The Great Global Pause


Book Description

A young child is swimming in the ocean when a giant Sea Turtle swims by. The Grandmother Turtle, named Keola, takes the child on an underwater adventure, showing an abundance of healthy ocean life that began to flourish after the COVID-19 pandemic. The child shares their own perspective of what life was like during the restrictions and changes. They share tools and wisdom that will help to make the world a better place for the earth, the creatures, and the humans. This book is well-suited for children of all ages (and the older people who read it to them.)




The Great Global Pause: Inspired by Life on Earth in 2020


Book Description

A young child is swimming in the ocean when a giant Sea Turtle swims by. The Grandmother Turtle, named Keola, takes the child on an underwater adventure, showing an abundance of healthy ocean life that began to flourish after the COVID-19 pandemic. The child shares their own perspective of what life was like during the restrictions and changes. They share tools and wisdom that will help to make the world a better place for the earth, the creatures, and the humans. This book is well-suited for children of all ages (and the older people who read it to them.)




If You Come to Earth


Book Description

From two-time Caldecott Winner author-illustrator Sophie Blackall! If You Came to Earth is a glorious guide to our home planet, and a call for us to take care of both Earth and each other. This stunning book is inspired by the thousands of children Sophie Blackall has met during her travels around the world in support of UNICEF and Save the Children. • An engaging storybook about a single curious and imaginative child • Simultaneously funny and touching • Carries a clear message about the need to care for the earth and each other If you come to Earth, there are a few things you need to know. . . We live in all kinds of places. In all kinds of homes. In all kinds of families. Each of us is different. But all of us are amazing. And, together, we share one beautiful planet. This masterful and moving picture book is a visually comprehensive guide to the earth, imbued with warmth and humor. • Ideal for children ages 3 to 5 years old • A great pick for teachers looking for a crowd-pleasing picture book about the world for little students • Perfect for parents, grandparents, and caregivers • You'll love this book if you love books like The Travel Book by Lonely Planet Kids, Atlas of Adventures by Rachel Williams, and If You Lived Here: Houses of the World by Giles Laroche.




Pause. Breathe. Flourish.


Book Description

Pause. Breathe. Flourish: Living Your Best Life as an Educator explores the habits, practices and mindset necessary for growth as both an educator and a person. Research shows that teachers and principals are leaving the profession of education at alarming rates. Some of the causes stem from the rising expectations and demands that educators find difficult to manage. Unfortunately, for many educators, taking care of others often means neglecting their own health and well-being. How can educators continue doing work they love while also making sure they are protecting themselves in the process? William D. Parker has served schools for more than twenty-five years as a teacher, administrator and education consultant. In Pause. Breathe. Flourish., he provides practical feedback and common-sense approaches for taking better care of yourself so that you can better serve and lead others. Each chapter begins with a mental image and unpacks specific tips for cultivating personal or professional growth. In the pages ahead, you will discover how your thoughts, relationships, commitments, values, and habits play an essential role in who you are as a person. Understanding 'who you are' plays heavily in your ability to weather storms, maintain perspective, work with purpose and effect meaningful change in the lives of others. Applying those insights can be challenging. By reading this book, you will be challenged to reconsider your mindset, reading habits, personal health, financial commitments, relationship priorities, and legacy building. To help you move forward, each chapter ends with reflection questions so that you can take immediate actions for thoughtful application and improved outcomes. Don't become another statistic in the rising number of educators who feel burned out. Instead, reimagine the possibilities that can happen for yourself and those whom you serve when you take time to pause, breathe, and flourish!




Here We Are


Book Description

#1 New York Times bestseller A TIME Magazine Best Book of the Year A NPR Best Book of 2017 A Boston Globe Best Book of 2017 "Moments of human intimacy jostle with scenes that inspire cosmic awe, and the broad diversity of Jeffers's candy-colored humans...underscores the twin messages that 'You're never alone on Earth' and that we're all in this together."--Publisher's Weekly (starred review) "A true work of art."--BuzzFeed Oliver Jeffers, arguably the most influential creator of picture books today, offers a rare personal look inside his own hopes and wishes for his child--and in doing so gifts children and parents everywhere with a gently sweet and humorous missive about our world and those who call it home. Insightfully sweet, with a gentle humor and poignancy, here is Oliver Jeffers' user's guide to life on Earth. He created it specially for his son, yet with a universality that embraces all children and their parents. Be it a complex view of our planet's terrain (bumpy, sharp, wet), a deep look at our place in space (it’s big), or a guide to all of humanity (don’t be fooled, we are all people), Oliver's signature wit and humor combine with a value system of kindness and tolerance to create a must-have book for parents. Praise for Here We Are: -"A sweet and tender distillation of what every Earthling needs to know and might well spend a lifetime striving to achieve. A must-purchase for new parent shelves"--School Library Journal -"From the skies to the animal kingdom to the people of the world and lots of other beautifully rendered examples of life on Earth, Here We Are carries a simple message: Be kind." --NPR -"[An] enchanting gem of a children's book"--NBC's Today Show -"A must-have book for parents."--Gambit -"A celebration of people all shapes and sizes, and of the beauty and mystery of our Earth."--Booklist -"...a beautifully illustrated guide to living on Earth and being a good person."--Brightly -[Here We Are] is a tour through the land, the sea, the sky, our bodies; dioramas of our wild diversity....[Jeffers] is the master of capturing the joy in our differences."--New York Times Book Review




Wintering


Book Description

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! AS HEARD ON NPR MORNING EDITION AND ON BEING WITH KRISTA TIPPETT “Katherine May opens up exactly what I and so many need to hear but haven't known how to name.” —Krista Tippett, On Being “Every bit as beautiful and healing as the season itself. . . . This is truly a beautiful book.” —Elizabeth Gilbert "Proves that there is grace in letting go, stepping back and giving yourself time to repair in the dark...May is a clear-eyed observer and her language is steady, honest and accurate—capturing the sense, the beauty and the latent power of our resting landscapes." —Wall Street Journal An intimate, revelatory book exploring the ways we can care for and repair ourselves when life knocks us down. Sometimes you slip through the cracks: unforeseen circumstances like an abrupt illness, the death of a loved one, a break up, or a job loss can derail a life. These periods of dislocation can be lonely and unexpected. For May, her husband fell ill, her son stopped attending school, and her own medical issues led her to leave a demanding job. Wintering explores how she not only endured this painful time, but embraced the singular opportunities it offered. A moving personal narrative shot through with lessons from literature, mythology, and the natural world, May's story offers instruction on the transformative power of rest and retreat. Illumination emerges from many sources: solstice celebrations and dormice hibernation, C.S. Lewis and Sylvia Plath, swimming in icy waters and sailing arctic seas. Ultimately Wintering invites us to change how we relate to our own fallow times. May models an active acceptance of sadness and finds nourishment in deep retreat, joy in the hushed beauty of winter, and encouragement in understanding life as cyclical, not linear. A secular mystic, May forms a guiding philosophy for transforming the hardships that arise before the ushering in of a new season.




World of Wonders


Book Description

“A poet celebrates the wonders of nature in a collection of essays that could almost serve as a coming-of-age memoir.” —Kirkus Reviews As a child, Nezhukumatathil called many places home: the grounds of a Kansas mental institution, where her Filipina mother was a doctor; the open skies and tall mountains of Arizona, where she hiked with her Indian father; and the chillier climes of western New York and Ohio. But no matter where she was transplanted—no matter how awkward the fit or forbidding the landscape—she was able to turn to our world’s fierce and funny creatures for guidance. “What the peacock can do,” she tells us, “is remind you of a home you will run away from and run back to all your life.” The axolotl teaches us to smile, even in the face of unkindness; the touch-me-not plant shows us how to shake off unwanted advances; the narwhal demonstrates how to survive in hostile environments. Even in the strange and the unlovely, Nezhukumatathil finds beauty and kinship. For it is this way with wonder: it requires that we are curious enough to look past the distractions in order to fully appreciate the world’s gifts. Warm, lyrical, and gorgeously illustrated by Fumi Nakamura, World of Wonders is a book of sustenance and joy. Praise for World of Wonders Barnes & Noble 2020 Book of the Year An NPR Best Book of 2020 An Esquire Best Book of 2020 A Publishers Weekly “Big Indie Book of Fall 2020” A BuzzFeed Best Book of Fall 2020 “Hands-down one of the most beautiful books of the year.” —NPR “A timely story about love, identity and belonging.” —New York Times Book Review “A truly wonderous essay collection.” —Roxane Gay, The Audacity




Selfish: Permission to Pause, Live, Love and Laugh Your Way to Joy


Book Description

In Selfish, Naketa Ren Thigpen guides you along her journey, and shares how you can move from breakdown to breakthrough. After reading this book, you will:? Change the conversation. Redefine the terms used to make so many women play small, give life to your biggest dream, and create your joy!? End 'over-giving'. Quit spreading yourself too thin, and focus on the relationships that really matter.? Stop believing in false narratives that hold you back, diminish intimacy, and keep you stuck in survival mode.? Break free from the pattern? Re-script disruptive cycles of unhealthy, toxic and energy draining 'situationships' that bind your brilliance.Selfish isn't a license to be insensitive, egoistic nor inhumane. It's a movement that gives you permission to pause, live, love and laugh through your pain. You'll gain access to hope, healing, and triumph. Shatter the cycles of shame and guilt that are keeping you from the life you deserve.




Pause


Book Description

"Danielle Marchant is a beguiling leader - a refreshing mix of pragmatic and soulful. She facilitates with a light hand and an engaged heart" Queen of Retreats Pause is an important message ready to be heard. We check our phones an average of 221 times a day, we have apps that help us sleep and remind us to be mindful while we secretly measure our success in 'likes'. Time is our luxury and yet with technology we are never able to leave the office, even when we aren't there. The fear of missing out makes us rush from one thing to the next, not really taking any of it in. Pause allows you to finally put yourself, your feelings and your intuition first. Learning to say no, doing the things that make you feel good, and not doing the things that don't make you feel good - these are not self indulgent. Listening to your own heart and wisdom doesn't make you selfish, slowing down to appreciate your life isn't lazy or unambitious. It is an ancient message, but still just as strong; when you pause to take care of yourself and your own life, you become the person you're meant to be. This book gives you the space and the practices so that you can learn how to benefit from the power of the pause. It uses nature, creativity and your inner spirit to allow the energy to flow freely once again. There are exercises to ground you, give access to your intuition, to breathe deeply and allow your monkey mind to settle. It gives you time to explore what is big in your life right now, to know deep down what matters. It opens you up, allowing you to freely experience all the pain, the joy and the twists and turns of life. It gives you back your courage, your fire and your connection.




The Age of Miracles


Book Description

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY People ∙ O: The Oprah Magazine ∙ Financial Times ∙ Kansas City Star ∙ BookPage ∙ Kirkus Reviews ∙ Publishers Weekly ∙ Booklist NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “A stunner.”—Justin Cronin “It’s never the disasters you see coming that finally come to pass—it’s the ones you don’t expect at all,” says Julia, in this spellbinding novel of catastrophe and survival by a superb new writer. Luminous, suspenseful, unforgettable, The Age of Miracles tells the haunting and beautiful story of Julia and her family as they struggle to live in a time of extraordinary change. On an ordinary Saturday in a California suburb, Julia awakes to discover that something has happened to the rotation of the earth. The days and nights are growing longer and longer; gravity is affected; the birds, the tides, human behavior, and cosmic rhythms are thrown into disarray. In a world that seems filled with danger and loss, Julia also must face surprising developments in herself, and in her personal world—divisions widening between her parents, strange behavior by her friends, the pain and vulnerability of first love, a growing sense of isolation, and a surprising, rebellious new strength. With crystalline prose and the indelible magic of a born storyteller, Karen Thompson Walker gives us a breathtaking portrait of people finding ways to go on in an ever-evolving world. “Gripping drama . . . flawlessly written; it could be the most assured debut by an American writer since Jennifer Egan’s Emerald City.”—The Denver Post “Pure magnificence.”—Nathan Englander “Provides solace with its wisdom, compassion, and elegance.”—Curtis Sittenfeld “Riveting, heartbreaking, profoundly moving.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review) Look for special features inside. Join the Circle for author chats and more.