Books published by publisher Oliver Press

New, updated edition of the bullying prevention adventure story that was named to Kirkus Reviews' Best of 2012! Bitopia is a wonderland of fantastical foliage and mysterious creatures. It’s also a place where Venators lurk, vile creatures that relentlessly hunt children. As the only human inhabitants of Bitopia, the children are forced to live in a high-walled city for protection, a medieval metropolis of cold and shadow where time passes but no one ages, a place of no escape. Like all the other children in Bitopia, Stewart arrives there unexpectedly while fleeing from bullies. And, like all Newcomers, Stewart dreams of finding a way back home. Risking exile from the city and the protection that it offers, Stewart and Cora, his Finder, discover a clue to escaping, one that presents them with a terrible choice: face their greatest fear and risk death, or be trapped in Bitopia forever. A fast-paced tale that addresses the problem of physical bullying and intimidation and provides an example to readers of how to get this type of bullying to stop on their own. Ages 10 and up.Author’s note on the second edition: Eight and a half years ago, I lopped off the first chapter of this book at a literary agent’s request in the hopes that she would have a greater incentive to sell it. In other words, I compromised my story for the promise of commercial gain. Although that book did get selected as one of the best novels of the year by Kirkus Reviews, I never felt that it truly represented what I wanted to say. Every time I thought about the book, I got this nagging feeling that I had done wrong by it. That first chapter was so important to the ending in that it personalized and magnified the stakes for Stewart. It gave the story balance. Without that chapter, the book was like a three-legged dog: still lovable, but somehow odd and off-balanced. Further, this story is my own story. No, I was never transported to a faraway place and forced to figure out how to get home. But it is my story of how I learned the secret to stopping physical bullying. And Stewart’s attempt to make friends in the first chapter by showing off coins from his collection is what I did as a kid, bringing coins to school to try to impress my peers. So, for this edition, I restored that first chapter, undid the revisions that were required to make up for the lack of it, and made additional improvements throughout the text. And now the story is once again complete. Is it better? I think so. Is it less salable? I don’t care. This is the honest edition, the way the story is supposed to be.

How do we explain the death of a loved one to a small child? Be it a grandparent, a pet, or a classmate, helping a child cope with the subject of death and dying is challenging. Balloons for Heaven explores the topic in an age appropriate manner, helping parents approach the subject with a tool to break the ice and start the conversation. Balloons uses the death of a pet, and later a parent, to address why living beings die and offers young children an option to remember their loved one.

Named to Kirkus Reviews' Best of 2012! When you run from bullies, you never know where you might wind up… Bitopia is a wonderland of fantastical foliage and mysterious creatures. It’s also a place where Venators lurk, vile creatures that relentlessly hunt children. So the children of Bitopia, the only human inhabitants, are forced to live in a high-walled city for protection, a medieval metropolis of cold and shadow where time passes but no one ages, a place of no escape. Like all the other children of Bitopia, Stewart arrives there unexpectedly while fleeing from bullies. And, like all Newcomers, Stewart dreams of finding a way back home. Risking exile from the city and the protection that it offers, Stewart and Cora, his Finder, discover a clue to escaping, one that presents them with a terrible choice: face their greatest fear and risk death, or be trapped in Bitopia forever. A fast-paced adventure story that addresses a fundamental element of bullying--fear--and provides an example to readers of how to deal with bullying on their own. Ages 10 and up.

Jane Worthington is miserable indeed. Losing her parents at the tender age of eight, she is sent to live at the dreadful orphanage, The Rudorf Home For Foundlings, where she is forced to bed without supper, made to clean with little rest and, when she's very naughty, locked away in the red room. One day, her fortune changes when she discovers a door to another world through which she escapes and starts down a journey that will grant her the chance for wicked revenge. But, at what cost?

A core component of the CirclePoint Bullying Prevention Program (circlepointprogram.org), this guide teaches students in grades 3-6 how to prevent and stop bullying on their own or with adult help. Ostensibly written by the two title characters, the guide covers bullying basics, ways to get bullying to stop (for both targets and bystanders), what to do if you are being bullied, and how to get an adult to help the right way. The two title characters explain and demonstrate the concepts, providing students with easy-to-follow examples they can apply to their own bullying problems. The guide also contains a special section for students in grades K-2, designed to be read with an adult, which covers friendship basics and prepares students for the aggression they will face in the upper grades. The comic is designed to appeal to boys and girls and covers both dominance and relational aggression. Note: black and white interior illustrations.

Will is a typical four-year old boy. He is shy when it comes to trying new things. Will has never had a babysitter before, but all that is about to change. Lucky for him, he has his best friend Larry to help him through the experience. Larry may be invisible to everyone else, but he is very real to Will, and he helps him understand that even scary things like your first time with a babysitter can be a lot of fun. The Adventures of Larry the Lunchbox Lizard help young children understand and conquer their fears about everything from their first time with a babysitter, to a trip to the doctor, learning to swim, and more.

A young boy feels like there's a cobra, a T Rex, a gas bubble growing inside him ... soon it comes slithering, roaring, exploding out: "You're not my real mother!" His mother reassures him: "I'm as real as it gets and I'm not giving up, I'm your mother in truth. Your mother. Forever." The story ends on an "okay for now" moment of love and silliness: "Well, T Rex. Here's the bad news. Forever for you means that you'll always have those silly short arms, too short to pick your nose and too short to tickle your son." As Real As It Gets is for any child (adopted, step, or foster) who might be thinking, "you're not my real mother," but is afraid of how she will react if they let the words escape. Children will be reassured that what they're feeling is normal, and parents will be, too.

How do we explain the death of a loved one to a small child? Be it a grandparent, a pet, or a classmate, helping a child cope with the subject of death and dying is challenging. Balloons for Heaven explores the topic in an age appropriate manner, helping parents approach the subject with a tool to break the ice and start the conversation. Balloons uses the death of a pet, and later a parent, to address why living beings die and offers young children an option to remember their loved one.

This guide teaches students in grades 6–12 how to prevent and stop bullying on their own or with adult help. Using true stories that illustrate each type of bullying, the guide describes the mechanics of bullying, why kids use bullying behavior, and techniques students can use to stop bullying, whether directed at them or their peers. The guide also contains sections written specifically for adults to make it easier for them to support the students who ask for help. The guide is intended to help all students deal more effectively with aggression and provide them with a full spectrum of bullying prevention strategies. The guide is a core component of the CirclePoint Bullying Prevention Program and meets Plain Language requirements. Reading level: Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level Score: 6.3.

Are you looking for an illustrated book you can read to your children that teaches them something valuable while engaging your own mind as well? The best shared reading times happen when both parent and child enjoy a book and benefit from what it teaches. A Good Life was written to be read to children while provoking meaningful thought in adults.This inspirational story follows a young orphan boy who leaves his home town and difficult background to find a good life. As he journeys, he meets people of various professions (farmer, composer, teacher, soldier, artist, etc.). Each character gives the boy a different metaphor for thinking about life. For example, a farmer tells the boy that life is a garden:"Life is a garden . . . Its soil can sprout forth both good and bad plants with equal opportunity for both to thrive. It is up to us to pull and cast away the weeds, and to plant, water, and nurture the good things that we desire to grow."There are ten metaphors for life explored in the book. Life is a garden, game, race, canvas, test, symphony, battle, journey, story, and gift. The characters explain each idea to the boy as the farmer explains the garden metaphor above. As with all metaphors, each offers a host of implications creating different food for thought each time one reads the book.The final metaphor explored in the book is "life is a gift." After praying for a place he can call home, the boy is taken in by a couple who adopt him. Though written for all parents and children, the story is sure to be a special encouragement to foster care and adoption families.The themes and values for discussion in the book include overcoming adversity, happiness, hope, focus, discipline, beauty, hard work, relationships, interpersonal harmony, vigilance, protection, wisdom, perseverance, faith, prayer, creativity, and love. For older children, the book can create opportunities to discuss the concept of constructing a life philosophy.A Good Life is Jeremiah Pent's first children's book. He and his high school sweetheart have seven children and live in Franklin, Tennessee. The book features 22 beautiful watercolor illustrations by Ukrainian artist Dmitry Morozov.----"Is there anything in the world like the tale of an orphan boy setting out to find the good life? Unnamed, and with past sorrows vaguely hinted at, he is you, he is me, he is every child who at every age of man sensed something true and worth the search if he would only seek and not give up. I commend A Good Life to children of all ages who still look for truth." Andrée Seu Peterson, World Magazine

A young boy feels like there's a cobra, a T Rex, a gas bubble growing inside him ... soon it comes slithering, roaring, exploding out: "You're not my real mother!" His mother reassures him: "I'm as real as it gets and I'm not giving up. I'm your mother in truth. Your mother. Forever." The story ends on an "okay for now" moment of love and silliness: "Well, T Rex. Here's the bad news. Forever for you means that you'll always have those silly short arms, too short to pick your nose and too short to tickle your son." As Real As It Gets is for any child (adopted, step, or foster) who might be thinking, "you're not my real mother," but is afraid of how she will react if they let the words escape. Children will be reassured that what they're feeling is normal, and parents will be, too.