A moral philosopher’s meditations on some of life’s most important questions We’ve all had to puzzle over such profound matters as birth, death, regret, free will, agency, and love. How might philosophy help us think through these vital concerns? In On Being Me, renowned moral philosopher J. David Velleman presents a concise, accessible, and intimate exploration into subjects that we care deeply about, offering compelling insights into what it means to be human. Each of Velleman’s short, personal chapters begins with a theme: “Being Glad I Was Born,” “Wanting to Go On,” “Fearing the End,” “Regretting What Might Have Been,” “Aspiring to Authorship,” “Making Things Happen,” and “Wanting to Be Loved.” Reflecting on how daily life presents us with thorny riddles that need working out, Velleman arrives at unexpected conclusions about survival and personal identity, the self and its future, time and morality, the rationality of regret, free will and personal efficacy, and goodness and love. He shows that we can rely on our own powers of thought to arrive at a better understanding of the most fundamental parts of ourselves—and that the methods of philosophy can help get us there. Beautifully illustrated by New Yorker contributing artist Emily Bernstein, On Being Me invites us to approach life philosophically.

Imagination and motivation are key to young children’s happiness and health. Thinking about dreams and goals can help children cope with challenges when they arise and view life through a hopeful lens. With this encouraging book, nurture children’s imaginations and help them enjoy taking responsibility for their choices and goals. Back matter includes advice for motivating kids and teaching about goal setting at home, at school, and in childcare. Being the Best Me!® Series From the author of the popular Learning to Get Along® series comes the next book in this one-of-a-kind character-development series. Each of the first seven books in the Being the Best Me! series helps children learn, understand, and develop attitudes and positive character traits that strengthen self-confidence and a sense of purpose. Each book focuses on a specific attitude or character trait—optimism, self-esteem, assertiveness, resilience, integrity, forgiveness, and goal-setting. Also included are discussion questions, games, activities, and additional information for adults. Filled with diversity, these social story books will be welcome in school, home, and childcare settings.

Celebrate diversity and natural Black hair with this bright, joyful level 1 Step Into Reading book that will have girls everywhere repeating the book's chorus: "I love being me!" Girls will love seeing strong, happy reflections of themselves in this vibrant, rhyming, Step 1 reader about the joy of being a girl. Full of positive affirmations and bright scenes of girls enjoying their favorite activities, such as reading, soccer, cooking, swimming, and gardening, this easy reader promotes girls' self-esteem and smarts. Step 1 Readers feature big type and easy words for children who know the alphabet and are eager to begin reading. Rhyme and rhythmic text paired with picture clues help children decode the story. Look for all the books in the Happy Hair series: • Happy Hair • Cool Cuts • I'm Growing Great • Smart Sisters • I Am Born to Be Awesome! (Step Into Reading)

Rookie Ready to Learn titles help develop young children's language and early reading skills as they engage in topic-rich conversations. At the heart of each title is an engaging, informational story that is written in a friendly, easy-to-read format. At the end of each book are activity pages-especially designed to deepen children's developing skills through fun, engaging, and research-based activities. The All About Me! subset focuses on how a child sees himself relative to his contemporaries, community, and family, by focusing on development of self, including self awareness and relating to others. Sometimes, people are special because of what they do. This girl likes to play dress-up, read, and paint. How about you?

A heartfelt, humorous story of a teen boy’s impulsive road trip after the shock of his lifetime—told entirely in lists! Darren hasn’t had an easy year. There was his parents’ divorce, which just so happened to come at the same time his older brother Nate left for college and his longtime best friend moved away. And of course there’s the whole not having a girlfriend thing. Then one Thursday morning Darren’s dad shows up at his house at 6 a.m. with a glazed chocolate doughnut and a revelation that turns Darren’s world inside out. In full freakout mode, Darren, in a totally un-Darren move, ditches school to go visit Nate. Barely twenty-four hours at Nate’s school makes everything much better or much worse—Darren has no idea. It might somehow be both. All he knows for sure is that in addition to trying to figure out why none of his family members are who they used to be, he’s now obsessed with a strangely amazing girl who showed up out of nowhere but then totally disappeared. Told entirely in lists, Todd Hasak-Lowy’s debut YA novel perfectly captures why having anything to do with anyone, including yourself, is: 1. painful 2. unavoidable 3. ridiculously complicated 4. possibly, hopefully the right thing after all.

Three gifted poets team up with a collection of poems dealing with worries and anxieties and find ways to develop empathy and mindfulness. Read about the Land of Blue, where it's ok to feel sad, find ideas for what to do with worries, or how to slow down when your head is full of hurry. Give yourself time to chill out, find quiet voices in noisy places, and discover kindness in yourself and others. Then maybe your own special thought machine will tell you, "This is going well. You're doing great. You've got this!" And you have! This important and unique anthology of 45 poems by three leading poets, well known for their empathy and perception, speaks to the heart of what children think and care about, offering understanding, support, and encouragement.

Modern notions of empathy often celebrate its ability to bridge divides, to unite humankind. But how do we square this with the popular view that we can never truly comprehend the experience of being someone else? In this book, Samuel Fleischacker delves into the work of Adam Smith to draw out an understanding of empathy that respects both personal difference and shared humanity. After laying out a range of meanings for the concept of empathy, Fleischacker proposes that what Smith called “sympathy” is very much what we today consider empathy. Smith’s version has remarkable value, as his empathy calls for entering into the perspective of another—a uniquely human feat that connects people while still allowing them to define their own distinctive standpoints. After discussing Smith’s views in relation to more recent empirical and philosophical studies, Fleischacker shows how turning back to Smith promises to enrich, clarify, and advance our current debates about the meaning and uses of empathy.

THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER! "I had the choice to come back ... or not. I chose to return when I realized that 'heaven' is a state, not a place" In this truly inspirational memoir, Anita Moorjani relates how, after fighting cancer for almost four years, her body began shutting down—overwhelmed by the malignant cells spreading throughout her system. As her organs failed, she entered into an extraordinary near-death experience where she realized her inherent worth . . . and the actual cause of her disease. Upon regaining consciousness, Anita found that her condition had improved so rapidly that she was released from the hospital within weeks—without a trace of cancer in her body! Within this enhanced e-book, Anita recounts—in words and on video—stories of her childhood in Hong Kong, her challenge to establish her career and find true love, as well as how she eventually ended up in that hospital bed where she defied all medical knowledge. In "Dying to Be Me," Anita Freely shares all she has learned about illness, healing, fear, "being love," and the true magnificence of each and every human being!

Loving oneself matters! Self-acceptance and positive thinking matters! Is it okay to love yourself unapologetically? Self-acceptance from an early age helps children grow up to be bold, confident and kind. I Love Being Me, Uniquely Me! features children of all ages from various cultures, who confidently embrace who they are. I love being me and I think you'll agree, Someone sweeter than me you'll not find.If you search high and low, you surely will see, Just one me-special, loving and kind. Yes-it is okay to love yourself unapologetically. Be proud to be YOU Don't let social media and popular culture determine who our children are and what they should look like. Be YOU! Buy the book and get the eBook FREE. Follow us on Instagram @KarleneJFrolingAuthor

Helping children develop good self-esteem means helping them simply be themselves. It means letting them know how loved and cherished they are—just because of who they are. The elfin friends in this colorful book lead the young reader through a process of self-discovery: exploring uniqueness, building a healthy self-image, and preparing for challenging situations. Every child in the world is special, gifted, and wonderful. And each one deserves to feel “happy to be me”! This honest and upbeat book will bring real help and understanding.