Two-hundred nineteen people from thirty-two different countries make their way to downtown New York in a snowstorm to be sworn in as citizens of the United States.

A thoughtful picture book illustrating the power of small acts of kindness, from the award-winning author of Sophie's Squash.

Will I live with my parents again? Will I stay with my foster parents forever? For children in foster care, the answer to many questions is often "maybe." Maybe Days addresses the questions, feelings, and concerns these children most often face. Honest and reassuring, it also provides basic information that children want and need to know, including the roles of various people in the foster care system and whom to ask for help. An extensive afterword for adults caring for foster children describes the child's experience, underscores the importance of open communication, and outlines a variety of ways to help children adjust to the "maybe days"—and to thrive. From the Note to Foster Parents and Other Adults: The enormity of adjustment that children in foster care are asked to make is hard to over-state. Children in foster care may experience and express a range of feelings, many of which may emerge during the reading of this book. Multiple feelings may occur at the same time and may include: Relief and a sense of safety Happiness and a sense of enjoyment Sadness Anger Fear or worry Confusion Guilt Shame Loneliness Sense of loss ​Some children respond well to verbal discussion about their feelings....Keep in mind that asking questions and encouraging activities can be useful for some children, but it is not always necessary and is never a substitute for simply listening.

Features an audio read-along! With a simple, witty story and free-spirited illustrations, Peter H. Reynolds entices even the stubbornly uncreative among us to make a mark -- and follow where it takes us. Her teacher smiled. "Just make a mark and see where it takes you." Art class is over, but Vashti is sitting glued to her chair in front of a blank piece of paper. The words of her teacher are a gentle invitation to express herself. But Vashti can’t draw - she’s no artist. To prove her point, Vashti jabs at a blank sheet of paper to make an unremarkable and angry mark. "There!" she says. That one little dot marks the beginning of Vashti’s journey of surprise and self-discovery. That special moment is the core of Peter H. Reynolds’s delicate fable about the creative spirit in all of us.

A sociologist and former fashion model takes readers inside the elite global party circuit of "models and bottles" to reveal how beautiful young women are used to boost the status of men Million-dollar birthday parties, megayachts on the French Riviera, and $40,000 bottles of champagne. In today's New Gilded Age, the world's moneyed classes have taken conspicuous consumption to new extremes. In Very Important People, sociologist, author, and former fashion model Ashley Mears takes readers inside the exclusive global nightclub and party circuit—from New York City and the Hamptons to Miami and Saint-Tropez—to reveal the intricate economy of beauty, status, and money that lies behind these spectacular displays of wealth and leisure. Mears spent eighteen months in this world of "models and bottles" to write this captivating, sometimes funny, sometimes heartbreaking narrative. She describes how clubs and restaurants pay promoters to recruit beautiful young women to their venues in order to attract men and get them to spend huge sums in the ritual of bottle service. These "girls" enhance the status of the men and enrich club owners, exchanging their bodily capital for as little as free drinks and a chance to party with men who are rich or aspire to be. Though they are priceless assets in the party circuit, these women are regarded as worthless as long-term relationship prospects, and their bodies are constantly assessed against men's money. A story of extreme gender inequality in a seductive world, Very Important People unveils troubling realities behind moneyed leisure in an age of record economic disparity.

'We will make mincemeat of him!' Gideon Zmija's manic words to his intelligence directors spell dismissal and disaster for senior agent Major Andreas Uherson. For Andreas has been operating successfully with skill and ease - and 'cooperating' at many levels with lovely Maggie Edwards, a CIA employee from Virginia, and the former love of Andreas' late colleague, Andy Bender. Zmija's ascendancy at home in Hungary seems secure. until Maggie finds something among Andy's papers that could ruin Zmija and his crony Tobias Zeller - something that hints at the greatest betrayal of all. In post-communist Central Europe, chaos rules and only the fittest agents thrive. In this shadowy world of inverted truths, cover-ups, decoys and back-stabbers, Andreas Uherson and his girlfriend have to fight to survive. Can their wits save them? Read David J Doesser's wonderfully insightful spy story and discover a whole new side to modern espionage. David J Doesser was born behind the Iron Curtain. He is married and has two children. He lives in the European Union.

Starting pre-school can be pretty scary for some children. As any mother knows, happy morning chatter can quickly turn into a lip quiver and tears. For the little girl in this story, a little orange pumpkin growing in a leaf pile miraculously restored the joy that had been lost to the child's nervousness. The important little pumpkin not only saved the day, but was also the beginning of a long and wonderful, first day of school tradition, for our family. The little girl in the story, my daughter, is now twenty-seven years old and finishing her masters degree. She still received a pumpkin on her first day of school. The pumpkin is a reassuring presence and reminder that any apprehensions of the day, will soon fade into a memory.