened with caring for a special-needs child. The toughest tasks involved working with service systems and professionals who were guiding them through the process. Through it all, they had each other and the knowledge that God was there for them, always. Daddy, Did You Hear That Bird? reminds us that love always trusts, hopes and perseveres but it never fails. As Cal and Michele yearned for a miracle, a striking and poignant series of events would reveal a miracle no one saw coming.




To See Every Bird on Earth


Book Description

What drives a man to travel to sixty countries and spend a fortune to count birds? And what if that man is your father? Richard Koeppel’s obsession began at age twelve, in Queens, New York, when he first spotted a Brown Thrasher, and jotted the sighting in a notebook. Several decades, one failed marriage, and two sons later, he set out to see every bird on earth, becoming a member of a subculture of competitive bird watchers worldwide all pursuing the same goal. Over twenty-five years, he collected over seven thousand species, becoming one of about ten people ever to do so. To See Every Bird on Earth explores the thrill of this chase, a crusade at the expense of all else—for the sake of making a check in a notebook. A riveting glimpse into a fascinating subculture, the book traces the love, loss, and reconnection between a father and son, and explains why birds are so critical to the human search for our place in the world. “Marvelous. I loved just about everything about this book.”—Simon Winchester, author of The Professor and the Madman “A lovingly told story . . . helps you understand what moves humans to seek escape in seemingly strange other worlds.”—Stefan Fatsis, author of Word Freak “Everyone has his or her addiction, and birdwatching is the drug of choice for the father of author Dan Koeppel, who writes affectionately but honestly about his father’s obsession.”—Audubon Magazine (editor’s choice) “As a glimpse into human behavior and family relationships, To See Every Bird on Earth is a rarity: a book about birding that nonbirders will find just as rewarding.”—Chicago Tribune




The Bird of Time


Book Description

Did you ever have a friend who would make you do things you would never do on your own? A friend that made you act so different from your regular self that you didn’t recognize yourself when you were with them? John Chance has such a lifelong friend, Jesse Trubble, who has an unyielding zest for life that is infectious—captivating and influencing John’s actions and relationships for over fifty years of their lives. In 2021, John is in a retirement home, and to pass the time, begins to relate the story of the best friend he ever had. By the age of eight, Johnny is motherless and his father is an alcoholic. His life is empty until he meets Jesse Trubble, a boy who is also motherless but whose father loves him and treats him and Johnny well. Together, the boys stir up adventure and trouble, which lasts a lifetime, whether it is playing cowboys, leading fugitives from justice to freedom, plotting the murder of bullies, fighting in Vietnam, or running weapons in Peru. Can Jesse, whom others view as a “bad influence” on Johnny, mend their friendship when a rift occurs? Or will they remain estranged, unable to get past their differences? Bird of Time is a coming-of-age novel that spans the 1940s through the 2020s, the nostalgia of these modern times creating a backdrop for the exploits of Johnny and Jesse.




Daddy, Did You Hear That Bird?


Book Description

On a cloudless spring day nearly three years after Cal and Michele met, they stood before a preacher and Cal promised to love Michele and to give her everything. Soon after, they began an almost fairy-tale existence of wedded bliss, complete with a white picket fence, two cats in the yard, and a perfect familyincluding the baby girl Michele always wanted. They had carefully planned and prepared for the arrival of their daughter, Lourdess, whose name means miracles of healing. Although she entered the world perfect, the standard hearing test mandated by the state produced spirit-crushing results. To their shock and disbelief, their wonderful little angel had profound hearing loss. Daddy, Did You Hear That Bird?: The Miracles of Hearing, Family, and Love shares the touching story of how they got through the trials of having a deaf child, including the natural grieving process they experienced upon learning the news. Even though they wondered about her future, their strong personal relationship helped them overcome the stress that destroys some marriages burdened with caring for a special-needs child. The toughest tasks involved working with service systems and professionals who were guiding them through the process. Through it all, they had each other and the knowledge that God was there for them, always. Daddy, Did You Hear That Bird? reminds us that love always trusts, hopes and perseveres but it never fails. As Cal and Michele yearned for a miracle, a striking and poignant series of events would reveal a miracle no one saw coming.




The Greatest Works of Kate Douglas Wiggin (Illustrated Edition)


Book Description

The Greatest Works of Kate Douglas Wiggin (Illustrated Edition) features a collection of some of the most beloved works by this influential author. Known for her charming and heartwarming stories, Wiggin's literary style is characterized by its sensitivity to human emotions and its ability to capture the essence of childhood. This illustrated edition provides a visual accompaniment to her timeless tales, enhancing the reader's experience and understanding of the stories. Kate Douglas Wiggin, a prolific writer and educator, drew inspiration from her own experiences working with children and teaching, which is evident in her works. Her deep understanding of the human psyche and her compassion for children shines through in her stories, making her a cherished figure in the world of literature. I highly recommend The Greatest Works of Kate Douglas Wiggin (Illustrated Edition) to readers who appreciate enchanting and heartfelt stories that celebrate the innocence and purity of childhood. This collection is a true testament to Wiggin's talent and legacy as a writer, and it is sure to captivate and inspire audiences of all ages.




KATE DOUGLAS WIGGIN – Ultimate Collection: 21 Novels & 130+ Short Stories


Book Description

This carefully crafted ebook: "KATE DOUGLAS WIGGIN – Ultimate Collection: 21 Novels & 130+ Short Stories, Fairy Tales and Poems for Children (Illustrated)" is formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents: Rebecca of Sunnybrook Series: Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm New Chronicles of Rebecca The Flag-Raising Penelope Hamilton Series: Penelope's English Experiences Penelope's Experiences in Scotland Penelope's Irish Experiences Penelope's Postscripts The Homespun Trilogy: Rose o' the River The Old Peabody Pew Susanna and Sue Other Novels: A Summer in a Cañon: A California Story Polly Oliver's Problem: A Story for Girls The Birds' Christmas Carol The Romance of a Christmas Card Timothy's Quest Marm Lisa Mother Carey's Chickens The Diary of a Goose Girl A Cathedral Courtship The Story of Waitstill Baxter The Story of Patsy Short Stories: The Village Watch-Tower Tom O' the Blueb'ry Plains The Nooning Tree The Fore-Room Rug A Village Stradivarius The Eventful Trip of the Midnight Cry Ladies-in-Waiting Miss Thomasina Tucker The Turning-Point Huldah the Prophetess Two on a Tour Philippa's Nervous Prostration Anthologies: The Arabian Nights: Their Best Known Tales The Fairy Ring Tales of Wonder Every Child Should Know The Talking Beasts: A Book of Fable Wisdom The Story Hour: A Book for the Home and the Kindergarten Golden Numbers: A Book of Verse for Youth The Posy Ring: A Book of Verse for Children Pinafore Palace Other Works: The Girl and the Kingdom: Learning to Teach The Republic of Childhood: Froebel's Gifts Children's Rights: A Book of Nursery Logic Bluebeard: A Musical Fantasy The Girl Scouts: A Training School for Womanhood Kate Douglas Wiggin (1856-1923) was an American educator and author of children's stories, most notably the classic children's novel Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm. She devoted her adult life to the welfare of children in an era when children were commonly thought of as cheap labor.




The Little Bird


Book Description

In 1964, a Black teenager was murdered by a drunken white cop who got away with the crime, and eight years later, the boy' s best friend, Shane, returns from combat intent on carving out justice himself. Suzanne, the daughter of the lawyer who failed in prosecuting the case, also lands back in Virginia, but her aim is to follow her father' s path to suicide, a path created by his loss and the severe rheumatoid arthritis that followed.Shane and Suzanne were four years apart in high school and barely knew each other before they met, but after a chance encounter, an almost instant connection is made. Neither knows the other' s secret goal, but as their bonds deepen, their love will be tested by familial duty, long-held grief, and even shifting sanity. But love might have other plans for both Shane and Suzanne if both decide to live long enough to find out. In this vividly told and slightly surreal novel, the power of forgiveness might be their salvation.




Michael O'Halloran


Book Description

Michael O'Halloran, nicknamed "Mickey", is a sturdy, big-hearted fellow, an orphan who has remembered the admonitions of his mother and has made the best possible use of them. A most original little fellow he is, full of hard, common sense, and as determined as any boy can be. Every character in the story stands out as clean-cut as a cameo, and there are around dozen of them, all excellent people. The story is interspersed with a feeling for nature - for flowers and birds and the gentle in all things, and with a decided reference for the sweet and genuine and innocent in life, together with an unfaltering faith and expressed assurance in the goodness of things back of all the seeming trial and bitterness.




Grandma Bird


Book Description

A tender and heart-warming story about the growing relationship between a boy and his grandmother, set in the world of The Storm Whale by bestselling picture book creator, Benji Davies. Noi isn’t at all sure about staying at Grandma’s. Grandma boils seaweed for soup, and there’s not much to do on the tiny island where she lives where the wind cuts in and the grass grows sideways . . . But that’s before Noi gets swept up in the dramatic rescue that will mark the beginning of their touching new friendship. Other books from the World of the Storm Whale: The Storm Whale The Storm Whale in Winter *NEW* The Great Storm Whale Also by Benji Davies: Grandad's Island On Sudden Hill, written by Linda Sarah When the Dragons Came, written by Naomi Kefford and Lynne Moore Jump on Board the Animal Train, written by Naomi Kefford and Lynne Moore




Before the Door Closes


Book Description

Mind-altering drugs shackle her father to dementia. As if it were a holding pen for rotting trash, authorities in the nursing home system dispensed him to that dark cell. For the second time in their lives, Judy desperately searches for the answer to free her father. While growing up in an alcoholic environment, she struggled to find what drove him to drink. She was sure if she found it she could cure her father of alcoholism and make everyone happy. Judy finds the liberating key to his present imprisonment, but she cannot turn the lock until she revisits and reveals the shameful secret carefully and faithfully guarded for decades. While doing so, she confronts her fears and emotional wounds carved within a dysfunctional family. That is not enough, though, to rescue him, for the two are now ensnared by an unfamiliar adversarynursing home neglect and abusethat Judy must battle every day for her defenseless father. Through it all she longs for him to believe he is and always was important, worthy, loved. Are you a child of an alcoholic? a caregiver of the elderly? a seeker of loves passages? This heart-gripping story shares pain and victory. "Before the Door Closes is very well written and revealing of the pains and triumphs of Judith Hall Simon's journey with an alcoholic father. While reading this book I felt that I was reading the journey of only one person not two. Judith reveals just how overwhelming an alcoholic father can be and how one's identity can be taken over by an alcoholic parent. Her book teaches and touches at the same time. I recommend it to the millions of adult children of alcoholics and to those who love them. Nice work!" ROBERT J. ACKERMAN, Ph.D., author of Perfect Daughters and a co-founder of the National Association for Children of Alcoholics