Finally, a book on how to make gnomes! Are you interested in learning how to make Tomtes, unique Scandinavian gnomes, from recycled sweaters? The Recycled Gnome is a book that shares the history of the Swedish Tomte as well as step by step instructions with hundreds of photos to make a variety of gnomes from up cycled materials. The gnomes are 12 tall, made with minimal sewing, wired and hot glued together. Directions include adding a unique, simple base that makes these gnomes sturdy and different from other handcrafted gnomes. These gnomes have been a sellout at craft fairs. Make gnomes with materials you probably already have: cardboard, sweaters, pillows and sheets. Once you make one, you will be hooked!

Visit Sri Lanka and be home by bedtime

Discover the magic, culture, and beauty of Sri Lanka in this one-of-a-kind children's alphabet book.

A perfect travel book for children, each page highlights a vocabulary word like Buddha, jackfruit, monsoon, and yoga. Take your kids around the world while they learn their ABCs

A portion of all proceeds are donated to the Mallavi Central College to support the education of Sri Lankan girls.

The Long Winter is one of the most memorable novels in Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House series. It beautifully details the dramatic events of The Hard Winter of 1880-81, a harrowing time with months of never-ending blizzards leading to railroad blockades that all but cut off fledgling communities. But what really happened that winter?

Lively and rewarding, award-winning The Beautiful Snow is a new look at The Hard Winter. Pulling from nearly three thousand regional newspaper articles, The Beautiful Snow weaves the historical record around and through Wilder's fictionalized account. From the tireless efforts to dig out the railroad blockades, to lavish oyster parties, to carefully spun boosterism, The Hard Winter comes to life with extraordinary tales of survival, resilience, and defiance that adds rich context to Wilder's beloved novel.

The Beautiful Snow placed gold in the 2021 IPPY awards, and was a finalist in the 2020 National Indie Excellence Awards.

Cindy Wilson

fell in love with the Little House books in third grade, when she selected On the Banks of Plum Creek from the library. Cindy is passionate about history and enchanted by the prairie landscape. When not meticulously poring over newspaper archives, she enjoys traveling, delving into architecture, creating art quilts, reading, hiking, and biking. She especially treasures time with her daughter, Laura, who at any given moment is living in some remote corner of the globe, exploring other cultures and histories.

While Cindy's soul is most refreshed in South Dakota, she lives in southern Minnesota. And while she spent two years immersed in the Hard Winter of 1880-81, her ideal day is actually eighty degrees with a smidge of humidity.

Reviewed by Pikasho Deka for Readers' Favorite:

Engross yourself in a world of magic and wonder with Gaia and the Mystery of Kukulkan. Written by Aniko Brang and Nancy Saros, the story follows a thirteen-year-old snake teen named Gaia who lives in a den with her family in Moon Meadow. Ever since she was a kid, Gaia and her friends were forbidden to go to the rock tower of Kukulkan. However, after Moon Meadow's Grand Wizard Mandihar takes Gaia's brother, Pharaoh, under his wing to enact his nefarious plans, Gaia and best friend Lucima set off for the Kukulkan tower. After encountering the legendary HOXD, Gaia somehow returns home, only to discover Mandihar and his army have launched an attack on Kukulkan. Suddenly, Gaia finds herself amid a terrible battle that puts the lives of those she cares about in grave danger.

Gaia and the Mystery of Kukulkan is the perfect book for young adult readers who love stories featuring extraordinary creatures, creative worldbuilding, and lots of magic. The world that authors Aniko Brang and Nancy Saros have built feels authentic and immersive. Full of mystery, adventure, and thrills, the narrative is thoroughly engaging, and you don't want to put the book down before finishing it. But it's the characters who will win your heart. Brang and Saros have crafted some relatable and likable characters you can't help but adore. Gaia, Lucima, and Kimba were my favorites from the bunch. The last few pages are action-packed, enhancing the stakes and making you root for our heroes to make it out alive. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and hope to read a sequel one day.

The Northland beckons
Breathe, paddle, wander, observe
Much will be revealed

Journey to the beautiful Boundary Waters of Minnesota and Canada. This sweet collection of haiku poetry allows readers to explore nature and meet the animals who call this treasured wilderness home.

About the Author: Sandra Hisakuni is an English language teacher who has taught in Japan, China, and the United States. She enjoys spending time in the wilderness and with her son and daughter. She lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

About the Illustrator: Sofia Hisakuni has always had a passion for expressing her creativity through art, drawing, and design. She currently works in marketing, and enjoys spending time outdoors and visiting her mom. She lives in Los Angeles, California.

Embracing change is easier than leaders think.

In this fun and fascinating airplane read, Nick Tasler--organizational psychology expert and Harvard Business Review columnist--inspires busy leaders to embrace change sooner so their teams can grow faster and achieve greater success. Tasler's evidence-based advice is enlivened by tales of real leaders from Big Tech to Big Chocolate, from 17th-century physicists to Nick's ping-pong-playing exploits. You'll discover how to turn a plateau into a launchpad, why agile optimism is more effective than positive thinking, why burning platforms make people want to jump ship, and much more. Before your plane touches ground, you'll be ready to transform any period of change into a Year of Wonders.

Wake up, mermaid. Balance has been disrupted, and we must fight. Nature as we know it needs restoration. We need our water back.

Lake Superior is home to hundreds of shipwrecks . . . but only one mermaid. H doesn't know where she came from. She doesn't even know her full name. That hasn't stopped her from having a good time: she's spent the last few decades evading tourists, befriending local wildlife, and sharing spectral martinis with shipwrecked spirits. But there are whispers in the waters, rumors of a strange new threat killing whitefish by the hundreds. Out of the deep blue nowhere, H finds her North Shore paradise under attack. H must unravel her origins and harness long-dormant powers to lead Gitchi-Gami's residents (furred, finned, and ectoplasmic alike) in the fight to reclaim their waters. It will take unexpected allies, divine intervention, and pie . . . lots of pie.

Includes maps as well as numerous charming black-and-white illustrations by artist Jill Myer.

Kai is curious.
She knows what the Northwoods look like through her own eyes . . .
But what do the woods look like from the tips of treetops or from the great lake's shore?

Join one very brave young girl as she travels deep into the Northwoods, meets all sorts of kind creatures, and dares to see her world from different perspectives.

Author Tove Conway grew up on a prairie preserve in Iowa surrounded by native wildflowers, buzzing bees, burly oaks, and hooting owls. In the forests of tallgrass, she learned to listen to the earth's many voices. During her college career, Tove lived in Minnesota where she decided to study what felt like home: literature and the environment. She is now on track to receive her PhD in literature from the University of Iowa. From the prairies to the Northwoods, Tove seeks adventure and longs to tell the stories and splendors of nature for all its keen listeners -- both young and wise. When she's not writing, you might find Tove gardening, practicing yoga, walking her dachshund, or laughing with her family.

Illustrator Kari Vick was raised high upon a bluff in Red Wing, Minnesota, overlooking the Mississippi River. She paddled the backwaters amidst heron rookeries with her future husband, Jim. In 1985, they moved north and raised two daughters in a little house on the shore of Lake Superior, with the Boundary Waters Canoe Area for a backyard. Over forty years of wilderness adventures ensued: camping, canoeing, hiking, skiing, fishing, foraging, and maple syruping to name just a few. Whether working in her garden or studio, Kari listens for stories told by ravens and mushrooms and captures them in her paintings.

A little girl asked her father, What did you do in the war, Daddy?

Tucking his child in bed, he answered with a fantastic story about a whale. A tale she wholeheartedly believed, until she didn't. He never talked about his war again.

Coming of age during the Vietnam era, the daughter watched war play out on TV, listened to broadcasts of the draft on the radio, faced the mirror of a Vietnam Memorial engraved with names of the dead, joined the protest movement as a secondhand participant. During the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the mother of three saw young men and women come home damaged in body, mind, and spirit.

The child's original question launched a lifelong quest to understand this thing call war. What was it like, being there, in real time? When her father died in 1992, she believed he'd taken his true war story with him. Only years later would she find a thick packet of letters he'd written to his mother dated from early summer 1944 to April 1946, rich with stories from the Pacific front.

Decades after the fact, the boy who went to war came to life again, took his daughter by the hand, and carried her with him. The two weren't alone on the journey. She'd brought numerous traveling companions along for the wild ride--Herman Melville, Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, Kurt Vonnegut, Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., Mary Oliver, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, and others. Slipping the last letter back into its envelope, what could she do but write him back, respond to compelling pieces of his story, resume the conversation they never had . . . about his war.

Gizo-Gizo the spider is a lazy, selfish fellow. So when he starts a gold mine that pollutes the Zongo Lagoon and makes other animals sick, naturally he ignores everyone else's concerns. ''Someday, when I am rich, I will buy this place,'' he tells them. ''I can do whatever I want '' But when the fish groan with upset stomachs and the frogs wince from sore throats caused by the filthy water, Tortoise and Crab decide that things have gone too far. They come up with a clever plan to teach their friend Spider a lesson and make him clean up his mess. Originally written and drawn by students from Cape Coast, Ghana, this community-created, contemporary folktale examines environmental sustainability and personal responsibility. And with colorful illustrations inspired by West African textiles and a text that includes Hausa words and phrases, it also provides a great platform for cross-cultural exploration.

Empower yourself with My Little Book of Big Money, a comprehensive guide to financial freedom by Paul A. Tran. In this transformative book, Tran shares practical strategies and invaluable insights to help readers take control of their finances and build a secure future.

With a blend of personal anecdotes, expert advice, and easy-to-follow tips, Tran demystifies complex financial concepts and offers actionable steps for budgeting, saving, and investing wisely. From understanding debt to maximizing savings, each chapter is packed with real-life examples and proven techniques to help readers achieve their financial goals.

Whether you're just starting your financial journey or looking to improve your current situation, My Little Book of Big Money provides the tools and guidance you need to thrive. Take charge of your finances today and unlock the path to financial success with this empowering resource.

Brandon has autism and sometimes he's afraid to try new things. Sometimes he doesn't want to join the game. Sometimes he'd rather not jump in the pool. But then he spots a sign that changes everything!

Surveyor Charles Wood Irish had a job to do: chart a path for the Chicago & North Western Railroad, beginning in Tracy, Minnesota, and heading toward gold-rich Deadwood in the Dakota Territory. But roaming the prairies was an unpleasant endeavor. We suffered much was Irish's not-uncommon refrain.

Artfully drawn from diaries, letters, and contemporary newspapers, We Suffered Much chronicles Charles Wood Irish's two-year odyssey through the Dakota Territory. It's a tale of ordinary work and extraordinary adventures. A tale of sickness and hardiness. A tale of unimaginable conditions and awesome wonders. It's also a tale of Irish's devotion to his profession as well as his family. A man ahead of his time, he strove to stay connected to his wife and daughters, who proved to be just as adventurous and capable as he.

In a special behind-the-scenes look, We Suffered Much also includes author Cindy Wilson's own research adventures as she retraces Irish's footsteps.

This book is about the process of deciding how we determine our use of any particular biblical text. In essence, we are each the architect of our own biblical house. let's take an honest look at how we have designed our individual house.

In this inspired and engaging work, Mark Wickstrom shows how conflicting religious opinions derive not from contradictions in the Bible but from personal agendas that contradict the gospel of grace. he identifies the timeless truths, cultural norms, personal opinions, and random texts that suit personalagendas and may create divisions among the faithful. read the gospel of grace to discover how to create deeper understanding and unity in faith communities large and small.

Inside this book, discover:

- how Congress forced doctors to install surveillance in the exam room

- hard facts from over 125 studies and reports about the impact of EHRs on medical care, costs, patient safety, and more

- how patient treatment decisions are controlled (and tracked) by the EHR

- what specific steps back to freedom, privacy, and patient safety are available, and why we must act now.

It's hard to leave a familiar place, but you can make new friends anywhere! This bright picture book, focusing on a young girl who moves to the US from Kenya, will help children learn about different cultures and how they can make connections with kids who may not look alike or speak the same language but can still be great friends.

My Friends around the World is a great resource for immigrant families, educators with diverse classrooms, and kids who have moved to a different city, state, or country.

Zoe is vibrant, engaging, and lovable - an absolute treasure!

-Allison Cook, MSW, MD

Zoe the dinosaur loves to roar!
And she's an excellent roar-er!
But what happens when all that she knows is interrupted?
Will she ever roar again?

Zoe begins to worry when a new experience comes into her life by surprise. Her worries start to spiral out of control, making her feel overwhelmed. With a little help, Zoe soon learns how to manage big emotions, and her hiccups. Come and see how this scrappy little dinosaur finds calm in the midst of something brand new!