Collection: Self-Development

Like so many of us, Lucinda Fleeson wanted to escape what had become a routine life. So, she quit her big-city job, sold her suburban house, and moved halfway across the world to the island of Kauai to work at the National Tropical Botanical Garden. Imagine a one-hundred-acre garden estate nestled amid ocean cliffs, rain forests, and secluded coves. Exotic and beautiful, yes, but as Fleeson awakens to this sensual world, exploring the island's food, beaches, and history, she encounters an endangered paradise--the Hawaii we don't see in the tourist brochures.

Native plants are dying at an astonishing rate--Hawaii is called the Extinction Capital of the World--and invasive species (plants, animals, and humans) have imperiled this Garden of Eden. Fleeson accompanies a plant hunter into the rain forest to find the last of a dying species, descends into limestone caves with a paleontologist who deconstructs island history through fossil life, and shadows a botanical pioneer who propagates rare seeds, hoping to reclaim the landscape. Her grown-up adventure is a reminder of the value of choosing passion over security, individuality over convention, and the pressing need to protect the earth. And as she witnesses the island's plant renewal efforts, she sees her own life blossom again.

Start living with more confidence, composure, and peace every day with these 150 easy guided meditations to shut down stress, worry, and anxiety. Stress and anxiety can weigh heavily on our minds. Practicing mindfulness and meditation can help you understand your stress, release your fears and tension, and shift your thoughts and emotions into a more grounded and peaceful pattern. In My Pocket Meditations for Anxiety, you will learn to manage your stress levels by cultivating mindfulness through 150 guided meditations. Now you can find your calm, control your thoughts, manage your fears, and release your worries--no matter where you are!

Become a dinosaur expert! Pit dinosaurs in the ultimate head to head battle to see which of your favorite Jurassic World dinosaurs will come out on top!

This unique novelty book includes 48 split pages, dinosaur stats, and a whole lot of prehistoric facts! Raptor vs. T. Rex? Anklosaurus vs. Stygimoloch? Indominous vs. Carnotaurus? Is speed more important than stealth? Hidden strengths and weaknesses may just give a surprising dinosaur the upper hand. Who will win the ultimate showdown? You be the judge!

Roger Priddy's Baby Touch and Feel Easter Bunny, with touch and feel textures and rollicking rhymes to read, is the perfect gift for Easter.

This book of cute baby animals makes a wonderful treat for little ones during the Easter holiday. Featuring a different texture on each page, this adorable book will stimulate your child's senses and encourage their imagination.

These books feature large areas of textured fabrics for children to touch and feel helping babies develop sensory awareness Words as well as pictures are textured for fun learning.

Fuzzy's Feelings - A Book for Kids about Understanding Emotions

Join this adorable Fuzzy as he learns to identify, understand, and respond to various emotions that he experiences throughout the day. Fuzzy finds himself changing colors and experiencing 8 different emotions of feeling happy, scared, angry, sad, anxious, jealous, embarrassed and empathetic. Join Fuzzy as he learns what each emotion looks like and feels like, and how to overcome these emotions.

Unpack feelings with color with this book that helps young readers identify emotions and use strategies to help them feel more in control.

Fuzzy's Feelings is an engaging story infused with vibrant illustrations that will help kids understand their emotions. This mindful, age-appropriate, and engaging book will help young children identify and manage their unique emotions. Fuzzy's Feelings is relatable for any child, but especially for children experiencing anxiety and extreme emotions, or those who have been diagnosed with autism.

Features:

• An engaging and vibrant character who experiences 8 different emotions
• Useful words and strategies to guide your child to self-regulate their emotions
• Available in paperback (8 x 10 in)

Be sure to grab your copy today!

Fuzzy's Feelings is published by LEFD Designs. See more at: www.lefddesigns.com

Set off on mind-expanding adventures with Merriam-Webster's compendium of 100 word searches, crosswords, word games, and quizzes. Pit your wits against puzzles about animals, machines, space objects, crystals, and dinosaurs, and learn all about our amazing language along the way!

Can you spy the animals hiding in the rainforest word search? Or uncover the gems in the crystal quiz? Become a word magician and transform one word into another! Or crack the clues in the camping crossword. Discover how to spot a palindrome and seek out synonyms!

This inspiring activity book from the experts at Merriam-Webster will not only provide hours of fun, but will foster a love of language and word play--and build vocabulary to describe our astonishing world.

This landmark book on human sexuality makes the sacred lovemaking techniques of the East fully comprehensible to Western readers. Elegantly illustrated, it helps the reader acquire new attitudes and broaden his or her range of experience, to revitalize and strengthen relationships.

This book opens the way to a new stage of fulfillment and bliss, making the sacred lovemaking techniques of the east available to western readers and extending sensual experience for everyone.

"The most comprehensive and clearly written work on contemporary Tantric sex. An exceptional detailed program for both the beginner and the advanced practitioner."
--Herbert A. Otto, author of "Total Sex".

A therapist looks at life's ups and downs (with a bit of help from Charlie Brown and his friends).

From the author of Waking Up Just In Time and Life's Too Short.

A down-to-earth and inspirational guide that will help you

* Overcome low self-esteem
* Build confidence
* Put guilt in its place
* Dispel loneliness

Everybody reads the comics. A chuckle, and then on to the serious stuff. One cartoonist, Charles M. Schulz, has for years done more than just make us laugh. He has offered a treasury of thought, philosophy and psychology.

Dr. Abraham Twerski, during his career as a clinical psychiatrist, has turned his patients toward Peanuts comic strips. Time after time he has found that the wit and wisdom in Schulz's strips is just what his patients needed to see themselves in a new light. It is a unique and effective jumping-off point for the practical, down-to-earth counseling that Dr. Twerski provides.

Let Dr. Twerski help supply the answers to a better life for you, and if you get a few laughs along the way, so much the better.

From selecting yarns and learning basic crochet stitches to assembling your doll or animal and adding whimsical details, The Complete Guide to Crochet Dolls and Animals makes any amigurumi project possible!

Hundreds of photos demonstrate the best crochet stitches to use, along with lessons on how to assemble amigurumi figures correctly and give them more personality. All the basic stitches and steps are explained in detail, including extra directions for left-handed crafters.

This is the official guide created by The Japan Amigurumi Association--whose thousands of members are found all over Japan, the original home of amigurumi. It provides an authoritative overview of techniques and includes all the information that amigurumi enthusiasts need to know to create their own toy.

This indispensable book shows you how to:

• Shape and proportion expressive heads, limbs and tails
• Assemble all the pieces together in a way that makes your toy come alive
• Add armatures so your toys can bend and stand on their own
• Create facial features that give your toy attitude and personality
• Make cute little accessories (zakka) like mittens, scarves and purses

The Complete Guide to Crochet Dolls and Animals includes 3 start to finish project lessons to practice the skills you learn. Then style your own amigurumi with over 1,500 color photos and detailed diagrams instructing more than 100 crochet stitch techniques. This is a book you'll refer to again and again. Open it up, and get ready to crochet!

For centuries plants have been used to assuage or cure a wide variety of human ills. Even such familiar "weeds" as the dandelion have their palliative uses. This informative coloring book, featuring 44 accurate drawings by botanical illustrator Ilil Arbel, focuses on such medicinal plants from around the world as foxglove, belladonna, mayapple, valerian, dandelion, chamomile, quinine, arnica, burdock, tamarind, lobelia, and many more.
Each illustration is accompanied by an informative caption outlining the plant's coloration and physical characteristics, geographic distribution, and medicinal uses. Invaluable as an identification guide and pictorial reference, this volume will appeal to colorists of all ages as well as to artists and crafters in need of royalty-free plant illustrations.

Yes, a coloring book for learning the function and structure of animals! The Zoology Coloring Book is ideal for high school biology students and college zoology students, as well as for all students of nature.

This educational activity book teaches the structure and function of the major animal groups, from simple to complex. Color and learn how a jellyfish stings its prey. Prepare for the frog anatomy exam by coloring. Learn how disease processes work in humans infected with animal parasites through coloring. Experience how a well-designed picture, colored by you, allows for more complete understanding of a subject than passive reading. Coloring this book is a proven, effective way to learn about myriads of creatures, small and large, with whom we inhabit the Earth.

"One of the most important books of our modern era" -Amb. Jaime de Bourbon

For anyone struggling with conflict, this book can transform you. Negotiating the Nonnegotiable takes you on a journey into the heart and soul of conflict, providing unique insight into the emotional undercurrents that too often sweep us out to sea. With vivid stories of his closed-door sessions with warring political groups, disputing businesspeople, and families in crisis, Daniel Shapiro presents a universally applicable method to successfully navigate conflict. A deep, provocative book to reflect on and wrestle with, this book can change your life.

Be warned This book is not a quick fix. Real change takes work. You will learn how to master five emotional dynamics that can sabotage conflict outside your awareness:

1. Vertigo How can you avoid getting emotionally consumed in conflict?
2. Repetition compulsion How can you stop repeating the same conflicts again and again?
3. Taboos How can you discuss sensitive issues at the heart of the conflict?
4. Assault on the sacred What should you do if your values feel threatened?
5. Identity politics What can you do if others use politics against you?

In our era of discontent, this is just the book we need to resolve conflict in our own lives and in the world around us.

Are you striving for improved self-reliance and self-sufficiency for yourself and your family? Author Jessica Sowards of YouTube's Roots & Refuge Farm is the warm and welcoming guide you've been waiting for.

Homesteading is a mindset and a lifestyle aimed at living lightly on the land, being more resourceful, appreciating the value of hard work, and understanding the diverse and amazing connections between humans and the planet we live on. Homesteaders constantly strive for a more sustainable life and a greater connection to the cycles of nature and the foods and goods we consume. Starting your very first homestead is a journey of discovery and passion that's also likely filled with questions and what-ifs. In The First-Time Homesteader, Jessica fills in all the blanks with honesty, humor, and charm.

Now you can take those first and most valuable steps toward establishing your own homestead with a seasoned homesteader at your side. Jessica warmly guides you through the process of setting up your property (no matter how small or large), establishing a garden, welcoming animals into the fold, living more resourcefully, and expanding your homestead kitchen tools and skills with grace and confidence.

Start your first homestead with lessons on:

• Raising chickens for meat and eggs
• Starting and operating a home dairy
• Housing, fencing, and processing advice for meat animals
• Planning and planting your homestead vegetable garden
• Keeping bees for honey, pollination, and beeswax
• Stocking your medicine cabinet with useful herbs and home remedies
• Living a resourceful existence by reusing and repurposing
• Stocking the kitchen with all the tools and techniques you need for success

You don't have to live off-grid or give up contemporary conveniences to homestead. You just have to have the desire to live a more thoughtful and fulfilling life. Take your very first step today, hand in hand with an experienced and enthusiastic guide in The First-Time Homesteader.

Renowned textile artist Meredith Woolnough creates replicas of nature using a delicate system of tiny stitches. Her artwork is breathtaking, and now for the first time Woolnough offers crafters and fiber artists a lesson in how to use the "organic embroidery" technique.

• Look behind the scenes of her art process, from the initial fieldwork sketching and research that inspires her designs, to the production of her ethereal embroidered sculptures.
• Guides you through 12 creativity-prompting activities to help you begin your own mastery of this method.
• Learn to find your desired shape; or pattern in nature, from sources like leaves, shells, or coral.
• Use your sewing machine to turn it into openwork art.

You'll also enjoy dozens of inspirational photos of Woolnough's own art pieces. Woolnough's instructions offer simple but highly versatile techniques and allow you space for your own creative approach.

Notice what matters, sharpen your intuition, and grow personally and professionally by honing your skills of reflection in this illustrated guide from Stanford University's d.school.

While we often think of reflection as a way to consider what is or was, it can also be a powerful tool for imagining and shaping what could be. Through activities based on the science, art, and practice of reflection, this book guides you through simple experiments that teach you how to make meaning from your experiences and, as a result, support your goals and values.

Stanford professor Leticia Britos Cavagnaro sets up each experiment with a stated hypothesis, a simple method, and direction for gauging your results. With each experiment, you'll build concrete skills and learn how to shift your mindsets as you strengthen your ability to reflect with purpose.

With thought-provoking collage-style illustrations from artist Gabriela Sánchez, Experiments in Reflection helps you tune into your environment, train your intuition, and shape the future you want.

Internationally recognized trauma treatment expert Dr. J. Eric Gentry presents his three-step Forward-Facing(R) process for healing from toxic stress that you can start today, without needing to revisit the pains of the past.

Freedom from and freedom to...

It's an indisputable truth that we live in the safest, healthiest, and most advanced time period in history-yet we are sicker and more stressed out than ever. Technology and other modern-age advancements have connected us in unprecedented ways, but they also provide us with a 24/7-view to the world's problems. As stress-related physical and mental illnesses increase and suicide rates spike, we're a nation of people navigating not only the fears and uncertainties of our present but the experienced trauma of our childhoods-which informs our threat response in the here and now. Amidst all of this upheaval, we might ask ourselves: How can I find transformative healing and lasting resilience without escaping society altogether?

It is possible to heal yourself, and this simple solution is one you can begin right now.

Distilled from decades of neuroscience, psychotherapy, and evidence-based trauma treatment methods for immediate use by the everyday reader, Dr. Gentry's Forward-Facing(R) Freedom instantly gives you back control of your body and brain, without ever having to relive your traumatic stress.

Imagine this scenario unfolding in your own life: Freedom from stress, anxiety, trauma, interpersonal conflicts and failed relationships, self-criticism, and even despair. All of it replaced with the freedom to-freedom to feel safe, peaceful, and in total physical and mental comfort; to experience boundless levels of joy and positive growth; to behave with intention and in alignment with your principles; and best of all, to have hope.

In the style of pioneering, popular psychology works such as Bessel van der Kolk's The Body Keeps the Score and Bruce Perry's Waking the Tiger: Healing Trauma that educate about trauma's physiological origins and how to override this instinctual response, Dr. Gentry's three-step Forward-Facing(R) process is poised to become the next touchstone in the neuropsychology field. Championing our innate capacities for overcoming a traumatic past, speaking truth to wellbeing over illness, and tapping into a well of intentionality and resilience to take on each day no matter what it may hold, Forward-Facing(R) Freedom offers a new kind of solution for toxic stress, one so desperately needed today.

Here's what you'll learn as you adopt Forward-Facing(R) Freedom's practices in your own life:

-Where stress really comes from-your nervous system as a means of survival-and techniques for mindful relaxation to release the stress and prevent more from accruing.

-A deeper understanding of how the traumas of the past impact you today, and tools for replacing reactive thoughts and actions with intentional ones by defining your personal code of honor, mission in life, and vision for the future.

-Simple methods for identifying and managing triggers to build resilience and foster post-traumatic growth, marked by better relationships and a new appreciation for life.

It's time to take back control of your happiness and health- to face forward with these newfound abilities to heal your past, transform your present, and enjoy a future on purpose.