In the mid twentieth century the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein famously asserted that games are indefinable; there are no common threads that link them all. "Nonsense," says the sensible Bernard Suits: "playing a game is a voluntary attempt to overcome unnecessary obstacles." The short book Suits wrote demonstrating precisely that is as playful as it is insightful, as stimulating as it is delightful. Suits not only argues that games can be meaningfully defined; he also suggests that playing games is a central part of the ideal of human existence, so games belong at the heart of any vision of Utopia. Originally published in 1978, The Grasshopper is now re-issued with a new introduction by Thomas Hurka and with additional material (much of it previously unpublished) by the author, in which he expands on the ideas put forward in The Grasshopper and answers some questions that have been raised by critics.

Bronson's fascinating book about grasshoppers and other related insects--crickets and katydids--reveals how they are equipped for life and how they act from birth to death. Particularly interesting are the incidents and examples that are drawn from his observation of his own insect collection.

“They have sent me here because of what happened on the pylon.” When Clodagh Brown writes these words at the age of nineteen, she believes that she is leaving behind the traumatic events of her youth. But Clodagh soon learns that you can never entirely escape your past. In the aftermath of the incident on the pylon--one of the great electrified structures that dot the English countryside like so many gargantuan grasshoppers--Clodagh goes off to university, moves into a basement flat arranged by her unsympathetic family, and finds freedom trekking across London's rooftops with a gang of neighborhood misfits. As she begins a thrilling relationship with a fellow climber, however, both Clodagh and the reader are haunted by the memory of the pylon and of the terrible thing that happened there--and by the eerie sense that another tragedy is just a footfall away.

A 2015 Michael L. Printz Honor Book Winner of the 2014 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Fiction "Raunchy, bizarre, smart and compelling." --Rolling Stone “Grasshopper Jungle is simultaneously creepy and hilarious. Reminds me of Kurt Vonnegut’s in “Slaughterhouse Five,” in the best sense.” --New York Times Book Review In the small town of Ealing, Iowa, Austin and his best friend, Robby, have accidentally unleashed an unstoppable army. An army of horny, hungry, six-foot-tall praying mantises that only want to do two things. This is the truth. This is history. It’s the end of the world. And nobody knows anything about it. You know what I mean. Funny, intense, complex, and brave, Grasshopper Jungle brilliantly weaves together everything from testicle-dissolving genetically modified corn to the struggles of recession-era, small-town America in this groundbreaking coming-of-age stunner.

A little girl uses imagination and inventiveness to spread friendship through her community. But will she find a friend of her own? Whether it’s a supersonic sandwich maker or a twelve-tailed dragon, Sicily Bridges can make almost anything from materials she finds around her apartment complex. But when it comes to making friends, Sicily has yet to find the perfect fit. With a diverse cast of characters brought to life by illustrator Erika Medina, Sara de Waal’s whimsical debut emphasizes the power of imagination and finding companionship where you least expect it.

For use in schools and libraries only. Young children will make many amazing discoveries about creatures in their own backyards in this intriguing tale of a day in the life of a grasshopper.

How can grasshoppers help parents and feeding professionals teach anxious eaters about new foods? Marsha Dunn Klein, an internationally-known feeding therapist, provides the answer in this book--highlighting that most anxious eaters do not enjoy the sensations and varibility of new foods. In seeking to help them, she asks what you'd need to do to help yourself try a worrisome new food, such as a grasshopper. Drawing on her own experience trying grasshoppers while learning Spanish in Mexico, she personalizes the struggle of children to find new food enjoyment, providing a goldmine of practical, proven, and compassionate strategies for parents and professionals who work with anxious eaters. Learn how to: - find peace and enjoyment during mealtimes; - find ways to help anxious eaters fearlessly try new foods; - navigate the sensory variations in food smells, tastes, textures looks, sounds: and - help anxious eaters (and their parents) develop a more positive relationship with food. Because parents are absolutely central to mealtime success, the author incorporates parent insights throughout the book. Using encouragement, novelty, and fun, she invites everyone back to the table with a sensitive and pressure-free approach.