Senses Books

My pediatrician recommended this book to me when my son was one and we started having power struggle issues. It has been a great resource and I have referred to it often over the last few years.

I was delighted to find this book after being disappointed in the child rearing books I'd read. Little people provides both simple explanations and detailed instructions for specific difficulties (e.g., problems with sleeping, toilet training, and shopping). Best of all, it gives an overall parenting strategy that can be adapted to essentially any situation from infancy through adolescence. I will forever be grateful to Dr. C. for his invaluable advice.

Having bought this book after seeing Dr. Chstopherson on TV and speaking with him about his discipline methods, I couldn't wait to buy this book. What a gift. His techniques repect the child as well as the parents need to discipline their children. All information in the book is concrete and to the point making perfect sense of how we should discipline our children. My son is now 5 years old and I refer back to it regularly. I also teach disciplilne techniques to parents and reccommend this book always.

Christophersen provides a simple perspective for parents to apply to in raising their children - you are a full-time, non-stop teacher. Based on this perspective, the best way to be the best teacher is to spend time with your children. Christophersen's guidelines are easy to follow and produce immediate results. An easy and indispensible read for every parent, even if your children are beyond the toddler age. The best child-raising book I've ever read.

I'm SO glad Amazon.com now carries Little People! I like to give it as a baby shower gift, but it's been hard to get outside of the Kansas City area.

Dr. C. is great at explaining simple ways of bringing up and disciplining kids. For instance, he says "catch 'em being good." My heart just breaks when I see a child trying to please a parent who doesn't notice or reward the child with a few kind words or a moment's attention. Dr. C. also explains how to adjust your methods to the age of the child--for example, don't lecture a 2 year old about the benefits of not crossing streets, because she's not old enough yet to understand the lecture. But best of all, his methods make sense. There's no psychobable. There's no guilt. His techniques are easy to remember, don't hurt children, and they work like magic. I just wish more parents used them (especially when I'm in a busy grocery store or on a crowded airplane).

Medicine Moms: Reclaiming Our Children's Health Through Homeopathy and Common Sense Of all the books on homeopathy this one is the best for moms who want to use a drug less approach to raising children. It is simple to understand, easy to get through and can help you create a no drug medicine cabinet for quick response to accidents and illnesses. It is a must have for any new mom.

This book is great for moms who really want to have healthier kids and isn't that a mother's main job in life? to raise healthy happy kids? I searched for 10 years, always believing that there was something out there that was out of my view, alas, I finally found it. If we accept our own divinity then we can understand why homeopathy works.

Are you frustrated by traditional medicine and tired of your children being put on antibiotics all too often? Are you considering homeopathy? If you answered "yes" to these questions then the book Medicine Moms should be a reference book on your shelf. Uhl is not a doctor but a mother. She and others like her had grown weary of treating their children's ailments with risky traditional medicine. These "medicine moms" discovered that ages old homeopathy really did work for their kids and began to research it, learning more about its application. While the author states clearly in the book that a certified homeopath should always be consulted in the uses of homeopathic remedies, in this book she explains clearly and in lay people's terms why homeopathy works, how it works and for whom it works. I learned more from reading this book than from going to a homeopath for the past two years. I now understand many of the remedies he suggested for me for various conditions, just based on what I read in Medicine Moms. As I read about how Medicine Moms came to be, I was reminded of the founders of La Leche League International. Mothers in search of information about and support for nursing founded what is today an international organization dedicated to breastfeeding. "Medicine Moms" is a term used by the author for mothers wanting a better course of action for their kids than traditional medicine. Through their own research and support, they began to share what they knew about homeopathy and watched in amazement as their kids responded to homeopathic remedies for various ailments, without the side effects of prescription drugs. This book is easy to read and gives the reader a basic understanding of the workings of homeopathy, its history, its philosophy and its successes.

--Reviewed by Carol LaLiberte

Why are so many parents using homeopathy for kids? Medicine Moms isn't written by a doctor, but by a parent who became frustrated with conventional treatments for common childhood ailments. From earaches and allergies to avoiding antibiotics and preventing colds, Medicine Moms provides detailed information on not just herbal applications, but how to make the transition from conventional treatment to homeopathy, how to use both together, and when to choose one over the other.

I just received this book as a gift and loved its common sense approach to homeopathy. Its pages are filled with concise information in an easy to read format, and covers all our common ailments. For newcomers to homeopathy (Medicines best kept secret!!) or anyone wanting to approach homeopathy with an open mind - this book has it all and more!!

5 senses: taste, hear, smell, see and "touch". I would rather the author had used the word "feel" instead of "touch".

[[ASIN:006445083X My Five Senses (Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science 1)]

My 4.5 year old pre-kindergarten girls loved this book. It was a great compliment to the week they spent exploring the five senses at school. I can see using this book repeatedly for several years to come.

This is a wonderful book for beginning readers that will introduce then to the concept of our five senses and how they make us aware of the world around us when used one at a time or in combinations.

Scientific concepts are simply explained for kindergarten or preschool children, who will most certainly be entranced by the lively illustrations.

This is the perfect book for reading to kids, and for kids to begin to learn to read. It is very well thought out, covers an excellent topic, has a seamless match between the words and the illustrations, and has a generous amount of repetition to learn the five senses. I like reading it to my kids, and my oldest spends some time reading it to herself and has some of the pages memorized.

My 5 year old son absolutely adores this book. He asks me to read it repeatedly, and has fun pointing out when he's using his senses just like the (adorably illustrated) child in Aliki's book does. It's a lively, fun introduction to an important scientific concept.

This is a fascinating account of the scientific and humanistic education of a truly remarkable woman who trained in Argentina. Dr. Stemmler contrasts the simplicity of 3rd world medicine with America's health care system, & critiques the economics that justify health care rationing. Dr. Stemmler offers an inspirational vision of what universal access to health care could be.

Dr. Stemmler's book is a moving account of her training and experiences as a physician. Her professional competence, in both Western and Eastern medicine, and her ability to empathize and connect with her patients are important parts of her story. The book begins a critique of standard Western medicine that she plans to continue in future writings. Both for this reason and for the stories she tells, it is a most worthwhile book to read. I strongly recommend "No-Nonsense Medicine."

This book is ideal for all patients, especially since its language is accessible and inspiring. Told from the doctor's point of view, this story is a personal and intimate look at a physician's journey through the medical field. The readers can easily connect with her life and feel as though they are living her experiences. This book also gives us hope as patients that we can take control of our own health care. I highly recommend it to all patients in an effort to reassure us that we CAN dictate how we are treated and cared for.

The rapid technological advances in medicine, the urgent need to specialize, the incredibely fast accummulation of information, turns many physicians into expert technicians - diagnosis and treatment-focused rather than patient-focused. The patient, the focus of treatment, is usually lost in this medical maze; he/she becomes an object. Dr. Stemmler proves that there is another way. While her approach is humanistic, patient-focused, she does not compromise her diagnostic skills nor her treatment plans. On the contrary, while practicing Western medicine, her patients also benefit from her vast knowledge in Eastern medicine especially acupuncture, and chinese philosophy. Her books, are a must for anybody practicing medicine and for all the rest who are potential patients.

No-Nonsense Medicine: A Physician's Path to Sensible Healing is a critical, appraising look at today's "standards of care." Doctor Christina Stemmler (a Board Certified Family Physician who trained in both Chinese and Western medicine) explains the failings of the current industry standards, with the core message and conclusion that the vitality of the doctor-patient relationship can be the strongest asset for healing. A thoughtful, challenging work, No-Nonsense Medicine is highly recommended reading for patients, medical students, physicians, health care workers, and alternative medicine practitioners.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

A Portable Identity: A Woman's Guide to Maintaining a Sense, June 28, 2004
Reviewer: J (Washington, D.C) - See all my reviews

Anyone ever to encounter and navigate the endless and exhaustive details involved with moving and living overseas will appreciate the meticulous care and thought that went into this primer. The exercises and for planning for and understanding the different stages, emotions and thought processes that accompany such a move are terrific, not just for the move itself, but for a very effective and smooth assimilation of this kind of life-changing experience.
I will be giving this one to many of my friends who are also contemplating living and working overseas.

Even though I didn't have any apparent serious difficulty with adjusting to my first expat experience, working through this book provided amazing insights to what had helped me as well as revealed some unknown areas where I needed to do some internal re-evaluation.

This is an exceptional tool that should be given to every expat woman (first time OR long time) by corporate HR departments or government agencies as soon as an expat assignment is anticipated. Although you can work through some sections as soon as you learn about an expat assignment, you will gain just as much even if you begin after moving... or years into your expat experience!

Working through "A Portable Identity" you feel as if you are in a small group discussion with Debra and Charise (the authors). By honestly sharing their own experiences and feelings, it enables the reader/writer to jumpstart her own evaluations. Especially for an expat in a location where there may not be many other support mechanisms, this is an invaluable tool.

Like many other women who accompany their husbands overseas, I started to think I was going crazy! But, after attending a workshop facilitated by the authors, I realized what I was feeling was completely normal. By using the skills and exercises that Debra and Charise illustrate in their book, you can get back on your feet and transition into your new lifestyle overseas.

Tracy Garringer,
Former U.S. Embassy Expatriate Wife,
Bangkok, Thailand

Even though I didn't have any apparent serious difficulty with adjusting to my first expat experience, working through this book provided amazing insights to what had helped me as well as revealed some unknown areas where I needed to do some internal re-evaluation.

This is an exceptional tool that should be given to every expat woman (first time OR long time) by corporate HR departments or government agencies as soon as an expat assignment is anticipated. Although you can work through some sections as soon as you learn about an expat assignment, you will gain just as much even if you begin after moving... or years into your expat experience!

Working through "A Portable Identity" you feel as if you are in a small group discussion with Debra and Charise (the authors). By honestly sharing their own experiences and feelings, it enables the reader/writer to jumpstart her own evaluations. Especially for an expat in a location where there may not be many other support mechanisms, this is an invaluable tool.

Anyone ever to encounter and navigate the endless and exhaustive details involved with moving and living overseas will appreciate the meticulous care and thought that went into this primer. The exercises and for planning for and understanding the different stages, emotions and thought processes that accompany such a move are terrific, not just for the move itself, but for a very effective and smooth assimilation of this kind of life-changing experience.
I will be giving this one to many of my friends who are also contemplating living and working overseas.

This bookis very similar to the Vampire codex that she wrote, which i also enjoyed. This is a good book for learning energy work.

The Psychic Energy Codex is more than just a book about learning how to use or become aware of one's psychic energy. The history and the complexity of psychic energy is included. I found out things in the book I never would have before and just because Ms. Belanger may subscribe to a darker form of energy work, doesn't mean that this book has to be that way. It's from her well-educated and well-researched point of view. Along with discussion psychic energy was also her discussion of group dynamics and the teacher/student relationship not only when it comes to energy work, but also the practicalities of both of these topics that provides much food for thought for the reader. Its a great read for those wanting to know a bit more in depth about being aware of one's energy make-up.

Ms. Belanger's approach to a subject as elusive as the subtle senses with a down-to-earth, no-nonsense style is a true delight.
She masters the "craft" so well, and while introducing begginners into this realm, she also speaks to more "advanced" empaths and sensitives about any enquiries they might have.
I was very pleased to see that this lady does indeed stress the difference between innate senses and mental disorders, and although the line is a very subtle one between the two, she somehow is able to explain the difference.
The "energy" I felt around this book was a very positive one, mixing both Earth and Air in a rare but powerful combination.
And what is most enjoyable is that she was able, through her flowing and simple style, to make the reader understand that there is no clear-cut experience for, let's say, the human aura (among others, for it is the most "stereotyped"), and one is indeed able to "feel" the aura without "seeing" it, as is usually understood. For example, one can "smell", "taste", "hear" it, according to one's "proficiency" in any of the subtle senses.
This is a tour-de-force that few can accomplish.
I highly recommend this book for any and all empaths and sensitives, for they will understand what is "wrong" with them and why they should consider themselves lucky to be "awake".

"Aside from gleaning many useful facts and energy working exercises myself (many of which I had fun practicing with my husband), even as one who has studied metaphysics, energy work in general, etc. for a long time now, I was struck by how valuable this book must be for those just starting out as well. In fact, I see it as an invaluable book for those who've been raised in backgrounds which didn't acknowledge anything much besides the five senses, yet these probably quite confused people have already begun to experience the awakening of their subtle senses and don't know what to make of it all. If you're raised in a family that ridicules the existence of spirits, empathy, telepathy, etc., then you could very well feel like you're going crazy when you first start to feel things outside of the five senses. Ms. Belanger goes into great and practical depth about differentiating between what's delusional and what's probably a valid psychic experience. So, you have a touchstone, through her carefully chosen words, to measure your sanity or insanity in a sense. In addition, she includes quite a few questions that you can ask yourself that aid in tracking your results. At the same time, she brings subject matter, that's still not that common, to you in a surprisingly commonsense way to easily aid you on your journey."

G.L. Giles (author, reviewer and interviewer)

This book is excellent for beginners just wanting to look into, and understand psychic abilities and phenomena, as well as those interested in developing such. Michelle takes you rationally and easily through a variety of beliefs, theories and exercises to expose you to a wide section of psychic abilities.

While this book is excellent for beginners, it is a great resource for people who are more developed/experienced, as it will introduce them to more concepts and theories, as well as showing you were commonly believed ideas (e.g. rainbow chakras) came from.

Very well written.

Sarah's writing reflects her years of experience, solid background knowledge and her love for working with children. There's plenty of information here to develop a good understanding of the various purposes and benefits of meditation for anyone, and children in particular. With your appetite whetted, she then presents detailed, easy to follow, step-by-step instructions for a variety of child-friendly meditation exercises. These sound like a lot of fun, with titles like 'Fudge Swirl," "Inside Friends," and "The Happy Tree." I especially liked the way the meditations are grouped thematically in chapters titled Clearing My Mind, Healing My Body, Renewing Spirit, and Finding Out Who I Am. Woven throughout are specific suggestions and exercises to connect with your child and ways to make the most of the meditation experience through art and writing, among other ideas. The final chapter offers guidelines and inspiration for creating your own meditations.

This book is a great tool for parents, educators and anyone working to connect with children, to help them open their minds and souls to possibility and higher self-awareness, and not least of all, their imaginations!

In my opinion, Sarah Wood Vallely has thought of everything to help readers to know and understand exactly what is involved in teaching children to meditate, what the benefits of meditation are, and what works well in particular situations. Sarah also "backs up" each technique with tried and true reasons and experiences for why she suggests doing things the way she does! It is a very easy book to read and is complete with an outline for teaching a class.
Finally, the meditations are wonderful, and not only for children! I now use the Grounding Cord meditation that is in the book every day!

Sarah is passionate about nurturing the gifts of others. Her insightful meditations are practical tools for adults as well as children. Teaching us to trust our gifts she has developed a community that can easily translate her work and realize her intentions. Her work has provided opportunities for meditation groups around the world who have utlized her work in their schools, neighborhoods and in their homes. Thank you Sarah for teaching me that allowing an open space for my daughter's gifts was actually a mirror lesson for my own self appreciation.
I am excited to give this book to her school as the teacher will be utilizing it in her classroom, allowing this piece of work to be recognized as the invaluable tool that it is.

Breathing regularly is a bridge that ties body to mind; when breathing is made regular it calms the physical body. Learning to breath evenly and regularly can yield instant stress relief on a moment's notice. Following the sequence within a meditation develops memory and the ability to concentrate. In her book, "Sensational Meditation for Children", Sarah does an outstanding job guiding you on how to bring such benefits of meditation to your children and more. I highly recommend this book. In addition to helping your children it will help you too. Enjoy!

I have used this book in teaching mindfulness classes to children both in the community and in the school where I am a Resource Room teacher. Sarah has created some wonderfully fun, creative exercises that capture the children's imagination...always helpful in getting them to participate. She also gives ideas for modifying the exercises as necessary. This should be a "standard" for anyone interested in teaching children mindfulness or meditation techniques.

I think that this book is extremely informative. It is presented from a fire fighter's point of view which is quickly adaptable. Their is so much info. and great suggestions i will be rereading it. Any new Officer should make this a must read and reread,extremely helpful.
The author does respond to emails which demonstrates his professionalism.
Good read, Easy read, Highly recommend! Full Time Paid Fire Fighter.

One of the best StreetSmart firefighting and thought provoking books in a while. Provides ideas and concepts by both theory and real life experiences. A great reference for those looking to advance in the fire service.

Must have for the entry level ff to chief, provides a practical, experienced based no-nonsense review of ff tactics and strategies.

Got this book as a graduation gift for a fire science major who is also doing Volunteer fire fighting. He LOVED it!!!

A good summary of tactics, this book does not go into the detail of some other texts (see Norman's book) but provides a street level view of what you need when you need it. It keeps it simple, and when the situation is really bad, simple is what you will remember.

Written by Robert W. Drago (Professor of Labor Studies and Women's Studies, Penn State University), Striking a Balance: Work, Family, Life is not a self-help book for the individual, but rather a scholarly examination of the modern societal problems of the care gap (too many children, elderly, and disabled, particularly among the poor, are not getting the care they need), the gender gap (women are forced to choose between success in their careers and providing adequate care to their children, or any other form of care work for low or no pay) and the income gap (the rich get richer and the poor get poorer). At the heart of these problems is not just cold hard economics, but also societal norms - the "motherhood norm" that insists women should provide care for little or no pay; the "ideal worker norm" that conditions employers to expect their workers to put in long hours up to an inhuman level; and the "individualism norm", a society-infused belief that the government should not help those needing care. Striking a Balance prescribes society-wide remedies to these growing problems: paid family leave, early childhood education and child care financing, guaranteed health insurance, and a minimum wage increase indexed to inflation, and the simple importance of allowing men and women from all walks of life to have their voices heard. Extensively researched, Striking a Balance: Work Family Life is a persuasive academic treatise about the need for social change, and highly recommended for reading for not only college library shelves, but also anyone looking for a better understanding of why the government needs to pay more attention to minimum wage, health care, and paid family leave issues.

This excellent analysis of the current state of working and trying to live at the same time in America is a great wakeup call from the overwork hypnosis reining for too long. Unlike in other advanced nations, we've never had a real national conversation about the impacts of large numbers of caregivers in the workplace and skyrocketing workweeks. Drago makes those repercussions of work without end very clear, in imploding families, skyrocketing health costs and absentee lives. Armed with a trove of research, he shows us not only the downside, but also a way out, when we can see the unconscious norms that skew our value system and sanity--the ideal worker norm, the motherhood norm, and the individualism norm. This much-needed book should should be required reading for every exec, congressperson, and presidential-candidate policy guru in the land.

This is one of the best sociological books I've read in years--which is saying quite a bit, since the author is an economist! Bob Drago's latest book is both scholarly and eminently readable. He pulls together the best analysis of the challenges confronting women, families, and workers--which pretty much includes all of us, now doesn't it?--with the most enlightened thinking about what we need to do to change the structures that produce those challenges. The book is written in very clear prose and presents a persuasive argument that gets right to the point. I think just about any reader concerned with social problems (the working poor, strains on families, gender inequalities) will find plenty of cause for optimism here. And readers who just want to make sense of why life is so hectic for themselves, their co-workers, family members, and neighbors will come away from this book with a clearer understanding and ideas for action. I highly recommend this book.

Bob Drago has long been recognized as a leader in the work-life balance world through his work with Take Care Net and on the Work and Family Bill of Rights. After decades in the wilderness, many of us have reached a shared vision of what does and doesn't help us to lead balanced lives. Drago captures this new consensus, explains why it has taken so long for us to reach this point, and provides a blueprint for change. Anyone stressed about their own lives, and what to do about it, should read this interesting, insightful, wise, and humorous work, and then join with Drago and others to change things.

This book is for anyone who feels that life is complicated and getting more so all the time. In clear language Drago gives data to show that Americans are working more and defines 3 important gaps Americans face: a care gap, a gender gap, and an income gap. These are interrelated, of course, as Drago makes clear. And he contributes to our understanding of the gender gap by expanding it to include the gap between women who are involved in actual care work (whether paid or not) and those successful in professional jobs and hence not directly involved in care. He anchors his discussion in three norms, all of which contribute to these gaps: motherhood, ideal worker, and individualism, and supports his discussion with both data and stories. A particularly interesting formulation is his definition of balance, by which he means involvement in all three of paid work, unpaid work, and leisure. He describes the kind of social infrastructure necessary to support such balance for all people in our society and ends with a work and family bill of rights. A great discussion of the challenges we all face.

For those of you who missed out on all the now-absurd controversies of the late 90's, read this book cover to cover---even if you don't buy into Katha Pollitt's worldview (or even The Nation's worldview, for that matter). Pollitt is a fine thinker who, in this collection more so than in her previous collection, shows that she is indeed capable of casting criticism any which way she sees fit, to the left or to the right.

Of her other book, readers have written that Pollitt isn't "brave" enough to take on the challenges facing ALL women (i.e. minority women, uneducated women, women who don't live in NYC). True enough, at times we know where she's headed from the first few sentences alone; and there's a lot of typical Paglia-bashing and catering to the liberal, educated masses. But Pollitt's scope is ranged in this collection.

In one piece, Pollitt scathingly, yet reasonably, condemns Mary Daly's refusal to allow a male student into her all-female course on feminist ethics; in another piece cleverly titled "The Million Man Mirage," she criticizes Louis Farrakhan's brand of homophobic, racist, anti-Semitic, and sexist political thinking which somehow passes for "liberal." And of course, Pollitt brings into light many issues of importance for woman and men alike: the need for reproductive rights, a modest proposal for deadbeat dads, the limitations of single-sex education and school prayer, the double standards facing professional women, marriage and its discontents, etc etc etc.

Basically, this collection is for anyone wanting to "put things into perspective" and make sense of the senseless.

This collection of Pollitt's columns for The Nation shows all her virtues: her considerable wit, her intelligence, her ability to present feminist views in a clear and coherent manner. She has a keen eye for the media's fatuities; its tendency to split the difference and to move to the stronger side, its fear that it will be viewed as too liberal, the fact that most journalists and columnists are male which does not prevent them from whining about how powerful feminists are.

Consider these thoughts on the perniciousness of sports: "Fans say athletics promote values and so they do--the wrong values, like the childish confusion of physical prowess with `character' that is such a salient feature of the O.J. Simpson trial. Sports pervert education, draining dollars from academic programs and fostering anti-intellectualism. They skew the priorities of the young, especially the poor, black young, by offering them the will-o'-the-wisp incentive of a scholarship, physically gifted kids might not be so ready to blow off their schoolwork. Why not give scholarships for art or music instead?"

Or consider this line about funding for the Arts and funding for NASA: "Representative Sonny Bono says he's never met anyone who benefited from public arts funding; well, I've never met anyone who cares what kind of rocks Mars has." How can one not admire a critic who has no patience with the Clintons, but recognizes that Nader's Green Party is a non-starter? How can one not admire a critic who prefers The Man who Loved Children, Song of Solomon, The Assistant, and Tongo-Bungay to the peculiar list drawn up by the Modern Library? Everyone should read a woman who castigates the ponderousness of communitarianism, the bile of a Farrakhan, and the shallowness of a Mary Daly. Everyone should read her, period.

Katha has insightful, thought-provoking views on everything from welfare mothers . . . to abortion . . . to gun-control . . . to marriage and divorce . . . to school vouchers. Reading her wonderful, witty essays helped me gain new perspective on several issues. That is not to say that I agreed with everything she said, but I always enjoyed reading her well-written, funny, honest essays. I devoured this book in a couple of days of reading it when I could steal a moment or two. It is hard to put down. I feel renewed pride in calling myself a liberal.

Katha Pollitt has a way of getting to the heart of the matter. So, for example, in an essay about the school-uniforms discussion in New York City, she starts out by noting that the "public school systen has libraries without books," that a girl was killed in one school by falling debris - and then, later - she is onto the school uniforms debate - in perspective. If you read the Nation, these essays are a terrific reprise. If you don't, you will find that they are smart, brief (a few pages at most; think of a long, utterly incisive newspaper editorial), and for students, a series of very good examples of political writing. Humor, wit, and a high level of caring about the things that matter. Some are grounded in the politics and goings-on of New York City, where Pollitt lives, but many are of national (and international) interest. Great collection.

This is without a doubt the best book of political writing I've read since ..."Reasonable Creatures." It's amazing to me how incisive and stimulating and to the point even the older pieces in this collection are. Pollitt is nondogmatic, witty, profound, eye-opening, and unafraid to take stands controversial in her own liberal or radical camp. You'll think, you'll learn, you'll agree or disagree but always enjoy it, if you buy this book.