Books published by publisher Horizon Press

Like so many children from divorced families, Jessica finds herself dealing with the pressures and anger that come when both her mother and father remarry and she has two whole new families to live with, each with different rules. She feels angry because nothing is like how it was before. Her new step-parents set down rules that feel unfair, and her new step-siblings don't seem to want her around. Jessica feels lonely because her mother spends time with her new husband, Mike, and her father is busy with two additional children to raise.With honesty and compassion, Jessica's Two Families teaches children that it is okay to be upset about adjusting to new families. It urges them to share their hurt feelings with their parents and counselors so that everyone can learn how to make the good parts of a new extended family better. Children learn that functioning as blended family will take time, but their efforts will be rewarded. Two new families means twice the love!

Experts predict that children of divorce are fated to be unlucky in love, as divorce can shatter a young person’s beliefs about the sanctity of marriage. In addition, maintaining healthy relationships with both parents may seem completely out of reach to children of divorcees. In Children of Divorce author Elisabeth Joy LaMotte offers a brighter future, providing readers with five essential steps for building and maintaining meaningful relationships and proves the experts wrong. She tackles issues like the fear of commitment and explores both the trauma and the hidden opportunities of divorce. She highlights the most common pitfalls faced by children of divorce and shows readers how to avoid making the same mistakes as their parents. Although primarily directed at young adults whose parents are divorced, this book is also useful for young adults whose parents were unhappily married and chose to remain together and parents stuggling with the possibility of a divorce.

When a young boy finds a shivering skunk snuggled in his bunk bed on a cold autumn night, he is horrified and orders the animal out of his house. After all, skunks are nasty, smelly creatures, right? Frightened, the skunk finds the courage to stand his ground, defending himself and others like him. As these two strangers come to know each other, the boy learns that he must think for himself and not prejudge others.This appealingly illustrated, humorous tale with its important message of tolerance for others identifies — and discourages — stereotypic thinking in children.

Billy feels angry, confused, and sad. His parents don't live together anymore — they have gotten a divorce. His deepest wish is for his mom, dad, and little brother Alec to live together as a family again. In this tender story, simply and charmingly illustrated, Billy learns that just because his parents live in separate homes, it doesn't mean that the strength and love of a family has been taken from him.A tool for parents, educators, and therapists, the book sends a comforting message to children of the resilience and constancy of love within the family, even after a marriage ends.

In this insightful and winsome story, Robin, a seven-year-old girl, sees Bobby, the new kid in the neighborhood, being teased and bullied by other kids. Bobby dresses differently and is very small for his age. Robin wants to help Bobby, but doesn't know how so she asks her parents for help.After witnessing firsthand the teasing that Bobby has to endure, Robin's mother talks to Bobby and Robin's teacher, Ms. Wells. Ms. Wells develops a clever class activity to teach the children that everyone is different, but these differences should not be grounds for bullying. Using puppets, the children come to see the good in everyone, no matter how different. This informative book is a must read for all parents of young children who may be or are dealing with bullies and teasing at school.

With his birthday fast approaching, Billy wants nothing more than the awesome bike he sees in a catalog. However, with his father having been laid off and his mother working two jobs, they simply cannot afford such an expensive gift. Upon hearing the word "no," Billy flies into a rage. However, when he talks to his parents about it later, he learns to compromise, realizing spending time with his family means more to him than a bike. His parents also promise to save what they can to someday buy the bike.The touching story shows that some wishes and "gimmies" may not come true, yet the love that families share is the best gift of all.

There's a new student in Calvin's class, a boy named Owen. Mrs. Gilson, their teacher, asks Cal to show Owen around. Cal is curious about Owen, because he overheard Owen's mother telling Mrs. Gilson that Owen has burgers and drum. Where could Owen be keeping his burgers and drum? Are they in his backpack?Owen tapes the classroom rules to his desk, speaks too loudly and steals the ball when the students try to play soccer at recess. Cal can't figure out if Owen wants to be friends or not and he still hasn't found Owen's burgers and drum. Cal tells his mom about Owen. She explains that Owen doesn't have burgers and drum, he has something called Asperger's Syndrome, which gives him a different learning style but he still could become a good friend.One day Owen finds Cal and his friend Andrew goofing off in the hallway during class. Suddenly the fire alarm goes off. Owen finds a way to save the school and his future friends.Owen Has Burgers and Drum is a fun story addressing the difficulties and rewards of befriending a child with Asperger's Syndrome. At the end of the book, the authors provide tips and suggestions to help parents and educators talk with children about Asperger's Syndrome and to help children better understand kids with an autism spectrum disorder.

Bullying among teens is epidemic. Many teens are harassed on a daily basis by mean text messages(cyber bullying), sexual harassment, teasing (verbal) , hitting or punching (physical) and some are guilty of harassment without knowing they are perpetrators of illegal acts. Now teens will understand that bullying can have serious long-term consequences on self-esteem and be the root of antisocial behaviors, dropping out of school, health problems and even suicide.Hey, Back Off! by Withers and Hendrickson is the first comprehensive teen guide to harassment prevention. It uses narrative real life examples and stories that are relatable to teens, while incorporating strategies and coping tips for not only teens, but also parents and educators to help stem this growing epidemic that is affecting 60-80 percent of school children.

Cassandra loves to smile. Unfortuately Cassandra also loves to eat candy, but doesn't love to brush her teeth. One day, Cassandra discovers ugly brown spots on her teeth. No matter how much she brushes, the ugly spots will not go away. Her mother tells her she has to go to the dentist to have her teeth cleaned and x-rayed. However Cassandra is afraid to go to the dentist — what will the dentist do? This delightfully illustrated story will help explain to children what to expect from a trip to the dentist, helping to eliminate fears as well as teaching the importance of good oral hygiene.