Swami on Rye


Book Description

Max the dog's beloved wife Crepes is about to have puppies--and Max finds himself on a wild journey in India, returning home just in time to meet his expanded family The hero of Max Makes a Million goes off on a wild search for the meaning of life that takes him to India, where he visits the Temple of Doubletalk, meets a chatty guru named Vivek Shabaza-zaza-za, and has other adventures.




Max Makes a Million


Book Description

Max’s dream is to live in Paris and be a poet—even though no one will buy his poems and he is penniless. But living in New York City isn’t so bad. Where else could he have friends like Bruno, who paints invisible pictures, or Marcello, who builds upside-down houses? Max Makes a Million is a fun, jazzy tale filled with Maira Kalman’s signature bright and imaginative illustrations. Children will delight in the rhythm and sound of her poetic sentences read out loud, and root for Max the dog as he follows his bigcity dreams.




Ooh-la-la (Max in Love)


Book Description

Max the dog-poet is back, this time in Paris and falling in love, in Maira Kalman's delightful picture book. It's happened. Before you can say "Pepe le Pew," Max the millionaire poet dog has landed in Paris, the city of lights. The city of dreams. Everyone is in a froufrou of delight over Max. There's Fritz from the Ritz, Madame Camembert, Charlotte Russe, and Pierre Potpurri, who wants Max to perform in his Crazy Wolf Nightclub. Amidst the enchantment and beauty that is Paris in the spring, something is missing for Max. Max has made his millions; when will he find romance?




Still Phyllis


Book Description

Phyllis was a vital, single woman, a photographer and writer, who was enjoying life in the city when she was suddenly stricken by Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD), a disease rarer than a lightning strike that spreads, incredibly, via a non-living molecule called a prion. Terrified to realize she couldn't perform her duties at work, Phyllis very soon couldn't even find her way to her desk or to her apartment from the corner store. Informed of his sister's diagnosis with this dementing and always fatal illness, her estranged brother, her only living relative, brought her home (against the advice of her doctors) to care for her with his wife. The profoundly affecting memoir illuminates how closeness can deepen when words are lost--an inspiring truth to anyone with a friend or family member with dementia.




My Ideal Bookshelf


Book Description

The books that we choose to keep -- let alone read -- can say a lot about who we are and how we see ourselves. In My Ideal Bookshelf, dozens of leading cultural figures share the books that matter to them most; books that define their dreams and ambitions and in many cases helped them find their way in the world. Contributors include Malcolm Gladwell, Thomas Keller, Michael Chabon, Alice Waters, James Patterson, Maira Kalman, Judd Apatow, Chuck Klosterman, Miranda July, Alex Ross, Nancy Pearl, David Chang, Patti Smith, Jennifer Egan, and Dave Eggers, among many others. With colorful and endearingly hand-rendered images of book spines by Jane Mount, and first-person commentary from all the contributors, this is a perfect gift for avid readers, writers, and all who have known the influence of a great book.




Goodly is Our Heritage


Book Description

An investigation into how constructions of character in children's literature become cultural imprints that serve a functional purpose in the wider context of race and power.




Studies in Etymology and Etiology


Book Description

Dictionaries usually give only brief treatment to etymologies and even etymological dictionaries often do not lavish on them the attention which many deserve. To help fill the gap, the author deals in depth with several etymologically problematic words in various Germanic, Jewish, Romance, and Slavic languages, all of which have hitherto either been misetymologized or not etymologized at all. Sometimes, he succeeds in cracking the nut. Sometimes, he is able only to clear away misunderstanding and set the stage for further treatment. Usually, he marshals not only linguistic but also historical and cultural information. Since this book also discusses methodology, it has the makings of an introduction to the science, art, and craft of etymology. David L. Gold is the founder of the Jewish Name and Family Name File, the Jewish English Archives, and the Association for the Study of Jewish Languages, as well as the editor of Jewish Language Review and Jewish Linguistic Studies.




Book Crush


Book Description

Do you remember your first book crush? You know, the first time a book completely captured your imagination, transported you to a magical place, or introduced you to a lifelong friend you will never forget? In Book Crush, popular librarian and reading enthusiast Nancy Pearl reminds us why we fell for reading in the first place—how completely consuming and life-changing a good book can be. Pearl offers more than 1,000 crush-worthy books organized into over 100 recommended reading lists aimed at youngest, middle-grade, and teen readers. From picture books to chapter books, YA fiction and nonfiction, Pearl has developed more smart and interesting thematic lists of books to enjoy. Parents, teachers, and librarians are often puzzled by the unending choices for reading material for young people. It starts when the kids are toddler and doesn’t end until high-school graduation. What’s good, what’s not, and what’s going to hold their interest? Popular librarian Nancy Pearl points the way in Book Crush.




The Groaning Shelf


Book Description

Notes from a bibliophile on the lure of rare and first editions, the beauty of dust jackets, the thrill of browsing in antiquarian bookshops, the bibliomania of book thieves, movies about books, and the inner life of a reader. The Groaning Shelf is not so much a book about books as a book about books about books. These little essays capture the drama of bookish obsession, the joys and snares of the bookish life and the pleasures of bibliophily.




Hey Willy, See the Pyramids


Book Description

Nighttime is the best time for stories. And Lulu is the best storyteller. She knows about the three cross-eyed dogs at a fancy restaurant, about blue and green mountains where fish fly, about the family party where Maishel Shmelkin forgot to wear his pants, and of course about the noodle woman the pointy red nose. The stories, told by a sister to her little brother, are short and sweet and make you remember things and forget things. Maira Kalman paints a wondrous and humor-filled world in a childs-eye view. It is full of wild invention, people familiar and outlandish, bittersweet moments and flights of fancy.