Marilynne Robinson has built a sterling reputation as a writer of sharp, subtly moving prose, not only as a major American novelist, but also as a rigorous thinker and incisive essayist. In When I Was a Child I Read Books she returns to and expands upon the themes which have preoccupied her work with renewed vigor. In "Austerity as Ideology," she tackles the global debt crisis, and the charged political and social political climate in this country that makes finding a solution to our financial troubles so challenging. In "Open Thy Hand Wide" she searches out the deeply embedded role of generosity in Christian faith. And in "When I Was a Child," one of her most personal essays to date, an account of her childhood in Idaho becomes an exploration of individualism and the myth of the American West. Clear-eyed and forceful as ever, Robinson demonstrates once again why she is regarded as one of our essential writers.

Are you afraid whenyou go to bed?This book will putgood thoughtsin your head.

There is magic in everything. The world is a spinning star, No matter how old you are. This visually stunning book is a celebration of the the special bond between a grandparent and child as they share the magic, joy and love in the world, both past and present. This book brings together two of the most exciting talents in children's books.

First Communion is generally understood as a rite of passage in which seven- and eight-year-old Catholic children transform from baptized participants in the Church to members of the body of Christ, the universal Catholic Church. This official Church account, however, ignores what the rite actually may mean to its participants. In When I Was a Child, Susan Ridgely Bales demonstrates that the accepted understanding of a religious ritual can shift dramatically when one considers the often neglected perspective of child participants. Bales followed Faith Formation classes and interviewed communicants, parents, and priests in an African American parish and in a parish containing both white and Latino congregations. By letting the children speak for themselves through their words, drawings, and actions, When I Was a Child stresses the importance of rehearsal, the centrality of sensory experiences, and the impact of expectations in the communicants' interpretations of the Eucharist. In the first sustained ethnographic study of how children interpret and help shape their own faith, Bales finds that children's perspectives give new contours to the traditional understanding of a common religious ritual. Ultimately, she argues that scholars of religion should consider age as distinct a factor as race, class, and gender in their analyses.

The warmth and whimsy of Mary Engelbreit's work is even better when shared with a friend-and When a Child Is Born, So Is a Grandmother is the perfect way to spread the joy. When a Child Is Born, So Is a Grandmother makes the perfect gift for the new grandmother or grandma-to-be. Illustrated by the one-and-only Mary Engelbreit and authored by Jan Girando, this book speaks to the very essence of the close bond that grandmothers will forever share with their precious grandchildren. Let Mom and Dad handle the discipline and the scolding and leave grandma to do the cuddling and the holding. One of the most popular pieces of art from America's favorite illustrator is her "When a Child is Born, So Is a Grandmother" image. Featuring that well-known drawing as its centerpiece, this book illustrates the joy and excitement every grandmother feels when their precious grandchild arrives into the world.

These two works belong to that group of books written by one of this century's fiercest and most devoted child advocates. In the first, Korczak uses fiction to reveal the joys and sorrows of a child, a ten-year-old, juxtaposing them against the feelings of an adult as they both react to two days of adventure spent together. Two prominent themes in his writing are the exploration of the place of children in an adult world and the examination of the treatment and regard children are accorded in that world. In his second book, Korczak spells out his 'Magna Charta Libertatis' in defense of the child's right to respect, right to be him or herself, and, most importantly, right to respect for the strenuous effort expended in the process of 'growing up.'

Includes a summary of objectives and a scope and sequence for the five most commonly used national achievement tests to help home schoolers prepare their children.