Gail Pope, founder and director of BrightHaven, a holistic animal sanctuary and hospice in northern California, created this booklet to provide both knowledge and comfort to those who are accompanying a beloved animal companion on the journey to transition. It is written as a simple guide to the specific signs and symptoms you may encounter during each stage of the actual dying process, which may begin several months before death finally occurs.

Caterpillars crunch leaves. They make their own chrysalises. And every day they change until they hatch into beautiful butterflies! Amber Hendricks' short expressive lines with repeated action words make this poem perfect for sharing with babies and toddlers, and Gavin Scott's warm, cozy illustrations encourage all ages to appreciate nature. Little ones will want to read this board book again and again.

Caterpillar crawls from leaf to leaf, eating and waiting, all alone in a big, green world. Then Orange appears—Orange floats, and flits, and flies, graceful and beautiful. In this sweet, moving story of intergenerational friendship, a small caterpillar is befriended by a glorious monarch butterfly, and together they learn to see the world through each other’s eyes.

Apotheosis of My Butterfly embraces death and renewal, leavened with humorous and insightful repartee about art, nature, and creativity. As Edouard and Melissa develop their butterfly garden they fight to maintain their marriage against internal doubt and external forces. Physical needs and medical treatment of amputees, sexuality, grief, and death, are described frankly. Managed care malfeasance foreshadows a dramatic medical malpractice settlement. Indictment of the medical and legal professions is pointed, and serves as both caution and support to readers undergoing similar struggles. Poignantly Apotheosis of My Butterfly portrays marriage and life celebration through work, determination, art and love.

A triumphant memoir by the former editor-in-chief of French Elle that reveals an indomitable spirit and celebrates the liberating power of consciousness. In 1995, Jean-Dominique Bauby was the editor-in-chief of French Elle, the father of two young children, a 44-year-old man known and loved for his wit, his style, and his impassioned approach to life. By the end of the year he was also the victim of a rare kind of stroke to the brainstem. After 20 days in a coma, Bauby awoke into a body which had all but stopped working: only his left eye functioned, allowing him to see and, by blinking it, to make clear that his mind was unimpaired. Almost miraculously, he was soon able to express himself in the richest detail: dictating a word at a time, blinking to select each letter as the alphabet was recited to him slowly, over and over again. In the same way, he was able eventually to compose this extraordinary book. By turns wistful, mischievous, angry, and witty, Bauby bears witness to his determination to live as fully in his mind as he had been able to do in his body. He explains the joy, and deep sadness, of seeing his children and of hearing his aged father's voice on the phone. In magical sequences, he imagines traveling to other places and times and of lying next to the woman he loves. Fed only intravenously, he imagines preparing and tasting the full flavor of delectable dishes. Again and again he returns to an "inexhaustible reservoir of sensations," keeping in touch with himself and the life around him. Jean-Dominique Bauby died two days after the French publication of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly. This book is a lasting testament to his life.

What are as light as a feather and as old as the dinosaurs? Butterflies! With a lively text and vibrant paper-collage illustrations, award-winning author Bob Barner brings us a wonderful look at the amazing history of butterflies, and how their lives intersected with the dinosaurs millions of years ago. Readers will be fascinated to discover that when they stop to admire a beautiful butterfly, a dinosaur may have once done the same! This gorgeous, rollicking, informative book is sure to become a favorite of budding scientists everywhere.

Underground, seeds sleep until spring. Rain comes, seeds sprout, and flowers burst into bloom! Amber Hendricks' short expressive lines with repeated action words make this poem perfect for sharing with babies and toddlers, and Gavin Scott's warm, cozy illustrations encourage all ages to appreciate nature. Little ones will want to read this board book again and again.