The Bright Light And The Super Scary Darkness

With brilliant illustrations that contrast darkness and light, this picture book helps children who struggle with fear and anxiety understand that God's love is more powerful than any scary thing.

"Finkbeiner has deftly written this narrative of ordinary people finding their way, set against a backdrop of global upheaval and war; the characters are realistic and vibrant. Readers looking for realist family stories with a subtle thread of faith . . .will want to read Finkbeiner's latest."--Library Journal starred review *** In 1975, three thousand children were airlifted out of Saigon to be adopted into Western homes. When Mindy, one of those children, announces her plans to return to Vietnam to find her birth mother, her loving adopted family is suddenly thrown back to the events surrounding her unconventional arrival in their lives. Though her father supports Mindy's desire to meet her family of origin, he struggles privately with an unsettling fear that he'll lose the daughter he's poured his heart into. Mindy's mother undergoes the emotional rollercoaster inherent in the adoption of a child from a war-torn country, discovering the joy hidden amid the difficulties. And Mindy's sister helps her sort through relics that whisper of the effect the trauma of war has had on their family--but also speak of the beauty of overcoming. Told through three strong voices in three compelling timelines, The Nature of Small Birds is a hopeful story that explores the meaning of family far beyond genetic code. "A balanced story that's rich with nuance and gentle emotions."--Foreword Reviews "Readers who enjoy the work of Karen Kingsbury will want to take a look."--Publishers Weekly

"Built on her ... Modern Love column, 'When a Couch is More Than a Couch' (9/23/2016), a ... memoir of living meaningfully with 'death in the room' by the 38-year-old great-great-great granddaughter of Ralph Waldo Emerson--mother to two young boys, wife of 16 years--after her terminal cancer diagnosis"--

In the land of darkness lives a shaggy but lovable creature. He is pining away because he has lost his home and has lived in the dark ever since. One day, the shaggy creature is overcome with curiosity and ventures out to the edge of the darkness. There, bathed in sunlight and bright colors, lives a very different and gentle creature. The two inhabitants of these different world become friends, and with his new friend, the shaggy creature overcomes his loss and finds his way back to the world of color. A quietly poetic story, told by Kerstin Hau, which gives hope and courage in difficult times. With contrasting imagery by Julie Völk, this book shows that life can be light, colorful, black, grey, and everything in between.

Scared of the Dark? It's Really Scared of You is a picture book that playfully unpacks a common childhood fear. You may be afraid of the dark . . . but did you know that the dark is actually afraid of YOU? It's true! The dark spends its days hiding from the light in your underwear drawer. The dark thinks you look scary. And the dark may be difficult to see when the sun goes down, but it also has its fair share of redeeming qualities. • A go-to read for kids who are afraid of nighttime • Personifies darkness to help younger readers shift how they see the night • A humorous and soulful picture book by Peter Vegas and acclaimed illustrator Benjamin Chaud Scared of the Dark? It's Really Scared of You reassures the youngest of readers that the dark is more relatable—and appealing—than ever imagined. Fans of the award-winning illustrator Benjamin Chaud will love adding this one to the collection. • A good pick for parents, grandparents, and caregivers of reluctant readers • Resonates year-round as a go-to gift for birthdays, holidays, and more • Perfect for children ages 3 to 5 years old • Great for teachers and librarians who want to teach there are no monsters, just friends • You'll love this book if you love books like Orion and the Dark by Emma Yarlett, The Dark by Lemony Snicket, and The Berenstain Bears by Stan and Jan Berenstain.

A desperate and hopeless man is about to kill himself. But instead, he goes From Darkness to Light, discovering that the power and love of God is much stronger than one man's hopelessness and blindness. God will not allow this sorrowful man to commit suicide, giving him a chance to make things right, to look through his life as it was before, and to begin a new and holy life. The man is given two teachers who will lead him through the wisdom of life in just 30 days. The first fifteen days is spent with his first teacher, the captain, and the next fifteen is spent with his other heavenly teacher. They both will show him the wisdom of heaven and how great is God's love. For those thirty days, the man lives with his teachers and is lead by their holiness. Afterward, he acknowledges that God is what we all have, all we need, and all we want. Prayers, fasting, rosary, Bible and spiritual knowledge changes this hopeless and nameless man into a new person. He now realizes that perfect life is here and in the life to come, but it can only come through accepting Jesus.

A compassionate, shame-free guide for your darkest days “A one-of-a-kind book . . . to read for yourself or give to a struggling friend or loved one without the fear that depression and suicidal thoughts will be minimized, medicalized or over-spiritualized.”—Kay Warren, cofounder of Saddleback Church What happens when loving Jesus doesn’t cure you of depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts? You might be crushed by shame over your mental illness, only to be told by well-meaning Christians to “choose joy” and “pray more.” So you beg God to take away the pain, but nothing eases the ache inside. As darkness lingers and color drains from your world, you’re left wondering if God has abandoned you. You just want a way out. But there’s hope. In I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die, Sarah J. Robinson offers a healthy, practical, and shame-free guide for Christians struggling with mental illness. With unflinching honesty, Sarah shares her story of battling depression and fighting to stay alive despite toxic theology that made her afraid to seek help outside the church. Pairing her own story with scriptural insights, mental health research, and simple practices, Sarah helps you reconnect with the God who is present in our deepest anguish and discover that you are worth everything it takes to get better. Beautifully written and full of hard-won wisdom, I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die offers a path toward a rich, hope-filled life in Christ, even when healing doesn’t look like what you expect.

How well do you know the Twilight universe… really? In her famous four-book series The Twilight Saga, author Stephenie Meyer refers to myth, music, history, literature and more. She masks numerous symbols in her romantic vampire dreamscape. The Twilight Symbols is a rich A to Z guide of symbols in the Twilight Saga that will lead you to discover whole new worlds, both real and mystical. It will delight and inform Twilight fans, symbol seekers, and the keenest literature detectives. From apples to zombies, from Forks to Rome, from round meadows to moonlit beaches to dark forests, this compelling and comprehensive sourcebook spotlights the symbols that hide and reside in the Twilight world. ,