When you look back at your day filled with friends, smiles and fun, brightened by the beautiful sun, you realize what wonderful gifts Mother Nature has to offer.

A warm summer night, a sky full of stars and a bright, twinkling light. What could it be? Wistful imaginings draw the reader farther and farther away, from a bug up close to finally, face-to-face with Mother Nature! Inspired by a true event, this dreamy bedtime story drifts us into outer space and will change how we look at a night sky forever. Sending us into the heart of the universe, the curious twinkle light unites us all with a wink and a kiss.

What is nature worth? The answer to this question -- which traditionally has been framed in environmental terms -- is revolutionizing the way we do business. In Nature's Fortune, Mark Tercek, CEO of The Nature Conservancy and former investment banker, and science writer Jonathan Adams argue that nature is not only the foundation of human well-being, but also the smartest commercial investment any business or government can make. The forests, floodplains, and oyster reefs often seen simply as raw materials or as obstacles to be cleared in the name of progress are, in fact as important to our future prosperity as technology or law or business innovation. Who invests in nature, and why? What rates of return can it produce? When is protecting nature a good investment? With stories from the South Pacific to the California coast, from the Andes to the Gulf of Mexico and even to New York City, Nature's Fortune shows how viewing nature as green infrastructure allows for breakthroughs not only in conservation -- protecting water supplies; enhancing the health of fisheries; making cities more sustainable, livable and safe; and dealing with unavoidable climate change -- but in economic progress, as well. Organizations obviously depend on the environment for key resources -- water, trees, and land. But they can also reap substantial commercial benefits in the form of risk mitigation, cost reduction, new investment opportunities, and the protection of assets. Once leaders learn how to account for nature in financial terms, they can incorporate that value into the organization's decisions and activities, just as habitually as they consider cost, revenue, and ROI. A must-read for business leaders, CEOs, investors, and environmentalists alike, Nature's Fortune offers an essential guide to the world's economic -- and environmental -- well-being.

In What My Mother Gave Me, women look at the relationships between mothers and daughters through a new lens: a daughter’s story of a gift from her mother that has touched her to the bone and served as a model, a metaphor, or a touchstone in her own life. The contributors of these thirty-one original pieces include Pulitzer Prize winners, perennial bestselling novelists, and celebrated broadcast journalists. Whether a gift was meant to keep a daughter warm, put a roof over her head, instruct her in the ways of womanhood, encourage her talents, or just remind her of a mother’s love, each story gets to the heart of a relationship. Rita Dove remembers the box of nail polish that inspired her to paint her nails in the wild stripes and polka dots she wears to this day. Lisa See writes about the gift of writing from her mother, Carolyn See. Cecilia Muñoz remembers both the wok her mother gave her and a lifetime of home-cooked family meals. Judith Hillman Paterson revisits the year of sobriety her mother bequeathed to her when Paterson was nine, the year before her mother died of alcoholism. Abigail Pogrebin writes about her middle-aged bat mitzvah, for which her mother provided flowers after a lifetime of guilt for skipping her daughter’s religious education. Margo Jefferson writes about her mother’s gold dress from the posh department store where they could finally shop as black women. Collectively, the pieces have a force that feels as elemental as the tides: outpourings of lightness and darkness; joy and grief; mother love and daughter love; mother love and daughter rage. In these stirring words we find that every gift, ?no matter how modest, tells the story of a powerful bond. As Elizabeth Benedict points out in her introduction, “whether we are mothers, daughters, aunts, sisters, or cherished friends, we may not know for quite some time which presents will matter the most."

A thoughtful gift for a baby shower or for Mothers' Day, this compendium of ancient lore and useful advice is exquisitely illustrated. The essays celebrate the journey of motherhood -- from naming rites to charming "17th Century Childcare" tips. Includes selections from well- known authors such as Amy Tan, Alice Walker, and Isabel Allende.

A darkly compelling fantasy about a world in which each person has a magical, dangerous gift.

This exquisitely illustrated treasury of narrative nonfiction stories about the natural world, organized season by season and around the world, shows children the infinite beauty and variety of nature in every part of the planet. Arranged around the full cycle of a calendar year, each month chapter features four stories each from a different part of the world to show that while somewhere it is hot summer, somewhere else is in the middle of winter, while some are dry and others are rainy. 48 story spreads tell fascinating single stories of animals and nature from each month of the year, showing how the changing of the seasons takes place around the world, promoting an international sense of the weather, seasons and cycles of nature from very big, to ever-so-small. This captivating book will transport readers across the globe, teaching them about the different kinds of weather and wildlife all across the planet.