Encourage speech development with fun games and activities from veteran speech pathologist Francine Davids. From babbling babies to young elementary schoolers, this fun, engaging collection of educational games and activities can jump-start language development at any stage. Whether your child has a developmental delay or you just want to set them up for success, The Gift of Gab provides all the tools you need to practice language in a low-pressure way. With the calm reassurance of a lifelong educator, author Francine Davids also offers background on the basics of language development, a range of milestones, and some easy ways to tell if your child is on the right track. Organized by game type, so parents can easily find the most age-appropriate material, The Gift of Gab covers a range of fun approaches, including: -Singing and clapping games -Games that use toys you already have in the house -Games using homemade materials like cootie catchers and paper dice -Imaginative card games -Games to play on the go, in the car, or at the grocery store -Games for larger groups -And even games to teach social skills like taking turns! With a range of printable materials available online for free download, The Gift of Gab not only takes the stress out of language development, it also offers an accessible, play-based way to connect with your child every day.

We all know eloquence when we hear it. But what exactly is it? And how might we gain more of it for ourselves? This entertaining and, yes, eloquent book illuminates the power of language from a linguistic point of view and provides fascinating insights into the way we use words. David Crystal, a world-renowned expert on the history and usage of the English language, probes the intricate workings of eloquence. His lively analysis encompasses everyday situations (wedding speeches, business presentations, storytelling) as well as the oratory of great public gatherings. Crystal focuses on the here and now of eloquent speaking—from pitch, pace, and prosody to jokes, appropriateness, and how to wield a microphone. He explains what is going on moment by moment and examines each facet of eloquence. He also investigates topics such as the way current technologies help or hinder our verbal powers, the psychological effects of verbal excellence, and why certain places or peoples are thought to be more eloquent than others. In the core analysis of the book, Crystal offers an extended and close dissection of Barack Obama’s electrifying “Yes we can” speech of 2008, in which the president demonstrated full mastery of virtually every element of eloquence—from the simple use of parallelism and an awareness of what not to say, to his brilliant conclusion constructed around two powerful words: dreams and answers.

‘Readers can't get enough of him.’ The Independent It's a normal week for Rowena Batts. A car full of stewed apples. A police cell. A struggle to keep Dad off national TV. Then her world turns upside down. Rowena, a girl who can't speak, sets out to uncover the truth behind her mother's death, which may be connected to a big family secret her dad is too ashamed to admit ... until it ends up on the news. Escaping to France alongside her dad to avoid media attention, Rowena embarks on a quest to find the person responsible. This touching story is filled with humour and emotional depth as Rowena navigates a foreign language and culture, while finding her own voice and inner strength. ------------------ PRAISE FOR MORRIS GLEITZMAN ‘A brilliantly funny writer’ Sunday Telegraph ‘A virtuoso demonstration of how you can make comedy out of the most unlikely subject’ Sunday Times ‘He is one of the finest examples of a writer who can make humour stem from the things that really matter in life.’ The Guardian

The trick of moving from ‘average’ to ‘outstanding’ lies in ‘communication’. When you are able to articulate, present and write better than others, you move into the extraordinary league. While most of us agree to these positive effects of communication, we conveniently ignore the downside of communication breakdown, which can lead to stunted professional growth. The Gift of the Gab: The Subtle Art of Communicating will help you develop a communication strategy that can lead to improvements in your working style. Choosing the right words, listening well and getting your message across eloquently are skills that can be perfected. By changing your communication strategy you can increase your motivation, and improve your productivity and profitability at work. This book is a corporate guide that can help you become the person you aspire to be.

One of the biggest myths that plagues the business world today is that our ability to network depends on having the “gift-of-gab.” You don’t have to be outgoing to be successful at networking. You don’t have to become a relentless self-promoter. In fact, you don’t have to act like an extrovert at all. The truth is that when introverts are armed with a plan that lets them be their authentic selves, they make the best networkers. Matthew Pollard, an introvert himself, draws on over a decade of research and real-world examples to provide an actionable blueprint for introverted networking. A sequel to Pollard’s international bestseller The Introvert’s Edge: How the Quiet and Shy Can Outsell Anyone, this book masterfully confronts the stigma around the so-called extroverted arena of networking. In The Introvert’s Edge to Networking, you’ll discover how to: Overcome your fear and discomfort when networking Turn networking into a repeatable system Leverage your innate introverted strengths Target and connect with top influencers Leverage the power of virtual and social networking The introvert’s roadmap to success doesn’t look like the extroverts, we’re different and we should embrace that. Whether you’re a small business owner struggling to make a living or a professional who’s hit a career plateau, The Introvert’s Edge to Networking is your path to a higher income and a rolodex of powerful connections.

Bruno Littlemore is quite unlike any chimpanzee in the world. Precocious, self-conscious and preternaturally gifted, young Bruno, born and raised in a habitat at the local zoo, falls under the care of a university primatologist named Lydia Littlemore. Learning of Bruno's ability to speak, Lydia takes Bruno into her home to oversee his education and nurture his passion for painting. But for all of his gifts, the chimpanzee has a rough time caging his more primal urges. His untimely outbursts ultimately cost Lydia her job, and send the unlikely pair on the road in what proves to be one of the most unforgettable journeys -- and most affecting love stories -- in recent literature. Like its protagonist, this novel is big, loud, abrasive, witty, perverse, earnest and amazingly accomplished. The Evolution of Bruno Littlemore goes beyond satire by showing us not what it means, but what it feels like be human -- to love and lose, learn, aspire, grasp, and, in the end, to fail.

This sequel to How to Rap breaks down and examines techniques that have not previously been explained—such as triplets, flams, lazy tails, and breaking rhyme patterns. Based on interviews with hip-hop's most innovative artists and groups, including Tech N9ne, Crooked I, Pharcyde, Das EFX, Del the Funky Homosapien, and Big Daddy Kane, this book takes you through the intricacies of rhythm, rhyme, and vocal delivery, delving into the art form in unprecedented detail. It is a must-read for MCs looking to take their craft to the next level, as well as anyone fascinated by rapping and its complexity.

Being different from the masses is one of the greatest gifts that you possess! Let s face it: Who wants to be just like everyone else? Talk about boring! People come in all shapes and sizes and are born with natural and unnatural gifts and talents like no other, and your greatest challenge is to discover your gifts and then apply them to the world to create a better place, a better planet, a better universe! That is my challenge to you so that all of us can get along peacefully and become truly a population of one. I would like to ask you some questions to help you discover what makes you unique, different, and awesome. Are you different? Are you unique? Do you look different than others? Talk differently than others? Do you walk differently than others? Have you been born with talents that very few others have? Have you been brainwashed to look at your talents as a disability? Do you stay up nights dwelling on all the things in life you don t have, rather than focus on all the blessings you do have? Have you ever been bullied at school, at home, and in many areas in your life? Have you ever been called a retard, dumb, disabled ? If you have answered yes to any of these questions, perhaps you have yet to understand, accept, and apply your unique gifts to make the world a better place. If you have answered Yes to any of these questions, I feel your pain, I have walked in your shoes, and I can empathize with your situation. I have been bullied, called a retard, told that I am disabled, put in special classes, advised that I should not expect to reach my goals. My name is Tyler McNamer and I have been called ALL of the above many, many times in my life. I am nineteen years old and have been blessed with autism my entire life. I have chosen to accept my label of autism not as a disability but as an extraordinary ability and I want to help you overcome the label that you may have suffered from for many years of your life. So what is autism? The dictionary defines autism as a mental condition, present from early childhood, characterized by great difficulty in communicating and forming relationships with others. Also, it is defined as a mental condition in which fantasy dominates over reality. So just how many people today are affected by this condition? According to a recent WebMD study, 1 in 88 kids today has autism and for boys the numbers is 1 in 54. Also you might be surprised to learn that since 2002, autism has increased by 78 percent. Let s put those numbers in perspective. A high school with 1,000 students enrolled is going to have 11 students with this condition, and a bigger high school with 2,500 students is going to have 28 students with autism. So, now that you know more about autism, let me highlight some of the things you will learn by reading this book since I want to assure you that this book is not just a book about autism it is a book about how we can all live together in harmony regardless of our differences. In this book, you are going to learn that, despite our differences and diversities, we can get along and become a population of one to serve others. In this book, you will learn the importance of becoming the leader in your own life, following your dreams. You will learn to focus on your blessings instead of being discouraged by your challenges. In this book, you will learn to embrace change and continue to learn for a lifetime. In this book, you will learn what it is like to be blessed with the unique ability of having autism. You will learn how not only to cope with your gifts, but to thrive in life and pursue your goals despite your challenges. In this book, you will learn how to turn your ability into a blessing to serve others

National Book Critics Circle Award Winner: Biography Category National Book Award Finalist 2015 Winner of the Sheridan Morley Prize for Theatre Biography American Academy of Arts and Letters’ Harold D. Vursell Memorial Award A Chicago Tribune 'Best Books of 2014' USA Today: 10 Books We Loved Reading Washington Post, 10 Best Books of 2014 The definitive biography of America's greatest playwright from the celebrated drama critic of The New Yorker. John Lahr has produced a theater biography like no other. Tennessee Williams: Mad Pilgrimage of the Flesh gives intimate access to the mind of one of the most brilliant dramatists of his century, whose plays reshaped the American theater and the nation's sense of itself. This astute, deeply researched biography sheds a light on Tennessee Williams's warring family, his guilt, his creative triumphs and failures, his sexuality and numerous affairs, his misreported death, even the shenanigans surrounding his estate. With vivid cameos of the formative influences in Williams's life—his fierce, belittling father Cornelius; his puritanical, domineering mother Edwina; his demented sister Rose, who was lobotomized at the age of thirty-three; his beloved grandfather, the Reverend Walter Dakin—Tennessee Williams: Mad Pilgrimage of the Flesh is as much a biography of the man who created A Streetcar Named Desire, The Glass Menagerie, and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof as it is a trenchant exploration of Williams’s plays and the tortured process of bringing them to stage and screen. The portrait of Williams himself is unforgettable: a virgin until he was twenty-six, he had serial homosexual affairs thereafter as well as long-time, bruising relationships with Pancho Gonzalez and Frank Merlo. With compassion and verve, Lahr explores how Williams's relationships informed his work and how the resulting success brought turmoil to his personal life. Lahr captures not just Williams’s tempestuous public persona but also his backstage life, where his agent Audrey Wood and the director Elia Kazan play major roles, and Marlon Brando, Anna Magnani, Bette Davis, Maureen Stapleton, Diana Barrymore, and Tallulah Bankhead have scintillating walk-on parts. This is a biography of the highest order: a book about the major American playwright of his time written by the major American drama critic of his time.

God reaches out to where you are. He isnt cooped up in church, glued to the pews, detached from what matters most to you. Hes bustling through your crowded schedule, flagging you down, waving until you take notice and give pause. He speaks even while youre in the middle of a vegetable-slicing, dinner-prepping, multi-tasking moment. The God who is interested in your comings and goings, weaves through your routines to grab your attention. He has invaded your kitchen space and is cooking up a feast for you. Whats on the menu? Generous helpings of love and mercy, seasoned to perfection with His grace. Hes ready to serve you a platter of patience and integrity, but not until theyre roasted through suffering. He has bowls of sweet comfort for the grief-stricken and stillness for the frazzled. God is in the Kitchen invites you to a serendipitous discovery to broaden your awareness of Gods not-so-hidden intervention in the ordinary. Dont watch out for big miracles alone. God peppers even the most drab, yawn-inducing day with little surprises. You only need eyes of faith to spot them. God is busy in the kitchen. Guess what Hes whipping up for you?