Bøger udgivet af Crescendo Press

Six unusual charms dangle on a tarnished bracelet, rescued from inside a kitchen pipe. Elizabeth, Grace, Cooper and Megan struggle to decipher the bracelet's meaning. Their discovery connects them to a family in Afghanistan who desperately needs help. A greedy man threatens to derail their efforts, but will he succeed? Experience the impact a group of kids can have when they refuse to quit.

Oh, the sting looking different can bring. Leah struggles with the treatment she receives for her appearance. She seeks the solitude of the creek behind her house and instead encounters an unusual unicorn. The unicorn has challenges of its own and understands her pain. Together they devise a plan to build their confidence and to increase sensitivity in others.

This is not your typical princess story. Unlike other fairy-tale princesses, Ella is not a classic beauty. She is truly a monster. Ella is discouraged with her appearance, but when she finds her mom sick in bed, she stops thinking about herself. Ella works diligently to assist her mother. In the end, her true inner beauty shines through.

A cow with a giraffe's neck? A dog with an elephant's trunk? This book is full of animals that are super silly. You would look silly with a body part that belonged to someone else. This book is a powerful reminder for young readers that God made you special.

Kuntent is a frog's tale from contentment to resentment and back again. A tree frog named Kuntent is happy with his simple life until his friends introduce him to objects he believes he can't live without. He begins an odyssey to a nearby store, where he finds all the things he hopes will make him happy. His enjoyment is crushed by an injury and capture. How can he progress from sad to satisfied?

Time to hide! The collection wagon is coming. A chipmunk named Jenurus loves to gather food but resents having to share. A predator chases him over the edge, and Jenurus is now the one in need of assistance. After benefiting from the kindness of others, can Jenurus discover the joy in being generous?

It makes your stomach churn and heart beat faster. It causes shaking and dizziness. Anxiety can invade your life and overwhelm you. Stella is especially anxious about her new school and new foster parents. When a porcupine is anxious, those quills can cause extra trouble. It is up to a tiny jerboa to pass along some calming advice to help them both.

Burrow underground for seventeen years? A cicada named Paeshunt rejects the idea. He has the world to explore and bugs to see, and he wants to do it now. Several narrow escapes force him to examine his impulsive plan. With the help of his friends, he learns that life is much safer and sweeter when he is patient.

How can a simple desire become so complicated? Baxter craves a slice of pepperoni pizza and a bowl of blueberries. Communicating his request becomes a journey in itself, due to his autistic armor. Why can't the guards just understand what he wants? Frustration turns to hope when he finds Harmony Castle.

Have you met a Meraki? These shy creatures live in homes and classrooms, helping with all their soul, creativity, and love. But beware-if children don't do their part, the sweet creatures will become overwhelmed and leave. What can you do to keep a Meraki?

It's a hiding place really. Somewhere to gather your thoughts, to reflect, to breathe. Lakin finds the hidden spring nestled in the Colorado Rockies while she investigates the sighting of a mythical beast. Cole, a loner questioning God's plan for his life, resents Lakin's invasion of his secluded place and plots to frighten her away. He prefers the company of the orphaned elk he helped raise. Betrayal thwarts Lakin and Cole's growing relationship. Disaster strikes, and their fate rests on the shoulders of the elk, Wapiti.

As I watch the glowing orb of the sun dip below the horizon line of the infinite Pacific Ocean, thoughts race through my mind like the waves that crash intermittently along the shore below me, sometimes with force, other times with a calm and startling peace, not one ripple to be found. Sitting on a park bench upon these Southern California cliffs, gazing at the vastness before me, I feel transported to a place where time and space have no boundaries, no definition. While golden rays reflect off the shimmering water, I find myself reflecting on the life I've led these past six decades.It's funny how after all these years the Pacific Ocean and that mighty, muddy Mississippi River from my past can become one, the passage of time seemingly inexistent. I walk through long corridors of my mind, trying to remember everything. Trying to gather the pieces, retrace steps, discover the meaning behind each moment. Reaching into the past, I see shades, hints, and whispers of the person I am today, the mother and grandmother I have become. I don't feel that far removed from the little Southern girl I once was. Always beside me, first in person and now in spirit I feel profoundly, is the steady, gentle presence of Karine.My dear Karine, what would my life have been without you? I dare not imagine. Growing up in Memphis, Tennessee, I was raised by three people: Mom, Dad, and Karine. Though my childhood was a privileged one by many standards, lived in comfort and relative ease, it was Karine, the lovely black woman who cared for me as if I'd emerged from her own womb, who gave me strength to overcome challenges that loomed like storm clouds over the horizon. She was my rock, my spiritual teacher, my refuge. From my innocent childhood days along the mighty Mississippi River, to my college years by the stormy Atlantic, and on to my life as a grown woman by the endless blue Pacific, I have been nurtured and sustained by her love.Even though she's long gone from this world, Karine is the one person who has remained with me to guide my steps. How could I ever forget her? She is a vital part of my very being. Our hearts, though broken open time and again, are forever intertwined.If my conscience has a face, it's the tender, smiling countenance of Karine. When I doubt myself, she is the one who whispers, "I have faith in you, child." When I am about to set off on a path to self-destruction, she is there, trying to gently nudge me in a better direction. I can feel her selflessly guiding me at every juncture of my life, her spirit somehow seeing me through great joys and personal lows, always lifting me back up when I need redemption.But I'm getting ahead of myself. As I rest here on this park bench on the cliffs high above the Pacific, let me try to piece it all together from the beginning, from the days when I was a little tomboy with soft strawberry blonde curls blowing in the fresh Southern breeze …