A Sesame Street monster story with a flap to lift on each spread.

Benjamin is NOT afraid of the darkor of monsters. That is, until one night when the bumps in his closet become too noisy to ignore. He bravely explores his room, finding fuzzy monster friends who are just as afraid of him and his little dog, Rex, as he is of them! Enjoy this story of bravery and friendship even in unlikely places!

Many have been taught to see God as a terrifying agent of wrath who spews anger at any sign of imperfection. At the same time, they’ve been taught that they are inherently flawed and devoid of goodness. Where does that leave us? For Ben DeLong, it left him hiding his skeletons from the monster he believed God to be. This proved to be a perfect recipe for anxiety, depression, and insecurity. But what if God accepts our skeletons? What if he actually embraces them in love? How would that change our outlook? For Ben, it changed everything. This book is about his journey to find what was always true: we are eternally embraced by God, skeletons and all, and he is never letting go.

Merry's heart was pounding! She took a deep breath. Then she ran to the closet with her arms open, shouting, 'I'm coming to get you, monster! I'm coming to give you a hug and a kiss! I hope you like hugs and kisses!' In The Monster Gets a Hug and a Kiss, Jack Graybill tells how Merry and her daddy put their heads together to get rid of the monster in her closet. Based on a true story, The Monster Gets a Hug and a Kiss portrays one child overcoming her fear in a delightful story for young readers. This is an eLIVE book, meaning each printed copy contains a special code redeemable for the free download of the audio version of the book.

And Daddy Makes Five Rust Creek Ramblings In a town as small as Rust Creek Falls, it would be hard not to notice the new millionaire on Main Street, even if he wasn’t drop-dead gorgeous. But bachelor Autry Jones does not disappoint—he’s every bit as handsome as his settled-down brothers Walker and Hudson. However, this business-minded CEO not only shies away from commitment, he’s also heading for Paris in a month. So why is he keeping company with Marissa Fuller, a young widow with three daughters? Marissa and Autry have made a “no-strings/just friends” agreement, but Abby, Kiera and Kaylee clearly have other ideas. Can a dedicated tycoon find happiness with a mom and her kids? We here at the Gazette are hopeful. Some contracts were made to be broken!

Did you ever notice that every utterance that comes out of a child's mouth ends with either a question mark or an exclamation point? Since the dawn of time, the peanut gallery has been driving their parents crazy-occasionally entertaining them-with the same phrases uttered over and over and over again. Kids are never neutral on any subject. Nor are they always understood. That's why Cathy Hamilton has written Kidisms, a book of kidspeak translations for the parentally challenged. It explains timeless phrases used by all children. Are we there yet? Children under the age of 25 have no concept of time, especially while traveling cross-country without the calming effects of an Enya CD or Auto Bingo. The average kid will ask this question every five to ten miles unless his parents can explain the estimated time of arrival in terms he can comprehend: Okay, pay attention. We left our house at the beginning of Sesame Street and we need to drive through Blue's Clues, Barney, I Love Lucy, and The Gong Show. We won't arrive at the hotel until the end of Nick at Nite. Got it?" Other gems translated for the first time: * I know you are, but what am I? * Where do babies come from? * He started it! * But Dad already said I could! Those who suspect that their mothers and fathers took closely guarded secret courses instructing them on "the significance of enigmatic utterances" won't be surprised to learn there are indeed clandestine languages for parents. And here are the books that decipher them. Finally, Dad's ambiguous responses like "Go ask your mother," cryptic commands such as "Don't make me pull this car over," and the puzzling question, "Do you think I'm made of money?" are explained in comic detail in this handy reference. And Mom's warnings, "Don't you ever let me catch you doing that again!"(implying that you can do it, I just don't want to find out about it) and probes, "Is that what you're going to wear?" are made clear. (Translation of the last Momism: "I wouldn't be caught DEAD in that outfit.") Dadism and Momisms compile these silly turns of phrases handed down from time immemorial. Interpreted for the new century, each one is translated with tongue-in-cheek humor and insight.

A versatile sourcebook for planning classroom activities all year round.

Nonexistence is ubiquitous, yet mysterious. This volume explores some of the most puzzling questions about non-being and nonexistence, and offers answers from diverse philosophical perspectives. The contributors draw on analytic, continental, Buddhist, and Jewish philosophical traditions, and the topics range from metaphysics to ethics, from philosophy of science to philosophy of language, and beyond.

Classic and cutting-edge writings on games, spanning nearly 50 years of game analysis and criticism, by game designers, game journalists, game fans, folklorists, sociologists, and media theorists. The Game Design Reader is a one-of-a-kind collection on game design and criticism, from classic scholarly essays to cutting-edge case studies. A companion work to Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman's textbook Rules of Play: Game Design Fundamentals, The Game Design Reader is a classroom sourcebook, a reference for working game developers, and a great read for game fans and players. Thirty-two essays by game designers, game critics, game fans, philosophers, anthropologists, media theorists, and others consider fundamental questions: What are games and how are they designed? How do games interact with culture at large? What critical approaches can game designers take to create game stories, game spaces, game communities, and new forms of play? Salen and Zimmerman have collected seminal writings that span 50 years to offer a stunning array of perspectives. Game journalists express the rhythms of game play, sociologists tackle topics such as role-playing in vast virtual worlds, players rant and rave, and game designers describe the sweat and tears of bringing a game to market. Each text acts as a springboard for discussion, a potential class assignment, and a source of inspiration. The book is organized around fourteen topics, from The Player Experience to The Game Design Process, from Games and Narrative to Cultural Representation. Each topic, introduced with a short essay by Salen and Zimmerman, covers ideas and research fundamental to the study of games, and points to relevant texts within the Reader. Visual essays between book sections act as counterpoint to the writings. Like Rules of Play, The Game Design Reader is an intelligent and playful book. An invaluable resource for professionals and a unique introduction for those new to the field, The Game Design Reader is essential reading for anyone who takes games seriously.