Books with author D A Schwartz

Sara wants this baby more than she has ever wanted anything. Sara has worked her entire life to overcome the name Barefield. To be a Barefield in the rural Appalachian county where she grew up means that you are the poorest of the poor, that you are shiftless and untrustworthy, lazy and stupid. Sara has succeeded in proving that she is none of those things. At the age of forty she has a nice apartment and a good job as a school secretary. Tully Rutland, a Vietnam War veteran who is the father of her baby and the only man Sara has ever loved, dies before she tells him that she’s pregnant. The Rutlands have never approved of Sara. She feels that her only choice is to move away so she can make a new life for herself and her baby. Sara has practically no savings and no one to support her. She knows she will have to go on welfare, but she escaped poverty once and believes she can do it again. But the poverty Sara plunges into after she gives birth is beyond anything she had expected. Facing eviction and the possibility of living on the street, she is determined to find a way out.“Sara isn't a quitter. She does what is necessary to survive, and the reader goes on this incredible journey with her...You'll cheer her on as she tells you her compelling story." The Midwest Book Review“First and foremost, get a box of tissues because you are going to cry and get angry and be dumbfounded all at the same time. When you are done you will want to tell everyone about this book! I highly recommend it.” Andrea L. Stoekel

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark Set (Books 1, 2, and 3) Collected from Folklore and Retold by Alvin Schwartz Perfect for reading aloud, these thrilling and chilling collections bring readers one short, suspense-filled tale after another. These copies are Included in the lot: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (Book 1) More Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (Book 2) Scary Stories 3: More Tales to Chill Your Bones (Book 3)

Alvin Schwartz's Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark opens with a legend similar to my scar-inducing "Tailypo," "The Big Toe." Less sinister than severing a woodland creature's tail, in Schwartz's version, a little boy innocently uncovers a large toe sticking up in the garden. Not exploring further, he wrenches it from the ground (or a corpse) and gives it to his mother to cook, as one does. After dinner and settling into bed for sleep and digesting, a voice stalks the house, calling out for its missing toe. Whether zombie or ghost we can't be sure, as some versions end with the storyteller pouncing on a listener, and others with a figure in the chimney who returns the favor of having its toe consumed by eating the little boy. This is the perfect opening for a book set to scar children for life, because what is scarier than the idea of being devoured? Children know they won't stay children forever, that the ever-looming threat of adulthood stands in the shadows, ready to devour playtime and naps. To a child, play is synonymous with the self, and therefore maturity threatens to consume that self. Don't even have a taste of that toe, kids - once adulthood knows you're there, it will come knocking, forks drawn. As a child, I feared being devoured literally thanks to Tailypo and the grandma-eating Big Bad Wolf. As I got older this fear evolved into a biologically absurd terror at sharks that (I believed) swam in the freshwater lakes where my family would water-ski. In high school, my Asian Studies teacher gave a lecture on the film Jaws and the great white as metaphor for our own terror at things deep (and buried - like a corpse!) in our psyche rising up from the darkness to consume us, transforming us into the monsters we know we're capable of being, (the fact that the shark was a great white shark devouring victims is a post for another day). At 17, this lecture blew my mind and resparked my interest in horror,

A wry and affectionate look at the ups and downs of preschoolers in the big city."That's why they call permanent markers permanent," Harris' mother says as she surveys Harris and his best friend Ayana's handiwork in his bedroom. In 13 illustrated vignettes, young Harris gets into big and little adventures at home, at best friend Ayana's house, and throughout his diverse city neighborhood. Inspired by her own child, celebrated author-illustrator Amy Schwartz captures a preschooler's sense of wonder and possibility, such as when Harris and Ayana vow to keep holding hands "forever and ever"--even while riding stampeding elephants.A Junior Library Guild Selection

In the grand tradition of “Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens” comes an uplifting tribute to 100 everyday things worth celebrating. The list, in rhyming couplets, draws directly from a preschool­er’s world—from slippery floors to dinosaurs, from goldfish to a birthday wish. Amy Schwartz weaves a masterful balance between art and text, with each of the 100 items portrayed as its own well-observed and warmly detailed vignette. While the contents provide readers with a frame of reference for the quantity of “100”—a celebratory milestone in preschools and early elementary grades—the oversized pages envelop young children in the wonderful things surrounding them.

Are you brave enough for Scary Stories? Some boys and girls were at a party one night. There was a graveyard down the street, and they were talking about how scary it was. "Don't ever stand on a grave after dark," one of the boys said. "The person inside will grab you." "A grave doesn't scare me," said one of the girls. "I'll do it right now. . . ." Welcome to the macabre world of Scary Stories, where folklorist Alvin Schwartz offers up the most alarming collection of horror, dark revenge, and supernatural events of all time. Here is a selection of extraordinarily chilling tales along with spine-tingling illustrations by renowned artist Brett Helquist.

An exuberant celebration of busy babies on the move! Busy babies have so much to do, from blowing bubbles to making trouble, whether they are in buggies or in snugglies! Join a rambunctious group of little ones as they go about the day, doing all of the wonderful things babies do. This adorable picture book features bouncy, rhyming text that makes it the perfect read-aloud to share with the busy baby in your life.

Scientifically based strategies for enacting successful and enduring change on personal, societal, and global levels, no matter what your background • 2016 Nautilus Silver Award • Shares the stories of people who have changed history, such as Martin Luther King Jr., Ben Franklin, and Gandhi, detailing how they used the 8 laws of change • Based on more than 16 years of scientific and historical research as well as the author’s own experiences during the Civil Rights movement • Explores research in the fields of medicine, neuroscience, biology, and quantum physics to reveal the science of how the 8 laws of change work Inspired by his own powerful experiences during the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s and other social movements in the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s, Stephan Schwartz spent 16 years researching successful social transformations, uncovering the science and the patterns behind them all. He found that there are three ways to create social change. The first is the advancement of technology and science. The second--change compelled by physical power--is almost always coercive and violent and, for those reasons, not long lasting. The third avenue of change he discovered--the most successful and enduring--is one brought about by something so subtle it is often not taken seriously: small individual choices based on integrity and shared intention. Revealing how the dynamics of change are learnable, Schwartz explains the 8 laws of individual and social behavior that can enable any person or small group--even ordinary people without great wealth, official position, or physical power--to bend the arc of history and create successful lasting transformation. He shares the stories of individuals who have actually changed history, such as Martin Luther King Jr., Benjamin Franklin, Mother Teresa, and Mahatma Gandhi, detailing how they implemented the strategies and tactics of the 8 laws to achieve their success. The author explores research in the fields of medicine, neuroscience, biology, and quantum physics to reveal the science of how these laws of change work. He explains why compassionate and life-affirming changes have the most enduring impact and shows how each of the 8 laws cultivates a sense of “beingness” in the individual, empowering your integrity and connecting you to something greater than yourself--the key to lasting change on the personal, societal, and global levels.

Scientifically based strategies for enacting successful and enduring change on personal, societal, and global levels, no matter what your background • 2016 Nautilus Silver Award • Shares the stories of people who have changed history, such as Martin Luther King Jr., Ben Franklin, and Gandhi, detailing how they used the 8 laws of change • Based on more than 16 years of scientific and historical research as well as the author’s own experiences during the Civil Rights movement • Explores research in the fields of medicine, neuroscience, biology, and quantum physics to reveal the science of how the 8 laws of change work Inspired by his own powerful experiences during the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s and other social movements in the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s, Stephan Schwartz spent 16 years researching successful social transformations, uncovering the science and the patterns behind them all. He found that there are three ways to create social change. The first is the advancement of technology and science. The second--change compelled by physical power--is almost always coercive and violent and, for those reasons, not long lasting. The third avenue of change he discovered--the most successful and enduring--is one brought about by something so subtle it is often not taken seriously: small individual choices based on integrity and shared intention. Revealing how the dynamics of change are learnable, Schwartz explains the 8 laws of individual and social behavior that can enable any person or small group--even ordinary people without great wealth, official position, or physical power--to bend the arc of history and create successful lasting transformation. He shares the stories of individuals who have actually changed history, such as Martin Luther King Jr., Benjamin Franklin, Mother Teresa, and Mahatma Gandhi, detailing how they implemented the strategies and tactics of the 8 laws to achieve their success. The author explores research in the fields of medicine, neuroscience, biology, and quantum physics to reveal the science of how these laws of change work. He explains why compassionate and life-affirming changes have the most enduring impact and shows how each of the 8 laws cultivates a sense of “beingness” in the individual, empowering your integrity and connecting you to something greater than yourself--the key to lasting change on the personal, societal, and global levels.

Sambino and his friends stand up to the bully who attempts to turn their whole world upside down. The Lemon Dot Tree is the first in the children's book series, Lemon Dots Rule. Written in verse, these simple rhyming stories will inspire kids for a brighter tomorrow by reaching for the stars, following your heart, being a friend and going green. The lovable characters of Lemon Dot Town will inspire the best in all of us.