Books with author James Simmons

Understanding Anger According to psychologist T.W. Smith, anger is "an unpleasant emotion ranging in intensity from irritation or annoyance to fury or rage." Every day, we can experience things that could make us angry. Common causes include feelings of: •Frustration. •Hurt. •Harassment. •Injustice, regardless of whether real or perceived. Other causes include: •Requests or criticisms that we believe are unfair. •Threats to people, things, or ideas that we hold dear. People experience anger in different ways and for different reasons. Something that makes you furious may only mildly irritate someone else. This subjectivity can make anger difficult to understand and manage. It also highlights that your response to anger is up to you. Anger is a normal, healthy emotion. But it’s unhealthy when it flares up all the time or spirals out of control. Chronic, explosive anger has serious consequences for your relationships, your health, and your state of mind. The good news is that getting anger under control is easier than you think. With insight about the real reasons for your anger and these anger management tools, you can learn to keep your temper from hijacking your life. The emotion of anger is neither good nor bad. Like any emotion, it’s conveying a message, telling you that a situation is upsetting, or unjust, or threatening. If your kneejerk reaction to anger is to explode, however, that message never has a chance to be conveyed. So, while it’s perfectly normal to feel angry when you’ve been mistreated or wronged, anger becomes a problem when you express it in a way that harms yourself or others. If you have a hot temper, you may feel like it’s out of your hands and there’s little you can do to tame the beast. But you have more control over your anger than you think. You can learn to express your emotions without hurting others. You might think that venting your anger is healthy, that the people around you are too sensitive, that your anger is justified, or that you need to show your fury to get respect. But the truth is that anger is much more likely to damage your relationships, impair your judgment, get in the way of success, and have a negative impact on the way people see you. That’s where anger management comes in.

“This book has the classic feeling of a modern-day Make Way for Ducklings. . . . Totally charming.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)What do you do when you’re little and lost and your legs feel all wobbly? For one tiny duckling, the trick is doing “One Step,” a surprising technique that enables him to walk under the tallest of trees and across the widest of fields. Using simple language and breezy, expressive illustrations, Simon James speaks directly to the heart of a child and shows that every journey, whatever its length, begins with a single step.

The smartest baby in the world takes a star turn as a pampered rock idol in Simon James's hilarious follow-up to the highly acclaimed BABY BRAINS.Thank heavens Mr. and Mrs. Brains played music to their baby before he was even born. Not only is their bundle of joy amazingly smart, but he's also a musical genius! After mastering the tuba, cello, drums, and electric guitar, Baby Brains declares from his stroller that "rock 'n' roll is where it's at," and soon he's preparing to headline the biggest outdoor concert in the world. Dazzling custom-made outfit . . . (single) hair expertly styled . . . being lowered by helicopter onto the massive stage as an enormous crowd roars — what could possibly keep Baby Brains from making rock 'n' roll history?

The clashes between President Abraham Lincoln and Chief Justice Roger B. Taney over slavery, secession, and the president's constitutional war powers went to the heart of Lincoln's presidency. James Simon, author of the acclaimed What Kind of Nation -- an account of the battle between President Thomas Jefferson and Chief Justice John Marshall to define the new nation -- brings to vivid life the passionate struggle during the worst crisis in the nation's history, the Civil War. The issues that underlaid that crisis -- race, states' rights, and the president's wartime authority -- resonate today in the nation's political debate. Lincoln and Taney's bitter disagreements began with Taney's Dred Scott opinion in 1857, when the chief justice declared that the Constitution did not grant the black man any rights that the white man was bound to honor. In the famous Lincoln-Douglas debates, Lincoln attacked the opinion as a warped judicial interpretation of the Framers' intent and accused Taney of being a member of a pro-slavery national conspiracy. In his first inaugural address, President Lincoln insisted that the South had no legal right to secede. Taney, who administered the oath of office to Lincoln, believed that the South's secession was legal and in the best interests of both sections of the country. Once the Civil War began, Lincoln broadly interpreted his constitutional powers as commander in chief to prosecute the war, suspending the writ of habeas corpus, censoring the mails, and authorizing military courts to try civilians for treason. Taney opposed every presidential wartime initiative and openly challenged Lincoln's suspension of the writ of habeas corpus. He accused the president of assuming dictatorial powers in violation of the Constitution. Lincoln ignored Taney's protest, convinced that his actions were both constitutional and necessary to preserve the Union. Almost 150 years after Lincoln's and Taney's deaths, their words and actions reverberate in constitutional debate and political battle. Lincoln and Chief Justice Taney tells their dramatic story in fascinating detail.

"Simple, elemental, yet full of heart, the story, remarkably, captures a character who isn’t there and makes readers see him just as Leon does." — BooklistLeon is new in town and doesn’t know anyone. That’s when he makes friends with Bob. No one else can see Bob, but Leon knows he’s there. One day a boy exactly Leon’s age moves in next door. Leon would like to meet him, as long as Bob comes along. But suddenly Bob is gone. How alone Leon feels! Is he brave enough to make friends without Bob beside him?

Clementine really wants to practice her first-aid skills, but her brother presents an unexpected challenge in a sweet, funny story from Simon James.It’s Clementine Brown’s birthday, and Mr. and Mrs. Brown have given her a nurse’s outfit and a first-aid kit — just what she wanted! There is no shortage of emergencies that need her attention (and her liberal use of bandages): Mr. Brown’s stubbed toe, Mrs. Brown’s headache, even Wellington the dog’s tender paw. But her brother, Tommy, is a different matter. Even though he keeps crashing into things, he insists that he doesn’t need a nurse. Clementine is sad — nurses really need someone to help. But could it be that when a real emergency occurs, her skills will be needed?