Mr. Macready was such a nice old man. He liked to watch the children walking home from school, especially the little girls. In fact, Mr. Macready knew all about the children of Granite Heights—their names, their houses, even the nights their parents were away. And when he put on his white nurse's uniform and smeared his lips with blood-red lipstick, any child would be happy to let him through the door. Oh, they always stared a bit at his clear plastic gloves. But that was nothing compared to how they stared when he got his hands around their fragile little necks and crooned … ROCKABYE BABY.

All around an old oak tree, baby animals are being put to bed in this sweet reimaginaing of a classic nursery rhyme. Rock-a-bye Squirrel, high in the tree, in Mommy's arms, cozy as can be. The familiar lullaby takes on a new life in Jane Cabrera's cozy rendition. In the branches and beneath the roots, tucked into nooks and nests, different animals, large and small, are getting ready for bed. The baby bat nestles with its mother, the bunny burrows in safe and warm—even a cheerful, fuzzy spider settles on its sparkling web. At the end, a human father and his baby watch the tree from a distance, joining in on the sleepy song. With clever new lyrics and bright, sweet illustrations of all kinds of animals, this is an irresistable addition to Jane Cabrera's library of refreshed nursery rhymes. . . and perfect to share with little ones you love.

An ex actor is in an asylum charged with having murdered her children, but matters seem to evolve in the asylum where she is between her and the two nurses and psychiatrist.

Rockabye is the lively memoir of a spontaneous young city-girl who becomes unexpectedly pregnant. That city-girl is Rebecca Woolf, who at 23, after the "holy shit, I'm pregnant" realization, decides to keep the baby, marry the boyfriend (in Vegas no less), and figure out how to wed her rock n' roll lifestyle and impending motherhood. With humor, honesty, and renegade insight, Rebecca makes the transition from life as an odd-job doing commitment-phobic, chain-smoking, irresponsible party-girl to life as a work-at-home mother with a different kind of social life. Throughout, Rebecca doesn't relinquish the token qualities of her free-spirited, pre-baby self; rebelling against both the "soccer mom," and "young mother" stereotypes, challenging herself to grow up without outgrowing her dreams, and most importantly embracing motherhood without a map. Rockabye explores the coming together of mother and son and their mutual coming of age. How does Rebecca adapt to motherhood? By acting on instinct and maintaining a strong sense of self, breaking rules (sometimes her own) in the process and building her own adventures out of legos and alphabet blocks.

Hush little baby, don't say a word, Mama's going to show you a hummingbird. If that hummingbird should fly, Mama's going to show you the evening sky. From award-winning artist Sylvia Long comes a touching version of the well-known lullaby, Hush Little Baby. Each spread reveals a tender scene as a mama bunny lulls her baby bunny to sleep by enlisting a parade of bedtime wonders—the beauty of a hummingbird in flight; the magic of a harvest moon; the reassurance of a parent's hug, all these and more combine to create a classic volume sure to be treasured for generations to come.

Judy Freeman, author of the Books Kids Will Sit Still For series, gives practical how-to tips on how to tell a story, and write and stage a Reader's Theater script that gets children involved with creative drama. Reader's theater teaches children how to become better listeners, enriches their thinking skills, and encourages their response to literature. Included are ideas on using folk and fairy tales, songs, chants and nonsense rhymes, and a reader's theater script. Also included in this handbook are 400 plus annotated children's books every storyteller should know, 100 great titles for creative drama and reader's theatre and professional books and Web sites for storytelling, creative drama and reader's theater. Grades PreK-6. Judy Freeman, author of the Books Kids Will Sit Still For series, gives personal and practical how-to tips on how to learn and tell a story, how to act out a story using creative drama, and how to write and stage a Reader's Theater script. All are guaranteed to get your children listening, thinking, reading, loving, and living stories with comprehension, fluency, expression, and joy. Once Upon a Time pulls together a wealth of ideas, activities, and strategies for using folk and fairy tales, songs, chants, and nonsense rhymes. Also included in this handbook are the texts of 10 of Judy's favorite stories you can read today and tell tomorrow; a songbook of songs, chants, and nonsense rhymes; and a Reader's Theater script. You'll also find annotated bibliographies: 400+ children's books every storyteller should know; 100+ great children's books to use for creative drama and Reader's Theater; professional books and Web sites for storytelling, creative drama, and Reader's Theater; and a title and author index. Chapters include: ; Getting Started with Storytelling ; Judy Freeman's Songbook: Including Songs, Chants, Riddles, and Plenty of Nonsense ; Judy Freeman's Storybook: Tales You can Hear Today and Tell Tomorrow ; 400+ Children's Books Every Storyteller Should Know ; Getting Started with Creative Drama and Reader's Theater ; 100+ Children's Books Just Right for Creative Drama and/or Reader's Theater

Newark, New Jersey. The notorious Central Ward. Ex-con Shannon Davenport is struggling to make a better life for himself and his beloved eight-year-old daughter Jasmine when she is cut down by a sniper's bullet. But Jasmine is not just another innocent casualty in the world of gang warfare. As Shannon's quest for her killer drives him to the edge of sanity, he must confront an enemy more sinister than he ever imagined: an evil spirit that cloaks the Ward in an invisible shroud, poisoning its residents, destroying their minds - and their souls.