Books with author Tom O'Sullivan

Conventional wisdom holds that youth sports are a positive experience for our children. Unfortunately, 70% of kids drop out of organized athletics by the age of 13. Most of these children quit because our youth sports culture has taken the ‘play’ out of ‘play ball.’ A shift in values, the rise of expensive youth sports models, and the myth of abundant athletic scholarships has led parents and coaches to focus on wins instead of enjoyment, and trophies at the expense of development. As a result, every day increasing numbers of children quit playing sports that are no longer enjoyable. Conventional wisdom is wrong. In Changing the Game, John O’Sullivan draws upon three decades of high level playing and coaching experience to take us behind the scenes of competitive youth sports, and demonstrates how they have changed from being a fun pastime to an ultra competitive, adult centered enterprise that is failing our children. He then teaches parents that the secret to raising happy, high performing children begins by helping them attain a positive mindset, and an enjoyable youth sports environment. By following seven actionable principles of high performance, parents can give their children a competitive edge, while at the same time making youth sports a positive experience for their family, their community, and their country. “The romance is gone, the fun has disappeared, and children no longer simply ‘play’ sports,” says O’Sullivan. Changing the Game is a call to action to reverse this trend. It will change how you think about youth sports. It will teach you the secrets of high performance. It will help your children to perform better. And it will put the “play” back in “play ball” for all of our young athletes. Are you ready to take action? Are you ready to change the game?

From Tom Sullivan, author-illustrator of I Used to Be a Fish, comes a high-concept picture book about a battle between primary colors, for fans of The Day the Crayons Quit, Red: A Crayon’s Story, and Mix It Up!Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome to the Clash of the Colors!BLUE VS. YELLOW!Which one will be declared the best color of all?Will they join forces and be mightier together?Or . . . will another color challenge them for the title?Ding! Ding! Let the battle begin!

This stunning picture book will have young readers wondering about outer space and life on other planets while imparting a surprising and profound message of empathy. From the author/illustrator of Blue vs. Yellow and I Used to Be a Fish.Do you ever look up at the night sky and wonder if there is anybody else out there?Are there evil robots or cool aliens?Do they fly in UFOs or live in futuristic cities?Or maybe . . . they are just like us.Out There is a wonder-filled, surprising journey of imagination and empathy, a book that will inspire readers of all ages to reflect on how much we all have in common, despite our differences.

From debut author-illustrator Tom Sullivan comes a surprising and innovative picture book that is both a light introduction to the science of evolution and a tribute to every child’s power to dream big.In I Used to be a Fish, a boy is inspired by a pet fish and fueled by imagination to tell a whimsical version of his own life story, which mirrors the process of human evolution. Children—and adults—will love the Seussian absurdity of this tale.The book features a timeline of life on earth and an author’s note, which includes important facts about evolution.

The modern day youth sports environment has taken the enjoyment out of athletics for our children. Currently, 70% of kids drop out of organized sports by the age of 13, which has given rise to a generation of overweight, unhealthy young adults. There is a solution. John O’Sullivan shares the secrets of the coaches and parents who have not only raised elite athletes, but have done so by creating an environment that promotes positive core values and teaches life lessons instead of focusing on wins and losses, scholarships, and professional aspirations. Changing the Game gives adults a new paradigm and a game plan for raising happy, high performing children, and provides a national call to action to return youth sports to our kids.

What kinds of plants and animals live in marshes and swamps? The places where land and water meet are some of the most fascinating spots on earth, where a rich diversity of plants and animals make their homes. In Marshes and Swamps! With 25 Science Projects for Kids, readers ages 7 to 10 explore wetlands through hands-on STEM projects that deepen their understanding of these special places. Wetlands serve many important functions, in addition to hosting a wide variety of plant and animal species. Marshes and swamps filter pollutants, prevent erosion, and serve as barriers for flooding. These are incredibly important jobs that help protect the environment, especially as the world begins to experience more extreme effects of climate change. Wetlands are living laboratories for scientists and students who want to know more about erosion, water quality, aquatic animals, and vegetation. With Marshes and Swamps!, kid scientists learn to observe and collect data in swamps and marshes. Through investigative STEM activities designed for elementary school ages, such as experimenting with erosion, making a model wetland, and designing a filtration device, kids explore the impact of this natural resource on both the natural world and the human world. Discover how climate change and pollution affect the ecology of marshes and swamps and learn what you can do to help keep these biodiverse environments clean and healthy! STEM projects for kids that promote the use of the scientific method provide an interactive learning experience, while links to primary sources offer ample opportunity for further, student-led exploration. Fun facts, engaging illustrations, timeline, glossary, and resources keep kids wanting to learn more about these bodies of water. Marshes and Swamps! is part of a set of four Explore Waterways books from Nomad Press. In the Explore Waterways set, readers ages 7 to 10 learn about the waterways of our world, including the what, where, how, and who about the origination, content, and aquatic life that water contains. Through science-minded STEAM projects and experiments that encourage readers to think of waterways as part of a larger ecosystem, kids develop critical and creative thinking skills about the role waterways play in our world. Titles in the Explore Waterways set include Marshes and Swamps! With 25 Science Projects for Kids; Lakes and Ponds! With 25 Science Projects for Kids; Oceans and Seas! With 25 Science Projects for Kids; and Rivers and Streams! With 25 Science Projects for Kids.Nomad Press books in the Explore Your World series for children ages 7–10 integrate content with participation. Common Core State Standards, the Next Generation Science Standards, and STEM Education all place project-based learning as key building blocks in education. Combining content with inquiry-based projects stimulates learning and makes it active and alive. Nomad’s unique approach simultaneously grounds kids in factual knowledge while allowing them the space to be curious, creative, and critical thinkers.

Alone is the story of Ralph Banister. He is a normal average man, married with two kids. When his wife and children leave for a visit to his in laws in England, Ralph finds himself alone at home. He goes about his daily chores and with his faithful dog Jason at his side, Ralph soon discovers that he is not only alone at home, but he is truly alone. Everyone on the face of the Earth has vanished. With no explanation, Ralph and Jason struggle to survive in an empty world. As power fails and the phones go dead, all hope of contacting his missing family is gone. With no outside communication and no idea what has caused the worldwide disappearances, their outlook is grim. With no power, water or phones, Ralph abandons their home and searches for some place to live that will allow him to provide for the future, whatever the future might bring. As Ralph and Jason face new challenges, the two grow closer together and come to depend on each other for their very survival.Ralph tries to adapt to the loss of everyday conveniences as he and Jason move into an old farm house and proceed to make it their home. Ralph spends part of the time building his own power generating plant and relying on spring water. Together they collect farm animals from the surrounding area and move them to the farm. The animals provide food and help to ease the loneliness. As time passes they settle into their new home. Planting crops for food and then guarding those crops, they struggle to become self sufficient. With no men to stop them, wildlife fills the land and Ralph and Jason have new worries as predators also multiply.Ralph prepares the farm for protection and the pair defend themselves against nature running wild. With an explosion of smaller animals, their food supply is threatened but just as quickly the small animals disappear and their worries quickly turn to the large number of predators that are now in the area. With no men around, the animals become bolder and bolder. They are forced to fight to protect each other and the small farm they now consider home.When nature reaches equilibrium, Ralph and Jason spend each day providing for their needs and trying to cope with loneliness. Each day brings a different struggle and Ralph learns to adapt to each new circumstance. Trying to salvage books and materials before they are lost, Ralph and Jason make numerous dangerous trips into the towns and cities until they are forced to stop. Finally all modern technology fails and mankind retreats several hundred years.As the years roll by, they settle into the routine of their new lives. The lack of human company threatens Ralph’s sanity and his sorrow sometimes overwhelms him. Thoughts of his wife and children are never far from his mind and their loss weighs heavily on him. Finally the last man on Earth, an aged and stooped figure waits for the final end.

His name is Jimmy. They told us not to call him Dad any more. It might freak him out.The accident changed everything. Once, my Dad was the perfect father. We were the perfect family. Now he's got the mind of a ten-year-old.From one crazy day to the next, we lose a little more of the man we knew and loved. And then a shocking discovery about his past makes us question everything . . .