Books with author Al Simmons

The following story was written in 2010 by my daughter Alexa who passed away on October 11 2011 from complications due to Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS). Most people do not even know that EDS exists and, for that matter, most doctors unfortunately do not understand it and often diagnose it as a psychiatric issue versus a disease/illness. I hope this story increases awareness of EDS and related disorders – perhaps it will inspire people to understand that many diseases are not observable and that they need to be more compassionate towards others.

Every year, Reader’s Digest readers send in tens of thousands of jokes and funny anecdotes, in their quest for a $100 check and, as an extra benefit, eternal glory: to have their joke published in the world’s best-read magazine. One man is stopping them from their quest. Andy Simmons. It takes a sense of humor. And Andy certainly has that. Not only is he the arbiter of all things funny in Reader’s Digest; he is their Mark Twain, Bill Cosby, and even their David Sedaris. In other words, Andy is the guy Reader’s Digest turns to whenever they need a funny story all of America can appreciate. He’s perfect for the job. Andy takes great delight in the funny and oddball side of everyday life. In Now That’s Funny!, Andy presents his most popular, funniest writings on all things America, some exclusive and all-new, some taken from the award-winning pages of Reader’s Digest. You’ll discover the Andy that goes out and tries things. His first-person tales of taking dance lessons, participating in a Revolutionary War reenactment, and even taking stand-up comedy lessons are some of the funniest articles to ever appear in Reader’s Digest. Then you discover the Andy that observes America. His roundups of dumb criminals, crazy lawsuits, ridiculous excuses and out-of-touch scientific research will have you roaring with laughter -- and feeling much better about yourself. Then there’s Andy, the family man. You’ll laugh out loud as he goes in search of his inner macho --or for the next stop on his vacation, if only he can find the directions. And Andy’s observations on marriage and fatherhood are as accurate as they are funny. Finally, there’s Andy the jokester. Here are tales from the job of trying to think, act, and be funny every workday, no matter what the dog did this morning on the rug. Tales of his sit-downs with comic legends from Robin Williams to Woody Allen will have you in stitches. Andy also shares his favorite jokes -- many of them too edgy for printing in Reader’s Digest! Add it up, and it’s a book filled with hundreds of feel-good, laugh-out-loud moments about life in these United States -- exactly the type of reading we need today!

Every year, Reader’s Digest readers send in tens of thousands of jokes and funny anecdotes, in their quest for a $100 check and, as an extra benefit, eternal glory: to have their joke published in the world’s best-read magazine. One man is stopping them from their quest. Andy Simmons. It takes a sense of humor. And Andy certainly has that. Not only is he the arbiter of all things funny in Reader’s Digest; he is their Mark Twain, Bill Cosby, and even their David Sedaris. In other words, Andy is the guy Reader’s Digest turns to whenever they need a funny story all of America can appreciate. He’s perfect for the job. Andy takes great delight in the funny and oddball side of everyday life. In Now That’s Funny!, Andy presents his most popular, funniest writings on all things America, some exclusive and all-new, some taken from the award-winning pages of Reader’s Digest. You’ll discover the Andy that goes out and tries things. His first-person tales of taking dance lessons, participating in a Revolutionary War reenactment, and even taking stand-up comedy lessons are some of the funniest articles to ever appear in Reader’s Digest. Then you discover the Andy that observes America. His roundups of dumb criminals, crazy lawsuits, ridiculous excuses and out-of-touch scientific research will have you roaring with laughter -- and feeling much better about yourself. Then there’s Andy, the family man. You’ll laugh out loud as he goes in search of his inner macho --or for the next stop on his vacation, if only he can find the directions. And Andy’s observations on marriage and fatherhood are as accurate as they are funny. Finally, there’s Andy the jokester. Here are tales from the job of trying to think, act, and be funny every workday, no matter

This Book is Good For Your Baby’s Visual Development Unlike the rest of the senses, your baby’s visual system develops after birth. Improve Visual Development Your baby is born with a few innate visual abilities, but these abilities are poorly developed. Your baby will spend the next few years working on and dramatically improving their visual acuity, depth perception, color sensitivity, and light sensitivity. Calming Power Researchers have shown that newborns prefer to look at highly contrasting (black and white) geometric shapes, rather than bright colors or pastels. That’s perhaps because your baby’s retinas haven’t matured enough to perceive the subtleties of most colors. YOU may not like staring at this book, but trust us, your baby does! This Book is Good For Your Baby’s Brain Development Stimulating your baby’s visual development helps more than just their eyesight; it helps whole brain development too. At birth, your baby’s nerve cells haven’t been completely connected. In the first few years, your baby’s brain also must go through a process called myelination, which begins in the regions that receive input from the eyes, ears, nose, skin, and mouth. Improve Attention Span High contrast stripes and shapes give your baby something to focus on, and that helps attention span. A baby’s attention span varies from 4 to 10 seconds. Research has found that the attention span increased to 60 to 90 seconds after only one week of looking at black and white patterns for about 3 minutes a day. Improve Learning Ability Fixation also helps learning. If your baby fixates on one object, information about that object sticks - it gets through to the cortex, and that means stimulating your baby’s brain’s growth. The pages of this book are specially designed to help with your baby’s visual and brain development. The pages of this book will captivate and calm your baby. Let your baby fixate on the pages, find pages that hold his attention, and watch him learn and grow their visual ability and attention spans, right before his eyes and yours!

The Kids' Comic Con was created to bring young people, parents, and educators together with talented artists for an insider's look at the world of comics and cartoons. Patrons can meet the artists, find great books, take workshops, and more. They even learn how comics can be entertaining and educational. But mostly, we want them to have fun, and naturally that’s what our first published comic anthology is all about – Fun! So enjoy this book. It’s a collection of good stories, created by talented people who remember how fun looks and feels – but most … how to share it with children.

All right, if you’re reading this you are, or have been, frustrated with the process of potty training a stubborn kid. Maybe you’ve secretly and silently cussed the kid out (there’s no profanity in this book) and want the little angel to do his or her darned business.This funny comic was inspired by true events, and most of the feelings illustrated are true. Even some of the facial expressions. The inspiration for the story had #1 taken care of but he wouldn’t not poop on the pot. We thought it would never happen.This comic chronicles that frustration.I Don’t Want to Poop on the Potty! A potty training story for adults, is written and illustrated by Mr. Simmons, author and illustrator of Dan the Exploding Bunny and illustrator of Santa Lost His Silly Ol’ Reindeer, a Christmas book written by his five-year old son. (The inspiration for this book!)