Books with author Nancy Willard

In this strong, appealing collection, Nancy Willard shares her passion for observing the mysteries of the natural world, particularly the flora and fauna of Cape Cod and the Hudson Valley, where many of these poems are set. We see, through her eyes, the coming of darkness to an empty orchard, the retreat of deer at dusk, and the breakup of a river with the onset of spring. Willard is also deeply engaged with the living creatures that populate her world. Her poems record her encounter with a moon snail and her celebration of the ladybugs she sends into the garden and the butterflies that alight on her shoulders like ghostly kisses.Amid poems about the intimate presence of nature are expressions of absences deeply felt. Willard is drawn not just to the inhabited world but also to the empty spaces with which our passage through life is strewn. In “The Absence at the Swing,” a rabbit watches a swing’s back-and-forth motion just after the children have left the playground; in “Niche Without Statue,” she takes us to “an alcove scoured / to stucco light” and tells us, “Somebody lived here. Stepped away. No tracks.” We learn, too, of the presences she misses most deeply, as in “Phone Poem,” in which she imagines receiving a telephone call from her father after his death.Whether she is cultivating a sense of the life that is all around her or attending to the losses felt within, Nancy Willard never ceases to enchant us with the sense of dedication and awe that graces her verse.

The Way of the Donkey is an entrancing book that will delight all ages.Learn all about donkeys, their incredible history, and how people are supported by and enjoying donkeys throughout the world today. Donkeys were first domesticated in Egypt 5,000 years B.C. They were the first animal used in service to humanity. Use of donkeys allowed for the establishment of trade routes. These trade routes brought people together and allowed civilization to flourish. In many parts of the world, donkeys remain a valuable service animal for families.Donkeys are also popular as family pets and more. Donkeys have fun doing donkey shows, pack burro racing, donkey trail riding, donkey trekking, donkey therapy, and even helping out at weddings.Donkeys have also played a role in every major religion as an animal that provides valuable service.Donkeys have traits that, when modeled, help people feel happy and empowered and respond effectively when things get tough.This is The Way of the Donkey. Donkeys connect with friends, reach out to be kind, build their strengths, and focus on the good. If things get tough, donkeys stop and stay calm, stand tall, and think things through.

The poems in this collection come from Nancy Willard's cardboard boxes--she's collected them to accompany her on her journey through life, and she hopes young people will take them along on their own adventures. Works by well-known poets--Elizabeth Bishop, e. e. cummings, Emily Dickinson, and Wallace Stevens--are gathered here, along with verse from lesser known writers from other countries and other times. All of the poems in Step Lightly share a common readability, and the spark of joy that caught a remarkable poet's eye.

It would be wonderful to be able to promise you that you can lead a charmed, happy, and successful life during your teens years and beyond. A life free from worries, emotional hurts, and distress.Unfortunately, life does not work like that. As you walk down the path of life towards adulthood and beyond, there will be twists and turns—as well as pot holes. Even more unfortunately, for some of you, life will bring even greater challenges.During your teen years, many of these challenges relate to interpersonal relationships with your peers. Maintaining positive relationships and responding effectively when something goes wrong in these relationships is the major focus of this book.The insight and strategies that are set forth in Be Positively Powerful are those that will help you flourish and live your best life—no matter what challenges you encounter on your path.Be Positively Powerful StrategiesMake Positive Connections. I will maintain positive connections with good friends and trusted adults.Reach Out To Be Kind. I will daily reach out to be kind to others because I know this will make them and me feel happier.Use My Strengths. I know that I have many positive strengths. I will use my personal strengths every day and when things get tough. I will seek to build new strengths.Focus on the Good. I will focus on the good things that are happening to me and in my life. I will be thankful and express my gratitude.Be Mindful. I will take the time each day to sit quietly, be mindful, and achieve calmness and focus. If things get tough, I will take deep breaths and remain calm.Keep My Personal Power. I will stand tall and walk with pride. I will not allow what happens to me control how I think about myself or respond.Think Things Through. In any challenging situation, I will think things through to decide what is best to do.

The widowed Jessie Woolman, now in her seventies, her two married daughters, Ellen and Martha, and two grandchildren live in Ann Arbor, where the family owns a museum that harbors a meandering stream and historical artifacts of the region bounded by the rivers. Just as Jessie's aging mind begins to wander, Ellen's husband dies in a car accident and the Woolman family begins a new journey led by two very different men: Harvey Mack, a developer with an eye on the Woolman property and the grieving Ellen, and Sam Theopolis, a mystic hired to care for Jessie. Sam becomes both Harvey's rival and a healing presence for the family until a crisis descends and he, too, needs the protection of the Woolmans' innocent belief in the saving power of love. Combining sorrow and grief with considerable light-hearted wit and eccentric characters, Sister Water is a novel that will reach old and young readers alike. Through her lyrical prose, author Nancy Willard draws on the rich style of magical realism to create a narrative flow that is at once powerful and seductive. Important to the Landscapes of Childhood series, this novel raises significant questions about the state of childhood and how that state affects adult sensibilities.

Essential strategies to keep children and teens safe online As our children and teens race down the onramp to the Information Superhighway, many parents feel left behind in the dust. News stories about online sexual predators, child pornography, cyberbullies, hate groups, gaming addiction, and other dangers that lurk in the online world make us feel increasingly concerned about what our children are doing (and with whom) in cyberspace. In Cyber-Safe Kids, Cyber-Savvy Teens, Internet safety expert Nancy Willard provides you with need-to-know information about those online dangers, and she gives you the practical parenting strategies necessary to help children and teens learn to use the Internet safely and responsibly. Parents protect younger children by keeping them in safe places, teaching them simple safety rules, and paying close attention. As children grow, we help them gain the knowledge, skills, and values to make good choices--choices that will keep them safe and show respect for the rights of others. In Cyber-Safe Kids, Cyber-Savvy Teens, Willard shows you how those same strategies can be translated from the real world to the cyberworld, and that you don't have to learn advanced computer skills to put them into effect. As you work on these strategies with your child, you will also discover that remaining engaged with what your children are doing online is much more valuable than any blocking software you could buy. "Willard blends the perspectives of a wise parent and a serious scholar about issues related to Internet behavior and safety. . . . Pick up the book, open it to any random page, and you will find on that page or nearby a wealth of helpful advice and useful commentary on the cyberreality facing our children and on how to deal with any of the issues she's identified." --Dick Thornburgh, J.D., former U.S. Attorney General; chair, National Academy of Sciences Committee on Youth Pornography and the Internet "Simply put, this book is a must-read for anyone--parents, educators, law enforcement, and policymakers alike--concerned with the critical issue of children's internet safety and what to do about it." --Douglas Levin, senior director of education policy, Cable in the Classroom

In this strong, appealing collection, Nancy Willard shares her passion for observing the mysteries of the natural world, particularly the flora and fauna of Cape Cod and the Hudson Valley, where many of these poems are set. We see, through her eyes, the coming of darkness to an empty orchard, the retreat of deer at dusk, and the breakup of a river with the onset of spring. Willard is also deeply engaged with the living creatures that populate her world. Her poems record her encounter with a moon snail and her celebration of the ladybugs she sends into the garden and the butterflies that alight on her shoulders like ghostly kisses.Amid poems about the intimate presence of nature are expressions of absences deeply felt. Willard is drawn not just to the inhabited world but also to the empty spaces with which our passage through life is strewn. In “The Absence at the Swing,” a rabbit watches a swing’s back-and-forth motion just after the children have left the playground; in “Niche Without Statue,” she takes us to “an alcove scoured / to stucco light” and tells us, “Somebody lived here. Stepped away. No tracks.” We learn, too, of the presences she misses most deeply, as in “Phone Poem,” in which she imagines receiving a telephone call from her father after his death.Whether she is cultivating a sense of the life that is all around her or attending to the losses felt within, Nancy Willard never ceases to enchant us with the sense of dedication and awe that graces her verse.

"Heavenly...Marvelous...Uplifting...A kind of miracle...A magical web of language that both seduces with poetic power and moves the heart."PEOPLEJessie Woolman and her family are suddenly faced with unforseen tragedy. Her mind is beginning to wander, and Ellen, her newly widowed daugher is being pursued by a mercenary man, Harvey Mack. Enter Sam Theopolis. Hired to care for Jessie, he becomes both Harvey's rival and a healing presence for all. That is, until crisis descends, and he, too, needs the protection of their innocent belief in the salvation of love....From the Paperback edition.