The story begins with the birth of a baby who is named Sawyer. He grows from a baby into a young boy. Sawyer receives a special teddy bear as a gift when he is born. Sawyer names his bear Buddy. Buddy is different from most bears. Although his appearance seems to be a bit strange, Sawyer believes Buddy is perfect for him. The two become very close. Many fun adventures are had by the boy and his bear. They play together, eat, and even sleep together. As Sawyer grows, he is faced with some sad and confusing times. He seeks answers to questions that he may not understand. A sweet surprise brings this book to an end!
He’s one of America’s most recognizable and acclaimed actors–a star on Broadway, an Oscar nominee for The Aviator, and the only person to ever win Emmys for acting, writing, and directing, during his eleven years on M*A*S*H. Now Alan Alda has written a memoir as elegant, funny, and affecting as his greatest performances. “My mother didn’t try to stab my father until I was six,” begins Alda’s irresistible story. The son of a popular actor and a loving but mentally ill mother, he spent his early childhood backstage in the erotic and comic world of burlesque and went on, after early struggles, to achieve extraordinary success in his profession. Yet Never Have Your Dog Stuffed is not a memoir of show-business ups and downs. It is a moving and funny story of a boy growing into a man who then realizes he has only just begun to grow. It is the story of turning points in Alda’s life, events that would make him what he is–if only he could survive them. From the moment as a boy when his dead dog is returned from the taxidermist’s shop with a hideous expression on his face, and he learns that death can’t be undone, to the decades-long effort to find compassion for the mother he lived with but never knew, to his acceptance of his father, both personally and professionally, Alda learns the hard way that change, uncertainty, and transformation are what life is made of, and true happiness is found in embracing them. Never Have Your Dog Stuffed, filled with curiosity about nature, good humor, and honesty, is the crowning achievement of an actor, author, and director, but surprisingly, it is the story of a life more filled with turbulence and laughter than any Alda has ever played on the stage or screen.
Discover the uplifting true story of a family's journey to better understand their son with autism—and learn how a combination of science and loving persistence changed all of their lives. In 1997, writer Patricia Stacey and her husband Cliff learned that their six-month-old son Walker might never walk or talk, or even hear or see. Unwilling to accept this grim prediction, they embarked on a five-year odyssey that took them into alternative medicine, the newest brain research, and toward a new and innovative understanding of autism. Finally their search led them to pioneering developmental psychiatrist Stanley Greenspan who helped them communicate with their son and bring him into full contact with the world. This enthralling memoir, at once heart-wrenching and hopeful, takes the reader into the life of one remarkable family. We stand witness as they struggle to elicit the first sign that Walker is connecting with them, and share in their fears, struggles, tiny victories, and eventual triumphs. The Boy Who Loved Windows is compelling and thoughtful reading for parents and professionals who care for children with autism and other developmental disorders. The book is also a stunning literary debut, of interest to anyone who cares about the lives of children and the passion of families who put their children first.
"Children can be like a foreign country, and this is the phrase book and guide book that adults need to navigate that landscape sensitively and effectively." - Catherine Connors, Editor-in-Chief, Disney Interactive Family "The Parents' Phrase Book shares [Whit's] helpful insight into parenting in a way that is thought-provoking, heartwarming, and always entertaining." - Ed Sanders, TV Host (Owner's Manual, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition) "Whit is...high on my list of people to ask for advice if I wasn't sure how to deal with a parenting issue." - Matt Blum, Editor-in-Chief, GeekDad.com "The Parents' Phrase Book is the go-to guide...for the wild rollercoaster known as parenting." - Mike Adamick, Author of Dad's Book of Awesome Projects; MikeAdamick.com "No matter how much we study and experiment, our best efforts as parents get lost in translation.... This book is the closest thing we have to a 'Dead Sea Scrolls' for parenting." - Charlie Capen, Author of The Guide to Baby Sleep Positions; HowToBeADad.com What do you say when your child gets caught in a fib? Or asks you where babies come from? With The Parents' Phrase Book, you no longer have to worry about coming up with the right response on the spot. Written by Whit Honea, a parenting expert whose advice has appeared on BabyCenter, Babble, and the Huffington Post, this valuable guide provides you with the key language and tactics you'll need to deal with a variety of parenting situations. Inside, Honea explains why his approach quickly resolves issues and why so many of the parenting phrases you'll hear on the playground actually encourage your child to misbehave. From tackling sibling rivalry to handling bullies at school, The Parents' Phrase Book will help you connect with your child and address even the toughest parenting dilemmas.
'I just wish I had armfuls of time.' These are the poignant words of a four year old facing a life-threatening illness. Armfuls of Time eloquently portrays the psychological experience of such children, who are irreversibly changed from the moment of diagnosis. Barbara M. Sourkes, Ph.D. describes how she works with these children, using drawings, soft toys and dolls, stories and real medical objects, to allow them to communicate their feelings about the treatment they undergo, their relationship with their families, their experience of the illness and living with the threat of loss. Making extensive use of the words of children, offering astute interpretations and sound practical advice, this is a book that will be welcomed by all those concerned with the care of children with life-threatening illnesses.
Murder is a messy business, especially for the person who has to clear up afterwards: in this case, me. I didn't commit the murder, you understand, I just found it. Him, I found him ...Juno Browne is a self-appointed Domestic Goddess. From cleaning to dog-walking to caring for the elderly, she flits around the picturesque town of Ashburton in her trusty van ready to turn her hand to anything. But when she takes on a new client, Old Nick, little does she expect to be pulled into the shady world of antique dealing and find herself in the middle of a murder investigation - and, if she's not careful, the next victim, too.
A professional organizer’s complete guide to getting—and staying—organized. As a child, Justin Klosky loved to count, analyze, and categorize everything in sight. Eventually diagnosed with OCD, he found ways to tap the benefits of his condition. Today, he’s founded a successful firm, O.C.D. Experience, building on the principals of Organize, Create, Discipline to help high-end clients take control of their lives through time management skills, getting rid of clutter, simplifying their habits, and rethinking storage solutions. Carefully arranged into more than 300 A-to-Z categories, Organize & Create Discipline explains organization methods for everything from laundry to legal documents, shoes, toys, kitchen drawers, medicine cabinets, utility closets, overflowing email inboxes, and dozens of other sources of daily detritus. Klosky’s unique advice yields peace of mind and radically improves productivity. With a clientele that includes Bryce Dallas Howard, Julie Chen, and Saks Fifth Avenue, Klosky now makes his unrivaled techniques to staying organized available to all.
The Girl Who Was Sorrow's Friend was written in 2014 (I think) and a friend helped me edit it. It was quite a mess, and I had a hard time in the aftermath of writing it deciding what to make of it. I was exploring stream of consciousness writing, and it was my first foray into fiction, somewhat, though I found myself jumping into the narrative, breaking the fourth wall. The book centers on a young woman named Sid, who we find at loose ends and feeling disconnected from friends, remembering the only man she ever loved who died before her dark eyes after saving her from OD?ing, twice; and her mother's death, a suicide; her father's illness, leaving him catatonic; and finding herself unemployed with no direction, a dark seed is planted in her otherwise strong spirit.
