February Book Releases
Children’s Books
Aunt Bug’s Little Life Lessons: Safety Mission
By Jemma Ryan
Dash is so excited that his Aunt Bug is teaching him a new game where they get to pretend to be secret agents! To complete his mission, Dash will have to pay close attention to his surroundings and learn new spy safety skills. There’s only one rule, according to Dash’s beloved Aunt Bug: No electronics or toys in this game! But Dash wants to know: Why? Alongside Dash, learn about how to always stay alert and be aware of your surroundings so that you can stay safe and have fun everywhere!
In this unique learning tool, children will discover how to read covert signs and signals, and find out how best to pay attention and stay vigilant wherever they go.
Birdie Can, Too!
By Malaika Underwood
Author Malaika Underwood was the first girl to play high school baseball in San Diego, California, and has been a member of the USA Baseball Women’s National Team since 2006. She lives in Atlantic Beach, Florida, with her husband and two amazing daughters.
Anika Orrock is an award-winning illustrator, designer, and author of The Incredible Women of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League.
By Evita Sherman
As loved ones grow older, there are unfamiliar and confusing challenges that families must face. Does Grandma Remember Me? reminds readers that no matter what may change, love remains the same.
Gabby Steals the Show
By Sue Wambolt
What on earth was happening on Hollerbrook Farm?
First there was Pete who caused Owen alarm
And then Gabby the goat started her silly tricks
causing problems that Owen just could not fix.
From her antics on the fence under starry skies
to the aerial tricks which ruined Flo’s apples pies,
Gabby was a performer through and through.
No one could stop her—what would they do?
Mommy’s Oven
By Brandi Pearce
In this true story, young August learns about how he will get a new little brother. He learns of how his little brother will grow in someone else’s tummy, not his mommy’s. Will he look like Augie? Will he grow for too long? Will Augie get to take his little brother home once he is born?
Join August on this new, exciting adventure of getting a new little brother in a very unique way.
If you are looking for a way to help your children understand that families can be created in many different ways, this is a story to keep on your bookshelf!
Not So Bad After All
By Daniel Amaguana
Daniel views school in his own little way,
But kids make fun of him all the long day.
He may be strong and won’t stand for guff,
But when push comes to shove, can he really stay tough?
PAWS and THINK! Be a Good Sport
By Miranda Mittleman
See the world through Weaver’s bright eyes,
With each new day valuable lessons arise.
Life is funny and can change in a blink,
So always remember to PAWS and THINK!
Today Weaver digs up a lesson
on GOOD SPORTSMANSHIP.
The Butterfly Who Flew in the Rain
By Ori Gutin
This is a story about Cody, a little caterpillar born in the midst of a terrible thunderstorm. With all the other animals hidden away from the rain, Cody is left feeling sad and alone, and wondering if this is how he will feel every day. But then one afternoon, everything changes. Cody becomes a butterfly, the sun starts to shine, and all the animals come out to say hello! Cody finally feels what it’s like to be happy. Until… the storm comes back again! Now, Cody faces a new challenge. Can he find a way to be happy even in the rain, or will the storm get the best of him again?
The Little Mandarin Reaches the Stars
By Elsa Anderson
“Little pig,” said the little mandarin, “let’s go to the moon.”
This is the beginning of the adventure between two friends as they try to reach the moon. On the way, they learn about bravery and stretching oneself—and ultimately that what you’re really looking for may not be exactly what you thought.
This bilingual story follows their adventures and provides a fun and basic introduction to some common Chinese characters, for English and Chinese speakers alike.
Coffee Table Books
How to Keep a Girl Once You’ve Found Her
By Michelle Dunn
Who said chivalry is dead?
Inside this charming keepsake book are essential reminders to men (and women!) that the timeless qualities of kindness, thoughtfulness, and selflessness are the keys to maintaining a beautiful, healthy relationship. How to Keep a Girl Once You’ve Found Her is the perfect gift for anyone who needs a little reminder on how to truly care for the one they love!
Cookbooks
Made With Love: Culinary Inspirations from Around the World
By Elizabeth Lee
Have you ever dreamt of floating on the ocean under the stars with the warm sea air caressing your skin while you enjoy one of the best meals of your life? Open the pages of Made with Love: Culinary Inspirations From Around The World and you can experience that wonderful moment in time.
Made With Love brings you a selection of professional yacht chef Elizabeth Lee’s stunning original recipes that have won both international accolades and the praise of charter guest gourmands throughout her years working in the private charter yacht industry.
Chef Lee offers recipes for all levels of culinary expertise with expert advice on food preparation techniques spanning basic to more advanced, such as sous vide and molecular gastronomy. Her suggestions for kitchen organization and meal preparation are applicable to any size kitchen, be it on a yacht or in a land-based home.
Chef Lee’s husband, captain Warren East’s, beautiful photography accentuates the visual appeal of Made With Love. The book includes photographs that accompany each dish, which aid in preparation and presentation as well as offer a glimpse of the couple’s captivating international life on the ocean.
Made With Love is guaranteed to provide you with everything you need to create a successful kitchen with stunning, delicious meals to entertain with ease, style, and fun. Bon appétit!
Fiction
Chasing The American Dream
By Lorelei Brush
It’s 1955. David stands on the courthouse steps in Cleveland, buttoning his overcoat, when his gaze catches the martial stride of a passerby. He recoils. It’s Dr. Gerhardt Adler, a brutal ex-S.S. Major who David sent to Nuremburg shackled in the back of a U.S. Army Jeep. Determined to discover what that war criminal is doing in the U.S., David reverts to old habits he mastered in the Office of Strategic Services and pursues the Nazi. Feeling cheated by his role during the war, safe behind Allied lines, he sees another chance to be a hero. But how much will it cost?
Chasing the American Dream captures David’s quest for justice against those who committed crimes against humanity during World War II. To his horror, it transforms into a fight with the U.S. government who threatens his own American dream.
By Adreama Eden
Straight as an Arrow is a coming-into-life story of Amelia, a young girl of deep faith, set in the turbulent 1960s. As she reaches puberty, Amelia makes a vow to God and to her mother, promising to remain chaste until she marries. So begins her journey into adult life away from her sheltered childhood existence, searching for her happily ever after as she follows the way of all souls who set forth to achieve their dreams.
Amelia faces the timeless dilemma of searching for the real meaning of love. She struggles to reconcile her budding sexuality while remaining faithful to her church’s teachings. If God gave her these desires, why are they considered bad? Can she remain committed to her vow when so many young women of her generation choose another path? While angels and demons battle for her immortal soul, five men in her life teach her the meaning of love in all of its forms.
Through her quest, she learns patience, forgiveness, perseverance, honor, and love.
The Secret War of Coexistence: Abaddon
By Ashley Harrison
Awakened in a state of turmoil, Skyelar finds himself in a strange new city. Everything he could ever want was in his grasps, but just as quickly as he received it, it was stripped away in a fateful turn of events. Now, he’s left with nothing but a hollow existence of his former self and the most painful memories he’s ever had in his life. And just when things couldn’t get any more complicated, Skyelar must face the revelation of a huge secret that finally puts his whole life into perspective.
In a new city, Skyelar is offered the chance to start fresh, become someone great, and just maybe, forget about his past life. But everything has changed, and Skyelar can no longer see the light at the end of the tunnel. All the years he spent searching for repentance seem to be for naught because the only road Skyelar is interested in traveling down now is that of revenge. As more of Skyelar’s questions reveal answers, he soon learns that he will have to make decisions that not only impact his life, but the lives of those around him. Will he honor the man he fought so hard to become, the man who was loved by Nalani, or will he finally let that ideology slip away and become the man he fears he may have always been?
Nonfiction
121 Days: The Corbin Raymond Story of Fighting for Life and Surviving a Traumatic Brain Injury
By Sadie Raymond with Todd Civin
The morning of July 4th, 2018 began like any other in Sadie Raymond’s household. What Sadie and her family didn’t know, however, was that by the end of the day the course of all of their lives—especially that of their teenage son, Corbin—would change forever.
After receiving a phone call that chilled her to the bone, Sadie rushed to the scene of a car accident alongside a forested road in their home state of New Hampshire. There, she discovered that her son had been a passenger in a car that had collided with a tree and was on his way to the hospital via ambulance.
For 121 days, Corbin fought an arduous battle for his life in the Intensive Care Unit at Boston Children’s Hospital and at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital. New Englanders from across his home state and beyond declared themselves “Corbin Strong.” His family and friends found their strength and resilience in the face of adversity. And, through faith and love against all odds, Corbin won.
Featuring real-time journal entries and contributions from other members of Corbin’s family, 121 Days: The Corbin Raymond Story of Fighting for Life and Surviving a Traumatic Brain Injury chronicles the harrowing days, weeks, and months following the accident. Candid and evocative, 121 Days is a revelatory story of the depth of fear, the duration of courage, and, ultimately, the power of triumph.
Getting to the Why: A Practical Guide to Helping Students and Children Learn From Their Mistakes Using Character Remediation
By Rick Rubel
One of our main responsibilities as adults is to teach our young people to do the right thing when we are not around. This requires moral development. A combination of external discipline, self-understanding, and moral maturity should lead to self-discipline, and ultimately, moral development.
An important way to help young people develop their character is to help them learn from their mistakes. There are many ways to do this, but I believe in the power of the question. Sometimes, the questions we ask young people are more important than the statements we tell them. If we ask our students and children the right questions, we can help them get to their “why.”
Through the questioning outlined in my Character Remediation Program, young people should be able to answer three important questions when asked about their mistakes:
“Why did you do it?” “Why is it wrong?” and “if you knew it was wrong, why did you do it?” Getting to the Why serves as a guide to asking those questions to help young people discover their own truth and reasons, thereby improving their character and moral development.