Books with author Joanne O'Brien

Learn how Christmas is celebrated around the world by coloring 30 pictures, among them vignettes of young carolers in Great Britain, Mexican children playing under a piñata, a Swedish girl wearing a traditional crown of candles, Greek children parading with drums and triangles, and an Australian family picnicking on a beach.There are also scenes of youngsters decorating a "tree of light" in China, French children leaving shoes for Père Nöel to fill, Americans hanging stockings on the mantle and leaving Santa milk and cookies, Polish children looking at the North Star, and 21 other illustrations. Each scene appears with an informative caption.

Will and Nora have a wonderful relationship, but lately there’s never enough time for just the two of them. Will decides he needs a change, and sets out to convince Nora that buying an old mansion in Michigan and running it as a bed and breakfast is the best thing for their marriage. Even though it’s a long way from Ohio, Nora finally gives in and decides to go along with Will’s crazy idea.Soon she falls in love with the mansion and can’t imagine living anywhere else, but life along the lakeshore isn’t all that she had thought it would be. Even though she is settling in and making friends, Nora is assaulted with challenges she never dreamed she would have to face. And Will’s old friend Chase is one of them. His unsettling stare unnerves her, and she begins to wonder if he has a hidden agenda.Nora is curious about the portraits of the original owners from the 1850s, which are hanging on the walls. The hair stands up on her arms whenever she passes one of them. Something is going on in this house, and Nora needs to find out what. She reaches out to a guest at the inn to help her discover the secrets of the past, which may resolve the problems of the present.

Santa Claus tells one of his elves about Jesus Christ. He tells her that Christmas is not about Santa or presents; it is about the day that God gave us the savior of the world. This book takes many of the symbols of Christmas and shows how they are related to Jesus. This is exactly the way it should be. For we need more of Him, and we need less of me. Earthly gifts break, and they cannot long please us. For true lasting joy, we all need Jesus.

Elves, gnomes, small trolls, brownies, leprechauns, and other little people are depicted here in captivating illustrations by well-known children's book artist John O'Brien. Brimming over with whimsy and originality, the 25 illustrations also feature such delightful creatures as Rumpelstiltskin (Grimm), Thumbelina (Andersen), the people of Blefuscu (Swift), the Jumblies (Lear), Henry Hudson's crew (Irving), and Oberon, Titania, and Puck (Shakespeare).Children will naturally enjoy these appealing drawings, while adults will find them both amusing and artful — Mr. O'Brien's manner is strongly reminiscent of Hieronymus Bosch and Pieter Brugel the Elder.

The following book will document the earlier days of Joan whilst she was still known as the young Joan Alexandra Rosenberg living in Brooklyn, NY with her immediate family. Joan was very privative about her earlier days and kept much of it hidden away from the public eye for many years. This book was compiled using various interviews from both Joan herself and of those who were close to Joan and her family as well as compiled information from Joan’s own autobiographical collection.