“A lively survey…her research and insights make us conscious of how we, today, use books.”—John Sutherland, The New York Times Book Review Two centuries before the advent of radio, television, and motion pictures, books were a cherished form of popular entertainment and an integral component of domestic social life. In this fascinating and vivid history, Abigail Williams explores the ways in which shared reading shaped the lives and literary culture of the eighteenth century, offering new perspectives on how books have been used by their readers, and the part they have played in middle-class homes and families. Drawing on marginalia, letters and diaries, library catalogues, elocution manuals, subscription lists, and more, Williams offers fresh and fascinating insights into reading, performance, and the history of middle-class home life. “Williams’s charming pageant of anecdotes…conjures a world strikingly different from our own but surprisingly similar in many ways, a time when reading was on the rise and whole worlds sprang up around it.”—TheWashington Post

Hi! My name is Alex Pianola. Since the coronavirus lockdown began, I’ve been stuck at home with ten monsters and my parents. Gradually, I’ve realized that everyone else is in the same situation and we all I have to learn to do everyday things differently. I am eager to go outside, but thanks to the monsters and my friend Lidia, I’ve learned more about the virus and the whole point of the lockdown. We have to be responsible. We have to support our healthcare system, research and science, but we also need to take care of the planet and of each other, because we are all in the same boat. This special digital edition guide helps young readers learn to live with the coronavirus and play their part in stopping it from spreading. It encourages children to calmly reflect on what they are experiencing and teaches them how to cope with the anxiety that changes in routine can create. The information about COVID-19 is presented in a kid-friendly format and is easy to understand. Great care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the scientific facts presented, thanks to the input of specialists such as Salvador Macip (doctor, scientist and writer), Toni Hernández (physicist, linguist and teacher) and Elena Rottier (psychologist). Together we will defeat the virus and there will be more Alex and the Monsters adventures! -- Jaume Copons

Features 50 hands-on activites you can conduct in the comfort of your home. They are divided into five learning areas - Literacy, Numeracy, Discover of the world, Motor skills, and Sensory play, arts and crafts. Each project is scaled for children of different ages to experience together.

A practical guide for modern-day parenting geared towards stay-at-home dads, offering advice on everything from learning to cook and clean with children, to dealing with mental health and relationships and addressing male loneliness, with the easygoing perspective that dads can use their natural talents to parent any way that they choose. The Ultimate Stay-at-Home Dad manual takes the best advice and wisdom from a dads' group, and puts it into a format to help new stay-at-home fathers. Characterized by actionable and direct advice to fathers, the book takes on parenting from a father's point of view and encourages dads to use their natural talents to become a better parent. That advice is further bolstered by an additional 57 other dads who also give advice. All this advice is framed by the author's personal stories, which help the reader connect with the content and drives the advice home. This is a book that takes on day-to-day parenting, not just as a stay-at-home dad--working fathers could benefit from this book as much as at-home dads.

This New York Times bestselling book is filled with hundreds of fun, deceptively simple, budget-friendly ideas for sprucing up your home. With two home renovations under their (tool) belts and millions of hits per month on their blog YoungHouseLove.com, Sherry and John Petersik are home-improvement enthusiasts primed to pass on a slew of projects, tricks, and techniques to do-it-yourselfers of all levels. Packed with 243 tips and ideas—both classic and unexpected—and more than 400 photographs and illustrations, this is a book that readers will return to again and again for the creative projects and easy-to-follow instructions in the relatable voice the Petersiks are known for. Learn to trick out a thrift-store mirror, spice up plain old roller shades, "hack" your Ikea table to create three distinct looks, and so much more.

Help children discover the joy of Christmas 2020 with this timely picture book that affirms the special magic of the holidays even if we're physically separated from our loved ones! Christmas will always mean love. Even if love looks a little different this year. As families and communities come together--and stay apart--in creative ways this holiday season, bring comfort and joy to children with this story about a Christmas like no other. Always Together at Christmas highlights different family traditions and the ways they're changing in 2020: from Santa's elves practicing social distancing to opening presents via Zoom on Christmas morning. And it even includes ideas for new quarantine-appropriate Christmas traditions! The sweet and cozy illustrations add classic touches, making this book the perfect gift to share with family and friends from across the miles.

In this spine-tickling traditional tale, an old woman finds a hairy toe - and soon the owner comes looking for it!While out picking beans an old woman finds a hairy toe - and soon wishes she hadn't - especially when its owner comes looking for it... Humorously illustrated by Daniel Postgate this spine-tickling traditional tale is perfect for halloween and shouts to be read out loud!

Discover the gift of friendship! In a time when many women feel lonely and isolated, Girls’ Club calls us to embrace the delight and comfort that can be found in life-giving friendships with women— and to cultivate relationships that not only offer emotional affirmation and acceptance, but also inspire, educate, and stretch us to live out our God-given potential. Told through stories and encouragement based on the authors’ experiences—Sally, a seasoned mother and well beloved author; her daughter Sarah, an Oxford scholar and new mother; and her youngest daughter Joy, a professional young woman pursuing her doctorate—Girls’ Club will speak to the importance of cultivating deep and lasting friendship at every stage in life. Join Sally, Sarah, and Joy as they explore the power, difficulties, potential, beauty, and satisfaction of friendships that help us live purposeful, Godly lives and that satisfy our longing for meaningful and intimate companionship. Also available: The Girls’ Club Experience (9781496436115), a companion guide to help women plant and deepen the roots of friendship.

Emerging adults today feel homeless and alone. How can the church share the good news of a God who offers home and togetherness? Home Together gives a compelling account of a Christian student residence that has shared this good news by engaging emerging adults in a community of discipleship and belonging. For over thirty years, the Menno Simons Centre in Vancouver, British Columbia has supported university students and helped them to grow together in their faith. Using the metaphor of home to describe this community, Thomas Bergen outlines a practical theology of ministry among emerging adults as a shared home construction project. He explores six aspects of the Menno Simons Centre as home—spiritual, supportive, sabbatical, safe, spurring, and sending—combining theological reflection, cultural analysis, personal testimonies, and practical wisdom. Set against the backdrop of postmodern challenges, Home Together offers an inspiring model of ministry among university students that might well be adapted for other contexts.