Lessons from Starfish

Lessons from Starfish is the story of a teacher who didn’t really plan to be a teacher – and the children who taught her the most about teaching and learning. The author shares this about her book: “I hope that my starfish stories are an invitation to practitioners and parents – and all those who work with children – to take the journey with our students that can lead to the heart of teaching and learning. I also hope that through these stories, parent readers, educators and community will gain insight into the many ways that we are all important educational partners who play significant roles in our children’s educational lives.”

In this memoir, you will meet seven children who inspired their teacher to “make a difference” – not just for the seven – but for all the children she taught.

Let Me Tell You a Story

Storytelling has been an art and form of entertainment for many cultures for thousands of years. Every family has their special stories. In this way culture is created and passed down to future generations. The stories in this collection represent five generations of our family. Our family would sit around a dinner table or a campfire and tell and retell these stories from the past. Our family loved the sharing of humor through this special communication. In this way we also shared each other’s lives. My family has asked that I record these so that they will be passed on to future generations so that they might enjoy them as well. All of the stories elicit laughter because of the humor. The stories are organized around themes. The one thing that is constant about the stories is that they are all “true stories”.

Let the Music Play On

Are you someone who revels in the resonance of melodies, whose heart beats to the rhythm of tunes? Embark on a young man’s odyssey through love, tragedy, and the enlivening world of music, underscoring the eternal bond between human emotions and musical notes. This narrative underscores the quintessence of music—it’s not just an art, but a heartbeat that continues to echo through the chambers of our lives, forever.

Discover the profound connection a musician shares with his instrument, akin to a confidant, a companion in joy, and solace in sorrow. As a teenager, our protagonist finds his heartstrings attuned to the chords of a violin accompanist, who not only complements his music but also completes his world. However, fate orchestrates a melancholy melody as he loses her, plunging him into a realm of despondence, detaching him from the music that once defined his existence.

Now adrift in a ‘free-floating’ reality, devoid of the musical notes that colored his world, he confronts the silence that ensues. The narrative strikes a chord, illustrating his journey back to the world, back to the essence of music that once cradled his soul. His path is arduous, but will the crescendo of life play a tune of hope, or will it fade into an adagio of despair? The finale holds an unexpected cadence, leaving you earnestly rooting for the young maestro to rekindle his love for music and share the eloquence of his violin with the world once more.

Stephen’s favourite saying was “When music is played, we all dance together; when music is played, we all listen as one.”

Let's Have a Parade

The countdown begins, and the band strikes to play! Those famous words are announced: "Let's have a parade!" From the lead stars, the highly popular high-kicking Rockettes, and of course, the big guy in red, Santa Claus, we kick off the holiday season down 6th Avenue as people gather in the streets of New York City to give thanks at the infamous Thanksgiving Day Parade!

Let's Move! Let's Talk! Let's Go!

Why this book now? Children sit too much. They sit in silence, hunched over a cell phone, iPad, Kindle, or computer. Their fingers are the only body part moving, and only in repetitive motions—for hours on end. Technology has contributed to children moving their bodies and using their voices less and less. Let’s Move! Let’s Talk! Let’s Go! is an antidote for these current trends and describes games supported by original poetry and illustrations. This book provides easy-to-follow guidelines for the caregiver and child.

Who is qualified to be a leader of the games? Everyone! The game leader does not need to have any special training. The leader can be a teacher, parent, sibling, or babysitter.

Where can the games be played? Everywhere! All the games can be played without any special space or equipment requirements. A living room, basement, recreation room, classroom, or backyard are all useable spaces for playing the games.

Praise for Let’s MOVE! Let’s TALK! Let’s GO!

“This is a welcome book to the children’s market. The integration between movement in body and voice to convey expression is wonderfully accessible. Many texts deal with speech and movement separately; here we are presented with the fullness of both. And, as we are more fragmented via computer technology, this book gives budding learners a chance for clear communication and action.”

– Cheryl Clark, CMA, BMC®, RSME/T, Senior Faculty member at the Laban Institute of Movement Studies, NYC, and on the faculty at the College for Performing Arts at The New School.

“This book is a terrific resource for dance teachers, classroom teachers, music teachers, and families. It is a creative and practical book that provides ideas, teacher prompts, imagery and rhymes to introduce young children to the building blocks of expressive dance and dance-making through the lens of Laban Movement Analysis. Early childhood is a pivotal time for brain and body development and this book is a wonderful addition to the field of dance in early childhood.”

– Deborah Damast MA, Director and Clinical Associate Professor of Dance Education at NYU Steinhardt.

“This book is a useful tool to any pediatric occupational therapy practice. The book captures ways to teach clinicians, parents, and caregivers how to inspire and grow a child’s human potential through the connection to their bodies and emotions. The book’s poetry, games and fundamental use of breath are creative and playful additions to an occupational therapist’s sensory integration toolkit.”

– Carol Battistone, M.A., OTR/L, 29 years in private practice, NYC.

Letters to My Daughter

He feared escaping the daily terror of drug dealing and violence would overwhelm him, as it had so many other young men of color growing up in the housing projects. His life, and their lives, seemed destined to become more cruel statistics of the ghetto’s unforgiving reality.

Licorice and Black Jack

This fable is about Licorice and Black Jack, twin seafaring cats that lived on the Clipper Ship “The Fair Winds” during the mid-1700s. These brother cats were famous for catching rats throughout the Seven Seas. One night, they were kidnapped by a dishonest, disgruntled crew member who sold them to a witch. After ridding the old harridan’s hut of rats, there was nothing left for them to eat, so they snuck off seeking freedom, food, and hopefully their ship. They then had the misfortune to be discovered by a disreputable merchant who sold them for their beautiful pelts. Their troubles took a turn for the worst from that moment on.

Lies, Love, Blood

Lies, Love, Blood is living proof of duplicity craving wrath. Heed this cautionary tale as we track rascal and scholar Daiga, his loyal, faithful bride-in-waiting Mungwi, and his duped and deserted wife Monica in their three-ring circus of intrigue, passion and despair along Cameroon and Germany’s cultural crossroads.

It drives home with a vengeance this timeless truth of war and wedlock:

“We must love one another or die.”

W.H. Auden

Life

Life is a meditative collection of your innermost thoughts, feelings, and desires.

The poems included throughout are striking and inviting.

Readers will feel welcome to journey alongside you as you discover and find your true happiness.

Life and Times of Miss Daisy Weed

A magical and mysterious garden where the unexpected seems to take over. A dissatisfied Daisy, an adventurer, caught up in mischief and desires, bringing about a whole new world of humor, tears, and love. The wild flowers and creatures take on a new meaning, as they grow in the imagination of the reader, each new character with their special task and story blends reality and fiction into a magical world of flowers, fairies, and humans. Plants that appear in this innocent garden, pushing their way in, overtaking other more charming plants, echo similarity to what the children and adults appear to go through, in this magical, enthralling story.

Life as a Joke

Embark on a transformative journey as you delve into the pages of Life as a Joke, a compelling narrative tracing the path of a young girl’s evolution into a formidable, independent, and unapologetic woman. This book is a courageous exploration of her struggles, a raw and unfiltered expression of her powerful emotions, and a testament to the liberating force of truth.

This book is a therapy session which lasted years. This book has all sets of emotions, laughter, tears, shock, depression, and happiness, it is life as we know it.

Life as a Joke reminds us that, despite life’s challenges, there’s always room for a smile. Your struggles are uniquely yours, and within them lies your worth and strength. This book is an invitation to embrace your own journey, finding inspiration and hope in every page.

Life is a Story

In Life is a Story, D.A. Bennett takes readers on a captivating journey through a collection of short stories that explore the universal themes of adolescence, adulthood, and the complexities of human relationships.

Set in southern Louisiana during the mediators, the initial stories follow hard-working rural families as they navigate life’s challenges and opportunities. From there, the book ventures into the scandalous and confusing world of 21^st century bourgeoisie, where misunderstandings, heartbreak, and even crime lurk around every corner.

Bennett’s writing is not only entertaining but also thought-provoking, resonating with readers of all ages and backgrounds. With a keen eye for detail and a unique voice, the author expertly weaves together tales that are both poignant and insightful, leaving a lasting impact on the reader’s heart and mind.

As a new and adventurous author, Bennett delivers a formidable read that will captivate and inspire readers from beginning to end. Life is a Story is a must-read for anyone seeking a fresh and unique perspective on the joys and challenges of the human experience.