So Much

Auntie and Uncle and Nannie and Gran-Gran and all the cousins want to hug and kiss the new baby — they all love the baby SO MUCH! Illustrations by Helen Oxenbury brim with the warmth of a large, loving extended family. Mom and baby are home alone when — DING DONG! — Auntie and then Uncle and Nannie and Gran-Gran and the cousins come to visit. And they all want to hug and kiss and squeeze and eat the baby right up — because everybody loves the baby SO MUCH! With Helen Oxenbury lending her characteristic warmth and humor to a most exuberant family party, Trish Cooke's rhythmic, cumulative story captures the joy of being the baby in a large extended family — a baby who knows that he is absolutely, utterly adored.

Temina is excited about taking a trip on an airplane, and super-excited to include ALL of her toys and dolls on the trip as well. Until mom says: "You can bring just ONE doll." Impossible! How is she going to pick just ONE? She hatches a top secret plan and sneaks more than one toy into the airport and onto the plane. While everyone around her gawks, Temina proudly displays her beloved companions. Word spreads quickly to other children on the plane, who feel lonely without their own dolls. Temina is happy to lend out her treasures. The flight becomes a happy memory for Temina and her family, and even more so months later when her generosity is rewarded in the most surprising way!

A new high point for a master novelist, an emotionally charged reckoning with art, marriage, and the past Kevin Pace is working on a painting that he won’t allow anyone to see: not his children; not his best friend, Richard; not even his wife, Linda. The painting is a canvas of twelve feet by twenty-one feet (and three inches) that is covered entirely in shades of blue. It may be his masterpiece or it may not; he doesn’t know or, more accurately, doesn’t care. What Kevin does care about are the events of the past. Ten years ago he had an affair with a young watercolorist in Paris. Kevin relates this event with a dispassionate air, even a bit of puzzlement. It’s not clear to him why he had the affair, but he can’t let it go. In the more distant past of the late seventies, Kevin and Richard traveled to El Salvador on the verge of war to retrieve Richard’s drug-dealing brother, who had gone missing without explanation. As the events of the past intersect with the present, Kevin struggles to justify the sacrifices he’s made for his art and the secrets he’s kept from his wife. So Much Blue features Percival Everett at his best, and his deadpan humor and insightful commentary about the artistic life culminate in a brilliantly readable new novel.

Since her parents are too busy in the morning to listen to her say that she love them, Lola the hamster waits all day long for another opportunity to say the words.

Girl meets boy. Boy moves to New York. Girl follows boy, determined to make him love her back. But then the city works its magic on the lonely girl, inspiring her to dream of so much more...

The Last Lecture meets The Bright Hour in this poignant account of how the Latina Medium, Zulema Arroyo Farley, lives life to the fullest, refusing to let a rare form of cancer and chronic illnesses determine her destiny. On Zulema’s fourth date with the man who is now her husband, they created a “Life List” of adventures they would share together; from skydiving, to luxurious trips around the world, and as wine collectors, traveling the wine regions to meet their favorite producers. Wildly successful and in love, Zulema was living a fairy tale. But, two years into their marriage, the Life List took on a shocking urgency when she was diagnosed with sarcoma, an exceedingly rare and incurable form of cancer, along with a host of other complex and mysterious medical conditions. Challenged, but undaunted, Zulema relied on herself and those around her to summon the courage to face her illnesses head on, while never forgetting to embrace the spirit of the Life List with every passing day. Despite excruciating physical and mental pain, setbacks, and personal struggles, Zulema is determined to not leave a second of life unexperienced. And in this new life chapter, she reveals a long-kept secret: She’s a psychic medium. After years of seeing, hearing, and sensing presences that others couldn’t see, she learns how to trust them through her hardest times and channels her gift to serve for the good of all concerned. Her spirit guides and life wisdom will help readers embrace her most important vision: There is always so much more to live, to love, to learn, and to create.

Are your counters covered with appliances you had to have but rarely use? Are your cupboards stuffed with clothes that you hope to fit back into or that you paid a fortune for but only wore once? Have you been hanging on to that hideous teapot your mother gave you 10 years ago only because she gave it to you? Every time you go shopping do you come back with bags of more stuff because that pillow/blouse/cd/mixer will be the one thing that changes your life and then it doesn't change your life because you have nowhere to put it? In It's All Too Much,organisational guru Peter Walsh challenges you to answer a very simple but scary question: Does the stuff you own contribute to the life you hope to achieve or does it get in the way of your vision? Peter helps you assess the state of your home without any sugar coating and will teach you how to confront and conquer the stuff that is holding you back by identifying the purpose of each and every object in your home and assessing your reasons for holding onto it. He shows you how to identify which room is the heart of your home and then shows you why it is so important to keep that space clean and clear of clutter - if the heart of your home is clogged what does that say about you? He then helps you go room by room to ask the important questions: What is the room? What's its purpose? What is this item? Does it contribute positively to the life you want? The answers to these questions will help you understand your priorities and fix your relationship with your stuff. And in gaining this understanding you can start to clear out the clutter!

Come for a visit in Bear Country with this classic First Time Book® from Stan and Jan Berenstain. Join Papa, Mama, and Brother, as they help Sister celebrate her birthday. The special day is not all fun and games when Sister becomes overwhelmed by all of the festivities. This beloved story is a perfect way to teach children about birthdays and what’s most important about them.