Collection: Self-Development

A delightful collection of crochet amigurumi patterns for interactive, activity toys for babies and toddlers.

Evidence shows that play contributes to the development of important cognitive, motor, emotional and linguistic skills and plays a key role in raising self-confident, creative and happy children. And what could be better than a handmade crochet toy.

The crochet projects in this collection all have an interactive and educational element for play and this helps toddlers to meet important developmental milestones in a fun way. Author, Svetlana Golova, has designed a range of toys which can be played with in several different ways to enable children to develop a wide range of skills. Some of the toys feature different materials that make a noise in order to enhance the interactice experience and there are instructions for which materials to use.

The Monkey Shape Sorter, Elephant Stacking Toy, and Giraffe Threading Toy-- along with other toys in this pattern book--will entertain babies and young children for a number of years and then, as the child grows older, they will become treasured members of a soft toy collection.

Other toys, including the quiet books and the Farmyard Activity Cube will appeal to adults and children alike who will enjoy playing and reading them together and making up their own stories.

The toys have been designed around popular themes such as farm animals; sea life; dinosaurs and wild animals and all of them have an interactive element. Projects include shape sorters; stacking toys; an activity cube; threading toys, rattles and quiet books.

All of the patterns are written in US crochet terminology, and range in difficulty and there are ability ratings so you can build your skills by starting with the simpler projects. The patterns use basic crochet stitches so there are no complicated new stitches or techniques to learn, and the construction of the toys is explained with step-by-step instructions and photography. All of the key crochet techniques are explained in the General Techniques section.

Follow the remarkable journey of a trailblazing American leader, Dr. Antonia Novello, the first woman and the first Hispanic Surgeon General of the United States
Dr. Antonia Novello is a vanguard in the United States and Puerto Rico, whose enduring commitment to service has left an indelible mark on the world of public health. With a distinguished career spanning more than four decades, including serving as the US Surgeon General and the New York State Commissioner of Health during 9/11, her story highlights an unwavering dedication to improving the well-being of individuals and communities. 
Dr. Novello's story is one of challenges faced and overcome, of resilience and perseverance, and of shattering glass ceilings and opening doors for future generations of leaders. With honesty and openness, she shares her early battles with childhood illness and her desire to overcome stereotypes, while also chronicling her meteoric rise through various roles in the field of health care, leading to her service as the nation's top medical officer. From her struggles to her celebrations to her tireless advocacy for the health of young people, each chapter offers a glimpse into the resilience and wisdom that have shaped her life, unveiling the profound lessons she has gathered along the way.

In Duty Calls, readers will learn about:
- Dr. Novello's early life and her struggles with congenital megacolon
- Her medical school and internship experiences
- How she became the first female/first Hispanic Surgeon General of the United States
- Dr. Novello's work as the New York State Commissioner of Health during 9/11
- Her efforts to vaccinate and provide health care resources to her home in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria
- Wisdom and insights Dr. Novello gained through her life experiences, as well as her advice for the next generation (and everyone else!)

Try new things, overcome your fears, and broaden your world. You'll feel empowered, emboldened, and energized when you step outside your comfort zone and Just Say Yes!

Just Say Yes! Say "YES" to what challenges you. Say "YES" to facing your fears. Say "YES" to reinventing yourself. Say "YES" to a more exciting and bigger world. Whether it's something little--like trying a new food--or something big--like traveling to a far away country--we feel empowered when we say YES. You can do it! And the entertaining, personal accounts in these 101 stories will give you motivation and inspiration you need. All you have to do is say "YES."

Chicken Soup for the Soul books are 100% made in the USA and each book includes stories from as diverse a group of writers as possible. Chicken Soup for the Soul solicits and publishes stories from the LGBTQ community and from people of all ethnicities, nationalities, and religions.

In an intimate, courageous, and transformative collection, 26 girls and women of all ages share poems and stories exploring the ups and downs of menstruation, from first period to post-menopause.

The award-winning anthology awfully hilarious series returns with its second installment, period pieces, featuring that most ubiquitous "time of the month." These short pieces of prose and poetry illuminate our collective fascination, trepidation and shame around the biology of periods: from pre-pubescence and monthly cycles, to perimenopause, hot flashes, and menopause.

Told in cycles, awfully hilarious: period pieces explores menstruation through feminine (but not always female) archetypal milestones of the maiden, mother, and crone-and the many identities we embody in between.

In the Spring sections, the collection focuses on stories of first periods and youth on the cusp, as well as the follicular phase between flow and ovulation. Summer revels in ovulation, fertility (as well as birth control), and pregnancy. Fall represents menstruation's luteal phase, when many experience greater pain and distress, and finally, Winter takes readers to the very edge and end, with perimenopause and menopause.

Regardless of gender expression or experience, period pieces is for everyone: fervently and courageously sharing a human experience often forced to secrecy and solitude. In this stunning collection, readers can join the chorus: We've been there. We've got you.

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awfully hilarious is an anthology series of poems, short stories, and essays that tackle social taboos by talking openly about them. With great camaraderie and heart, contributors share the awkward and devastating stories that-with time and experience-become the badges of honour we share to affirm we are never truly alone in this world. Learn more at awfullyhilarious.com.

Real-world life lessons about acknowledging and celebrating all the things that make you unique, from TikTok sensation, model and LGBTQI+ advocate, AJ Clementine.

AJ Clementine always knew she was a girl. The problem was, she'd been born in a magical shell that looked, on the outside, like a perfect little boy. In her teens, this conflict between her outer and inner selves exploded, igniting years of anxiety and panic attacks. Now fast becoming one of the world's most visible transgender spokespeople, AJ's journey to accept and live as her true self has captivated hundreds of thousands of people on TikTok, Youtube and Instagram, where she has shared her gender transition, what it was like to grow up Wasian in a blended family, and her transformation into a model, influencer and trans advocate.

In Girl, Transcending, AJ weaves her experiences, advice, reflections and snippets of inspiration into a powerful tool to help us understand and celebrate what makes each of us unique, not only those in the LGBTQI+ community but anyone finding their way in the world. Honest, positive and empowering, AJ shines a light on her path to self-love and acceptance - the hardest bits, the parts we rarely see - in the hopes of a brighter, more inclusive future for all.

This updated edition of the iconic coloring book Girls Will Be Boys Will Be Girls Will Be... by Jacinta Bunnell contains all new illustrations and questions for contemplation. In this groundbreaking coloring book, you will meet girls who build drum sets and fix bikes, boys who bake and knit, and all manner of children along the gender spectrum. Children are tender, vulnerable, tough, zany, courageous, and gentle, no matter what their gender. This coloring book is for all the heroic handsome beauties of the world and for everyone who has ever colored outside the lines--a reminder that we never need to compromise ourselves to fit someone else's idea of who we ought to be.

Featuring illustrations by Giselle Potter, Nicole Georges, Kristine Virsis, Simi Stone, Jacinta Bunnell, Nicole Rodrigues, Richard Wentworth, and many more, this is the perfect book for the gender creative person in your life. The future is gender fabulous.

Transgender individuals face unique challenges when it comes to their physical, psychological, and social health and well-being. This accessible reference investigates these concerns in depth, offering readers insights into topics such as discrimination and access to health care.

Although transgender individuals have always existed, their fight for acceptance and equal rights is just beginning. Within this larger context, one area of emerging concern is their health--physical, psychological, and social. From legislation determining public restroom access to insurance coverage of hormone therapy for transitioning individuals to harassment and discrimination, transgender people face a number of challenges that can negatively affect their well-being.

A part of Greenwood's Health and Medical Issues Today series, Part I of this book explores definitions of sex and gender, the history of transgender awareness and activism, physical and psychological health concerns specific to transgender individuals, and how identifying as transgender can have different effects on individuals' health at different stages in their life. Part II examines issues and controversies related to the health and well-being of transgender individuals. Part III provides a variety of useful materials, including case studies, a timeline of critical events, a glossary, and a directory of resources.

Drawing on the experiences of older trans people and those transitioning later in life, this is a definitive guide to ageing as a trans and/or non-binary person. It covers the key health concerns and social issues affecting older trans people, including care homes, pensions, inheritance and funeral planning, as well as hormone use and physical changes, isolation and dementia.

Kermode also provides guidance for professionals looking to better meet the needs of these individuals and highlights the important factors that need to be considered at an institutional level to provide the best care for people across the gender spectrum.

While transgender people have become more visible and gained a measure of acceptance from our cisnormative society in recent years, the need for trans role models to inspire young transgender people is still very real. This title profiles a host of accomplished transgender people who have made their names in a wide range of fields, including sports, politics, activism, entertainment, and the arts. It includes historical pioneers--such as Christine Jorgensen, Marsha P. Johnson, and Sylvia Rivera--as well as present-day figures--such as Lana and Lilly Wachowski, Kye Allums, and Laverne Cox. A valuable resource for an underserved community.

The Final Chapter is a true story about a romance between a man, Brandon, who falls in love with a Brazilian social media influencer, Junior. The story begins on the first day they meet and follows them through the next eight months of their relationship. It ends with their final tragic day together.

Each month shows the prgress of their journey and the role social media plays in their love. It oulines the current fashion of LGBTQ dating involving apps, open relationships, and the evolving meanining of exclusivity. Witness their passionate sexual experience, their romance, explosive outbreaks, and multiple vacations.

In their final months together, feel their love before it is destroyed by a tragic accident.

The bad news: Your parents lied to you about who you are and what life is about.

The good news: Most parents didn't do it intentionally. They told you what they learned from their parents.

Are you ready to:

Look at the world differently?

Challenge the beliefs that you were force-fed as a child?

Live life on your terms, being free and at peace with yourself?

Stop passing fiction to your own children and their children?

... then you are ready for Facing the Truth of Your Life.

Some self-help books promise simple solutions that sound easy and might even feel good. Yet the fact about your personal truth is that getting down to it, facing it, and getting to the other side of it, involves some pain. There's no way around it. The way out is through.

Facing the Truth of Your Life is a tough, enlightening and demanding book that delivers. If you're ready to grow fast, then it's time to read this book.

This is a true story where one peeks inside a child's diary which tells of the impact of sexual, emotional, physical, and psychological abuses written from the child's perspective and in the child's language. It promises to be roller coaster ride for the reader full of honesty evoking laughter and tears as one crawls inside the mind of little Cyndi. Will she go though these things whole to the other side of sanity?

Mark Anthony Lord, Pastor of the Unity Naples Church, invites us to consider a new commandment for the 21st century:

Thou shall not suffer!

In Thou Shall Not Suffer: Seven Steps to a Life of Joy, author Lord shows the reader that it's not the circumstances of our lives that causes our suffering, but instead it's how we react to those circumstances that causes us discomfort. Throughout the book, Lord invites us revisit our ideas about God and spirituality, and in the process, enter a world of joy, harmony, and abundance.

With passion and clarity, Lord leads the reader away from old patterns of guilt, remorse, and self-judgment, and into a new era of joy and peace. Lord's seven-step model includes lessons on the importance of forgiveness, surrender, and self acceptance as the cornerstones to living in a continual state of gratitude and joy.

Each of the seven steps contain exercises designed to guide the reader to a new way of looking and being in the world. Pastor Lord's personal story is interwoven throughout, and he shows the reader that be practicing the seven steps, they will be able to leave suffering and pain behind forever.

"Married Men Coming Out" enables a man to come to terms with the issues surrounding his coming out, reduce and alleviate some of his fears, and give him the strength and courage to become not only a role model for others, but a pioneer and an educator. "The greatest gift you can give anyone is the truest essence of yourself."

The purpose of this book is not to provide reasons for or against homosexuality. It is, though, a guidebook for those who, having lived a heterosexual lifestyle, realize that they've made a mistake in denying and suppressing their true identity - that of being attracted to members of their own sex - and now realize that being married and even having children, they can no longer live a double life. They need to be who and what they are: gay.

This particular subject receives intense public scrutiny, mostly by way of scandals, thus, making the prospect of coming out that much more terrifying for any man. This book alleviates many of the fears attached to coming out by covering everything a man must face giving him in-depth, personal and data-rich insights, clarity, and focus. Personal stories of those who attended the Married Men's Coming Out Group that I facilitated for six years illustrate numerable situations, many poignant, some heartbreaking, and others humorous.

Married men were and still are coming out of the woodwork to finally be who they truly are. No more are they willing to compartmentalize their lives, their relationships, and their hearts - no matter what their religion, state and federal laws, or current trends may be telling them.

At heart, this book is about authenticity. Being a non-denominational term, authenticity is described as: "...having a genuine...authority in opposition to that which is false, fictitious, or counterfeit." All human beings want to be the opposite of false, fictitious or counterfeit, yet the vicissitudes of life are such that we work incredibly hard doing just the opposite. Hence, the need for this book is paramount as we each seek to live authentically and in so doing, find some level of inner peace, self-acceptance, integrity, joy, and love without which the world may not evolve to reflect these essential attributes for all of mankind.

"Be yourself; you finally have the opportunity."

Keith has spent his life pretending to be something that he is not; straight. But after meeting Toby, his first boyfriend, and falling head-over-heels, he finds the strength and courage to step out of the closest and live his truth with pride. For months, everything seems perfect. Until Toby pulls the rug out from below his feet and Keith stumbles through a web of secrets and lies that leave him standing on shaky ground and questioning everything about the man he thought was the love of his life, and his own judgment.

Problems of Our Own, by Stephen Ford, is a story that touches upon the real-life struggles of those who are part of the LGBTQ+ community and the highs and lows of falling in love. Readers will join Keith on his journey as he deals with issues revolving around mental health, relationships, homophobia, and trauma. Problems of Our Own is Keith's story, but it speaks to the experiences and lives of millions within the LGBTQ+ community who struggle with these same issues and need to know that they are not alone.