Home and Family Books

The Mom's Choice Awards® honors excellence in family-friendly media, products and services. An esteemed panel of judges includes education, media and other experts as well as parents, children, librarians, performing artists, producers, medical and business professionals, authors, scientists and others. A sampling of the panel members includes: Dr. Twila C. Liggett, Ten-time Emmy-winner, professor and founder of Reading Rainbow; Julie Aigner-Clark, Creator of Baby Einstein and The Safe Side Project; Jodee Blanco, New York Times Best-Selling Author; LeAnn Thieman, Motivational speaker and coauthor of seven Chicken Soup For The Soul books; Tara Paterson, Certified Parent Coach, and founder of The Just For Mom Foundation(tm) and the Mom's Choice Awards®. Parents and educators look for the Mom's Choice Awards® seal in selecting quality materials and products for children and families. This book has been honored by this distinguished award.

It answers most of our questions, questions which i was not aware existed. It inspires you to pick it up and read every single day. a must have for every christian family.

It's tough to answer kids questions, as a matter of fact, I have my own questions and when one of them comes into to focus I like to share with the kids. This "Study Bible" lends a hand in the Bible knowledge and discovery process.

Several different aids are available including; When the kids ask. These articles cover tough questions that kids and faith explorers may have. There's good coverage of some serious theological topics that make understanding and answering those questions a little easier and, in that, more easily transferred.

This hard back Bible is large and easy to share with another reader. Articles are colorful and well distinguished for easy reference. Over all, this one has a pleasing layout and feel.

To tell you the truth, "Study Bible" could even be the wrong designation for this one. The helps, guides, and resources are so rich that dozens and hundreds of truths are at or just below the surface. That doesn't mean you won't work hard to dig up the truth but the starting place isn't so hard to find in; The Family Foundations Study Bible: Bringing God's Word Home.

Faith and family will certainly be strengthened with this tool on your family's table and hearts. I wish I'd had this one about ten years ago!

Reviewed by Debra Gaynor for Reader Views (2/07)

There are many study Bibles on the market. This one is geared toward the family. Why? The family as a unit has been weakened by our culture, but through God we can once again strengthen the relationship.

This book has a family tree in the front of it. Throughout the Bible, the relationship with our ancestors is stressed. The genealogy of Christ is listed. The history of our "fathers" Abraham, Jacob, etc. is told over and over again. Our children need to know from whence they come.

There is a page dedicated to marriage and one to births. Several pages are dedicated to signposts of our lives.

The translation used in this Bible is the New King James Version.

"'Family Foundations Study Bible' is designed to help Christian parents apply God's Word to every life situation through its engaging features, notes and devotions." "Learn what it means for your family to be faithful followers of Jesus through lies of Peter, John, Paul and other New Testament disciples. Find answers to the tough questions your children will undoubtedly ask about the world, faith and God."

This Bible helps us to discover what to do in life's struggles. "All the notes and features in this Bible are designed to help you evaluate your situation so that you can take an appropriate course of action."

I have several Bibles that I refer to during study. This one will be added to that list. I wish it had been available when my children were younger, but I will be using it to answer my grandchildren's many and varied questions. I particularly enjoyed the "Firm Foundations." Each "Firm Foundation" has one of six different themes - "Character Building, Faith Focus, Family Legacy, God's Guidance, Home Improvements, and Transitions." I highly recommend "Family Foundations Study Bible" to strengthen the family bond.

I recieved my first Readers Digest Helpful Hints five years ago.

I was so impressed, I got copies for my two sons and son-in-law.

It is something I would not want to be without.

It really does have helpful hints found nowhere else.

I thank you for Readers Digest Helpful Hints.

Sam Mallett

When it comes to home repairs, I am all thumbs. I've had leaky faucets and toilets for years. Patching drywall, fixing locks, and replacing glass in windows used to require a call for professional help. Until I bought this book. It contains easy to follow, step by step directions with terrific pictures. I've saved hundreds of dollars since purchasing it. Simply terrific!

I'm on my fourth copy of this book. Mine tend to vanish like the morning dew juat as my neighbors begin their spring garage cleanup. . . My bro-in-law has one as well, but he insists that the fact that my name is written in indelible SHARPIE marker on the front is just a tribute to me and my helpful nature. . . This book has more helpful hints in introduction than most do in the first 5 chapters. And it just goes on and aon and on!

With actual real life applications for stuff you'll find lying around your garage (from old buckets to wire to old useless hose), this book is a true boon for anyone looking to clean up their act (and their garage) and make the time they have to spend on projects less of a fight to just keep the cords straight!

I highly recommend this book for anyone that knows they own at least 4 tape measures, but can't find one to save their lives!

Well worth the cost, and as well constructed as the book is, it will last a lifetime!

If you're AT ALL inclined to do your own work around the house, books of this type pay for themselves several times over. Just one repair you read about in this book and do yourself will pay for the entire cost of the purchase. Excellent investment, even for the novice. Instructions are clear and easy to follow.

Many of these items are very useful around the home;they are easy to do, especially for a person like myself who is mechanically declined. There is a nice variety for people of all ages and skill levels.

I had seen this book in the stores when it was first published. When I went to buy one it could not be found an so a couple of years went by an I would think about it when I would see one of the cartoons in the back of a woodworking magazine. Finely decided to look on the internet to see if I could fine one. Got this one an just love it. I have already used a couple of the projects from the book.

What a cool book! The problem is presented in a cartoon. For instance.. (I have six kids, this is my favorite)... a woman sorting through laundry to wash, trying to separate the colors. Laundry is all over the floor in front of the machine.

The solution: A frame is built which holds six little trash bins, stacked up one on top of the other, so clothes can be sorted into them by color, without taking up much floor space at all. Then the woman is shown, emptying the whites into the washer - no mess!

No words are used but the methods of creating these little organizational solutions are very simple to understand.

I am not a handyman (or handywoman) at all, but I really felt these concepts were clear, and we have used several of the solutions presented.

Other little gems in this book are: drawing paper dispenser, making a 2-pole closet, creating a nice organizer for rakes, shovels and the like, a neat little stand for roller blades, a ball stacker that goes on the back of a door, and even a baby bottle rack.

Every project is simple to do and easy to understand.

I recommend this book for any large family! Some of us just need to have every organizational tool we can get our hands on!!

Doty divides his subject matter into five categories: 1. Cabinents, Closets, & Shelves; 2. Around the House; 3. The Workshop; 4. Sports, Toys, and Entertainment; and 5. The Great Outdoors. Each section contains from six to seventeen individual projects, 60 some odd projects in all.

The projects are set forth in a series of wordless cartoon panels. The first panels state the problem, and the final panels present a simple, easily "engineered" solution to the problem.

The cartoons are well drawn and amusing. The step-by-step directions are understandable and within the capacities of the most inept hammer-mechanic. You can follow the directions exactly, or you can let your imagination soar as you adapt the projects to your specific needs.

True, this is a story of deep loss, but mostly it is a story of hope -- not the sappy everything-works-out-in-the-end kind of hope, but a believable real-life strand of hope runs throughout the main character Mickey's life. And it's not because good things happen to her, it's because of the undying goodness within her and her ability to see the good in others. Just the kind of thing I want my 13-year-old to read. It's moving, it's artful, it's easy to enter and hard to leave. The story and characters come alive and were more than enough of a "hook" to keep me reading; but even if it that weren't the case, I would have kept reading for the artful and powerful prose alone. Charlton-Trujillo has a gift and I'm sure glad she's sharing it with the Young Adult (and not-so-young adult) world.

E.E. Charlton-Trujillo's FEELS LIKE HOME tells of a girl who grows up in a dead-end Texas town whose life falls apart when her brother abandons her to her drunken father. Now Danny is back - a different person - and Mickey's newly-rebuilt life is threatened. The past haunts her in this moving story of family relationships and renewal.

I've been taken back in time and relived moments of my teenage years.

Memories have come flooding back in the characters of this story of facing the past. I see my own hometown in this story set in a small town in South Texas. I see it's streets, places, and people. I remember wishing at times that nobody in town or at school knew me or my family secrets and problems.

By the end of this book I wanted to know what Mickey will do after high school, has a relationship grown with the high school football hero, will she ever forgive her brother? My eyes are welled up!

In the interests of fair disclosure, let me say I know (and like) e.E.Charlton-Trujillo. I know and like a lot of authors, but I seldom want to review one of their books. This time I do.
I defy you to read the stunning first chapter of "Feels Like Home" and then be able to put the book down. What an inspired opening for a novel! 17 or 18 year old Micky is at her father's funeral, along with almost (but not quite) everyone important to her story. Practically the whole town of Three Rivers, Texas, population 4,043, has turned out - gringos and Mexicans alike.
Gestures, snippets of conversation, Micky's private observations, all these quickly and indelibly delineate the characters. There's Christina, Micky's best friend, "wiping her streaking mascara"; Uncle Jack, giving Micky "this look he was so good at, the one that asked, 'You okay?'"; Albert Trevinoon, still carrying the smell of the garage on him, "a good smell. Like Dad." And finally, the last person Micky expects to see there, her brother Danny with his "unwrangled hair," Danny who used to be "gold," Danny, who left Three Rivers and Micky years ago.
Micky's voice is presented so flawlessly the reader almost slips into her skin as the story progresses. Scenes unfold like scenes in a movie. Charllton-Trujillo has a director's eye for detail and a director's sense of pacing. And over and above these, she writes with a wry and loving sensibility that makes us care deeply for her characters -- for Micky and Danny, of course, but also for the rest of the population of Three Rivers, Texas. There are no unloved characters in this story, not even Mrs. Alvarado, the school counselor, whose "door is always open," except that it never is. By the time you come to the end, the town of Three Rivers will feel like home to you too.
A word of warning: If you haven't read S.E. Hiton's "The Outsiders," you'll find yourself running out to get a copy. That book plays such an important role in Micky and Danny's relationship it almost becomes a character itself.

The essays presented thoughtfully by Dr. Zimmerman are essential readings for anyone interested in residential care. Zimmerman poignantly details the attainable progress achieved by children diagnosed with primary attachment disorders. His desire to understand rather than judge these children fosters a loving and structured environment enabling psychological progress in terms of autonomy and social acceptance. Zimmerman's ability to relate theory to practical interventions makes The Forsaken Child a book to be kept toward the front of the shelf.

The essays presented thoughtfully by Dr. Zimmerman are essential readings for anyone interested in residential care. Zimmerman poignantly details the attainable progress achieved by children diagnosed with primary attachment disorders. His desire to understand rather than judge these children fosters a loving and structured environment enabling psychological progress in terms of autonomy and social acceptance. Zimmerman's ability to relate theory to practical interventions makes The Forsaken Child a book to be kept toward the front of the shelf.

This is an excellent collection of essays by Zimmerman. Having worked in residential treatment centers of both persuasions mentioned in one of the essays (disciplinary control vs. benign milieu), and having seen the outcomes, it was reassuring to see such a well-presented case for the latter. Zimmerman's essays move clearly from the history of residential treatment, to a commentary on the current political climate regarding residential care, to Zimmerman's own clinical experiences within a psychoanalytically-oriented (benign) milieu. His use of a social-constructivist perspective in the analysis of an adolescent boy is fascinating, and it lays to rest any anxiety a new clinician (such as myself) might have about the relative inactivity of the classical analyst (...you'll have to read this book to see what I mean). I highly recommend this book to anybody who works with children, whether in a clinical setting or not, as it lays out a "way of being" with children to help them develop a sense of the world that people care.

In "The Forsaken Child: Essays on Group Care and Individual Therapy" D. Patrick Zimmerman presents a critical inquiry of individual therapy and group care for emotionally disturbed children and adolescents. His considerations of the historical origins of group care for troubled youth, the implications of the introduction of managed care concepts into the mental health care system, and the presentation of detailed clinical case material delve into theoretical concerns that most professionals neglect to consider. Destined to become a classic in the field, "The Forsaken Child" is a book that every mental health professional working with children and adolescents should add to their collections.

This experience was one I wish I had more often. I received the item I ORDERED, it was new and in excellent condition and it arrived on time!!!! What more can be said??? Except THANK YOU!!!!!!!! Linda

Frogs Without Legs Can't Hear: Nurturing Disciples In Home And Congregation

A Must Read for congregations wishing to have its people grow spiritually strong. A wonderful help for congregations struggling to figure out how to equip parents for their most important job of faith formation in the family. The rationale for this comes right out of scripture.

This has got to be the BEST Youth and Family ministry book that I've ever read. It touches on EVERYTHING that the other books don't. There are way too many books that focus on just one age group or just the leaders and youth to make a point. This book speaks of how everybody is needed in faith formation and how those little things like simple smile, handshake, or hello can help a person "come to faith."

The metaphor may seem cheesy at times, but it is very apt. While books like Doug Field's "Purpose Driven Youth Ministry" are good books, they don't touch on how everybody is involved in faith formation. They talk about programs and certain aspects of the ministry that still give congregations problems.

While there's no "one solution" to ministry as it differs from place to place, FROGS WITHOUT LEGS certainly opens one's eyes - it's a great tool, and a great read for anybody interested in youth and family ministry. It brings lots of issues to light.

Anderson and Hill came up with a crazy title and a valiant attempt extending a metaphor for how faith is formed in the lives of young people. But, beyond the "frog without legs" metaphor is a very readable book of solid material based on scripture, research, and experience that invites a cultural shift in how youth ministry is traditionally understood and practiced.
I strongly recommend this book for anyone who has interest in Christian ministry with families, children, youth, young adults or couples. The holistic, integrative perspective presents a healthy, sound course for more effective ministry...or rather, for endeavoring to form a true Christian community of nurture that is assimilated into daily life.
Although it is still popular to speak of "Youth and Family Ministry" as a combined effort in local congregations, Frogs Without Legs... is one of the best volumes that fills out what that phrase actually might mean in practice. This is a great book for groups, parents, or ministry teams to read and discuss together.

After borrowing both Fussbuster books from the library I knew I had to own them. After teaching/working with children for 15 years and currently being a foster mom... this book still inspires me, gives me new insight into the minds of older toddlers and preschoolers, and really does help me "smooth over the rough spots in my day".

I highly recommend this book as a must have for every parent who is interested in making their day and that of their child's more peaceful and as stress free as it can be with children.

It feels like I am chatting with a friend over coffee and problem solving about a crazy weekend. There were some great ideas but even the auther reminds you that all the ideas are not right for everyone which keeps you from feeling like a complete failure (a la Martha Stewart). Good kid stories that make you smile and even laugh aloud and Reminds us all to have FUN!

This is my new favorite baby shower gift. It might not be used immediately, but it will be reached for again and again when that infant becomes a preschooler. This book is the best ! The ideas are easy, affordable, easy to remember and just plain do-able. I also highly recommend Fussbusters on the Go. Sincere thanks to the author for these 2 books. They are lifesavers!

Finally, a parenting book that doesn't make me feel bad! Instead, Fussbusters makes you feel like you're in it together with a friend. It's full of humor, realistic advice, and parenting expertise. Makes me want to actually try some of these activities -- once I can put the book down! A really fun read.

Received my book promptly and in excellent condition from Laurie Meade. It is a wonderful little book containing the artwork of
Tom Sierak and is a treasure to own.

Giving Love A Memory contains 80 pages of treasured moments and ideas for creating a family legacy of love. It is a great git book for young couples, newlyweds, and family members in general.

It features over 20 paintings by American artist, Tom Sierak, who is known for his warm and touching portraits of life in America today.

I highly recommend this book as a gift, or a collectible memory to be treasured for a lifetime. In fact, autographed copies are available, but only directly from the artist.

A friend gave me this book as a gift. I absolutely love it. It is not just a book for mothers and daughters, the "cutsie" & frilly things in life, but for anyone who has children or grandchildren.

I have 2 boys, 4 and 6, and we have found craft ideas in this book to do together. I also got a craft idea out of this book to do in my son's kindergarten class, went over great with 25 students!

The pictures and phrases are so heartwarming. I have given this book for baby showers, it goes over well with everyone there asking where I had gotten it. One momma-to-be pulled me aside later in private and sincerely thanked me. She told me that of her 3 showers, this book was the most appreciated & personal gift that she had recieved.

I think if you are considering this book, you will be happy with it. While buying one for yourself, remember to purchase extras for Mother's Day, Grandparent's Day, birthdays and baby showers. Enjoy!!

Giving Love A Memory (ISBN: 1565076591), contains 80 pages of treasured moments and ideas for creating a family legacy of love. It is a great git book for young couples, newlyweds, and family members in general.

It features over 20 paintings by American artist, Tom Sierak, who is known for his warm and touching portraits of life in America today.

I highly recommend this book as a gift, or a collectible memory to be treasured for a lifetime. In fact, autographed copies are available, but only directly from the artist, whose work can be found on the web.

This book presents truths that needs to be faced by many families. Family Mess spans all social, economic, and ethinic borders. We are all children of sin and as such need to identify and acknowledge this presence of sin in our lives. Family Mess presents the origins of this sin, how this sin affects us and all of individuals in our lives including our children and all of those that we come in contact with. The book is an very good read. The precepts, instructions and guidance are needed to bring families back in line with God's design. Read the book...you will be blessed.

This book is an excellent read on how Christians can be delievered from family issues. Bishop Joey Johnson has provided a wonderful service for all of those who wish to move to a higher plane in their relationship with God. This book examines the issues that undergird many of our individual dysfuntions and explains how we can be delivered from the vestiges of generational sin. A must read for all those who detect patterns of behavior in themselves and in their families that are not God's best.

I was greatly impacted by the book. It was awesome to see how God extended His love and grace to the Biblical examples. Bishop Joey brought the ancient lives to modern view through the different parallelism of the Biblical families. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is going through any tough family situation. The Lord spoke to me through the book to comfort and encourage me. You will be truly encouraged to see inspite of Family Mess God can bring about His perfect will for your life.

I was greatly impacted by the book. I have a lot of family messes in my own family. Just to see how much grace and love God has extended to those in the Bible was just amazing. Bishop Joey has brought the ancient lives into modern view through the parallelisms of the different Biblical families. More than anything, the Lord spoke into my situations to comfort and encourage me. I would highly recommend it to anyone who needs to be encouraged in tough family situations. It will give you courage to stand during adversity knowing that God's greater purpose can come about inspite of Family Mess.

The layout of the chapters made it easy to read.

This sweet little story tells the tale of an artist who loves what she does - carving wooden dolls, handpainting them, and selling them at a local store. It's a simple story, no dragons or wizards, but the tale is one that many independant designers/artists will relate to and will want to read to their children.

The main character, Goldie, lives alone and works very hard on something she is passionate about. She deals with so many feelings... Being lonely at times, others not always "getting" her way of thinking, misunderstood for her need to stick to detail and quality, shy about her work, living life on a tight budget, unwilling to compromise on quality, guilt associated with making a purchase, daily dealings with suppliers and retailers, sleeping until noon and working in her nightgown with just tea and a simple bun as food, and many other typical feelings and situations of the crafter/artist are woven into this story. It's very sweet and most of all, REAL.

It's so wonderful to read a story like this because not all parents are working outside of the home - some work from home as artists, designers, carpenters, etc. and live from paycheck to paycheck, but are happy because they truly LOVE what they do. Just like little Goldie. And there's nothing wrong with that.

I do not have children, and enjoyed this sweet book and have added it to my library so I can share it with my future little ones.

I'd like to add that the illustrations are adorable. The book is small in size and the illustrations are only in black and white, but this book isn't about delivering pow! bam! boom! it's about delivering heart and soul. And that is does VERY well.

I am so glad to see one of Brooke Goffstein's books back in print!! All of her books are small treasures of perfectly and simply realized stories that go along so well with the simple yet rich line drawings that accompany them. I always find myself crying or close to it at the end of these stories which is a little hard to explain to my children if I am reading them "Natural History" or "My Noah's Ark"! I haven't read "Goldie the Dollmaker" to my children yet, it's still mine alone to cherish. If you've ever made or cared for anything with a great deal of love and attention to the fineness of details than you will understand Goldie. She starts off feeling as if she lives in "her parent's house" and is continuing "their" work of making dolls. These things don't truly belong to her until after she looks into her heart after being inspired by a kindred artist spirit in a dream. This story is a tiny gift from heaven.

Goldie the dollmaker continues her parents' profession, seeking to free dolls from blocks of wood, forming and clothing them and painting on their faces the heartbreaking smile that makes anyone who sees a Goldie Rosenzweig doll want to buy it. Handsome Omus the carpenter is exactly her age, but perhaps she is better understood by old Mr. Solomon, the shopkeeper who sells her dolls, and she truly needs affinity with another artist, even if that artist visits her only in a dream ... This is a truly inspirational and beautiful story that would make a wonderful gift for any artist.

M.B. Goffstein created an exquisite universe in her children's books which explore what it means to be an artist, a craftsman and a human being. Anyone who has seen Schubert dancing to keep warm or struggled with a child becoming independent as explored in Two Piano Tuners or has experienced the aging of a loved one as reflected in Noah's Ark can only marvel at the delicacy and seriousness of these "children's" book. Each and every book, except maybe Natural History are written and illustrated exquisitely in a minimalist style which strips to its essence life and line. One of the joys of my second group of children's lives is enjoying the trove of Goffstein's left at home by their big sister. It is simply inexplicable that these exquisite books are out of print. This is a real crime. Perhaps the answer is to bring them all together as was done with the George and Martha stories, but much would be lost because the size of the books seems integral to their power. But for anyone who has not experienced this author/illustrator start here and clamour for more.Perhaps the gods of publishing will listen.