Not Anymore

What would it take for a Grandpa to get upset with his adorable five-year-old granddaughter? Would waking him from a much-needed nap do it? How about accidentally breaking a valuable antique?

Not Anymore follows Becky and her Grandpa through a day in their life, describing the ups and downs of a mischievous but loving child who adores her Gramps, who adoringly and unconditionally loves her back.

Nowhere to Call Home

In many cities and small communities across Canada, the individuals and families that experience homelessness are often invisible to the greater community around them. People may walk by or see someone that is homeless, yet they feel a disconnection. They see homelessness as an experience that happens to "other people" not something that could ever affect them. However, Leah's work bridges the gap between "us" and "them" by bringing humanity to all the faces of these individuals. Leah does a wonderful job of highlighting the heart and the struggle that everyone can relate to. People that experience homelessness have families, they have favorite foods, pets, jobs, goals, and dreams along with their struggles. Leah's photographs capture the story of homelessness with all of its rich complexity in an image and through conversation. * Gail Hoekstra, Executive Director; and Carlin Dykstra, Housing Stability Support Worker, Welcome In Drop-In Centre

Ogmond

When the problems with the Earth’s inhabitants’ civilities, humanity and care for the planet reached it limit…When pollution, greed, selfishness, and lawlessness created a universal problem…One man had answers and took necessary actions, applying his special skills, discoveries, and knowledge to save and restore the civilizations and the planet. This man’s name was Ogmond.

Olive Everything

Olive is a young girl who loves everything. She loves all her clothes and wears more than she needs. She loves all the things her mother makes for breakfast and asks for some of everything. Rather than making a choice, Olive says yes to this, yes to that, and nothing is left out. This becomes a problem when she starts school and is expected to wear one outfit, have one breakfast food, and there are so many other things she must choose. Choosing one thing over another feels like something is being lost, and Olive worries that she’ll never get a chance to have the things she didn’t choose. Her father helps her see that making choices is a privilege, not a loss.

Ooops!

Excited to own a brand-new pair of white sneakers, Turtle wondered if he should be careful with them. Will he able to run fast? Will he be able to jump high? Will his friends like them? Turtle just wants to test out and show his friends how special his new sneakers are!

Squirrel is busy climbing a tree, Rabbit is hopping around the carrot patch, Bee is buzzing through the garden, and Firefly is glowing his twinkling light.

Will Turtle get a chance to use his new sneakers? Will they be as good as he imagines them to be?

Peanut Learns to Share

Peanut is having so much fun while on vacation with her new swing she was recently surprised with, that is until a second surprise threatens to ruin everything.

Peanut is forced to face her fear of sharing.

Find out what the second surprise is and if Peanut is able to learn to share before it is too late.

Peanut, the Guinea Pig

Peanut finds herself lost and all alone in a strange place as a result of her own actions. Completely separated from her beloved owner, will she ever find her way back home? She’s quirky and her adorable little personality will entertain and capture the hearts of readers. Follow Peanut on her journey as she tries to find her way back home and see what valuable lesson she learns in the process.

Pedro and the Red Eyeglasses

Pedro is a short-sighted green turtle who lives in Mexico. His world is turned around when a little girl in a tourist boat falls into the water and loses her eyeglasses. Down, down they go to the ocean floor, where Pedro finds them and his life is changed forever.

This is not just a story book but also introduces children to green turtles – where to find them, where they breed, how long they can stay underwater. Did you know they can rest for up to five hours at a time before coming up for breath. Could you do that?

Children learn about eye health and, if they need to visit an eye doctor, the many colored fun frames they can find at the clinic. The book also teaches kids how important it is to wear a life vest when they are in a boat. Don’t just sit on one!

Finally, they learn that the ocean is in danger and how they can help by picking up the trash that washed up onshore.

Playing Through the Break

In the early 1980s, young Chicago architect Phil Ashley and his live-in girlfriend, TV newscaster Alison Knight, find themselves locked in an unlikely love triangle with a neighboring temptress whose undraped window appearances trigger untimely, unfinished spiritual and emotional issues left over from the psychedelic sixties.

When Phil is offered an unusual architectural project set in the countercultural West Coast waterfront community of Samsara, the pair agree to temporarily part ways in hopes that a break will do them good.

Little did they suspect that their romantic recess would soon turn chaotic when Samsara’s pirate broadcast featuring aqua goddess Pearl explodes into international headlines. Could the untimely uproar help reunite the troubled couple… or bring a dramatic end to their relationship?

Poems on Eternity, the Endless Universe, and Me

Watterson’s musings press the limits of expression. Planck’s ultimately small 10^-35 meters expands to the Sufi mystic’s Nothingness. Feelings expand from Issa’s compassion for the fleas on his deathbed to a glimpse of God’s anguish at [having to permit] the Holocaust, the price of Israel.

In one vignette, Watterson pictures the cosmos, endless universes, as dust particles at 30,000 feet disappear in the troposphere.

What is the effect? The effect, he says, is something like finding a long-lost reference. Or of having stumbled on the right person just now to tell about a rare instance of moral bravery in his youth.

The effect might be that just now innumerable originals of Beethoven are dipping their quills in ink and starting the seventh symphony. One need only imagine and listen.

Poetry Collection

Delve into a poetic tapestry that weaves the myriad facets of life’s journey. This collection resonates with human emotions, offering solace to souls seeking comfort and connection. Inspired by everyday moments and the indelible impact of loved ones – both present and departed – these verses are a testament to the beauty and complexity of existence. Embark on a literary voyage, and may you find as much joy in these pages as I found in penning them.

Polly

Polly spent most days sitting alone, sadly looking at her reflection in the mirror. Countless lonely hours were spent trying to figure out why all the squirrels in the forest refused to accept her. In the mirror, she saw long curly eyelashes with huge eyes. Her fur was soft and silky with unusual highlights. It varied in color depending on how the sun beamed on it. The fur underneath her belly was as white as snow. Her tail was long, full, and bushy. As she continued to observe her reflection in the mirror, she became painfully aware of the striking differences between her and all the other squirrels. Just like all the other squirrels in the forest her mother had the same small black eyes, dull gray fur, and semi-short less bushy tail. Even her mother was baffled by her unusual features.

Polly’s plight will illustrate to you how children today will take any characteristic or any physical differences and find fault to make fun, taunt, tease, and sometimes brutally attack you. This can be the cause of low self-esteem, fearfulness, and sadness all because someone dislikes you because you are different. I remember growing up in a community where my peers taunted me about the tone of my skin. Unfortunately, rejection, snubbing, teasing, and taunting still exists in the form of bullying and it’s even more prevalent today.

As you read Polly’s story you will see how one little squirrel gained respect and friendship from her peers through her selflessness, bravery, and courage. Her peers will learn a valuable lesson in pre-judging as it pertains to someone because of their nationality, physical appearance, race, or ethnicity.