Complete childhood curriculum based on the alphbet.

In this companion to Gathering: A Northwoods Counting Book Betsy Bowen again captures the vibrant magic in each northwoods day through effortless prose and colorful woodcuts. While the canoe waits beneath the heavy snow and the river freezes over, bears turn in for long winter naps and people spend time reading by the fire or bundled up in layers. But when spring comes, it’s time for kayaking, fishing, and listening to the quiet pond sounds of the new season. All of this and more is celebrated in Bowen’s warm and unusual alphabet book that introduces children to the cyclical rhythms of life in our country’s northern states.

This groundbreaking book proposes that the rise of alphabetic literacy reconfigured the human brain and brought about profound changes in history, religion, and gender relations. Making remarkable connections across brain function, myth, and anthropology, Dr. Shlain shows why pre-literate cultures were principally informed by holistic, right-brain modes that venerated the Goddess, images, and feminine values. Writing drove cultures toward linear left-brain thinking and this shift upset the balance between men and women, initiating the decline of the feminine and ushering in patriarchal rule. Examining the cultures of the Israelites, Greeks, Christians, and Muslims, Shlain reinterprets ancient myths and parables in light of his theory. Provocative and inspiring, this book is a paradigm-shattering work that will transform your view of history and the mind.