Mommy, Draw Stars on My Tummy

Author: Martine Groeneveld
Illustrator: Brad Kunkle
Publisher: PT Book Publishing
Genre: Children / Touch therapy
ISBN: 978-0-9822959-0-8
Pages: 48
Price: $19.95

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One of the best things a mother can do for her child is to touch her. Hugs and kisses go a long way in the parent-child bonding process, but children can also benefit from other forms of touching. In Mommy, Draw Stars on My Tummy, registered nurse and licensed massage therapist Martine Groeneveld shows us other fun ways to connect with our children.

Kids love rhymes, games, songs and stories, and all of these are provided, along with some special touch techniques. Ants play while mom touches and rubs the child’s ear. “Guess the letter or number” can be played by touching the child’s back and drawing the symbol with your finger. And the itsy-bitsy spider can crawl up legs or arms while mom and child sing.

Touching children in a loving and appropriate manner has been proven to have many health benefits, including stimulating weight gain in babies, improving alertness and responsiveness, improving cognitive performance and brain development, and reducing aggression.

If you’re looking to help your child through touch therapy, or you’re simply looking to bond more closely with your child while having fun, Mommy, Draw Stars on My Tummy will be a valuable resource. I highly recommend it.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Hugging Grandma

Author: Zina Kramer
Illustrator: Dave Messing
Publisher: Ferne Press
Genre: Children
ISBN: 978-193391638-5
Pages: 32
Price: $12.95

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Grandma Sylvia is so much fun to play with. She cooks wonderful soup, plays Store, and always has nice things to say about her granddaughter. But now Grandma doesn’t always remember her anymore.

Grandma has Alzheimer’s Disease, and her granddaughter doesn’t understand what’s wrong. She misses the grandmother she used to know. Her mom explains this debilitating disease, and shows her what she can do to help her grandmother.

Children love their grandparents and enjoy a rare and special bond. So when a grandparent starts acting strangely, kids can feel confused and wonder why they’ve changed. Hugging Grandma demonstrates how kids can relate to their grandparent in a new way.

Zina Kramer and Dave Messing portray a warm and loving family environment, where grandma is accepted and loved just as she is. I highly recommend this sensitive and well-written story for any family suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Health at Every Size

Author: Linda Bacon, Ph. D.
Publisher: Benbella Books
Genre: Health / Nutrition
ISBN: 978-1-933771-58-8
Pages: 326
Price: $14.95

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If you’re like many people, you feel you need to lose weight, and you’ve tried more than one diet over your lifetime. Some may have been successful–for a while–but you always return to your original weight, or higher. You’re frustrated and feel like a failure, but yet you keep trying. It’s the only way you’ll be healthy, right? “Wrong!” says Linda Bacon.

In this unexpected look at our battle with the bulge, author Linda Bacon, Ph.D. proves that weight may have very little to do with health. And in fact, studies show that those who are overweight may be healthier than people maintaining a weight society deems ideal.

Health at Every Size shows us how our diet culture is controlled by those who have a very strong economic motivation to keep us chasing a lower weight. But rather than focusing on the numbers on the scale, Bacon introduces the idea of trusting our bodies to eat what feels right, while focusing on foods that are good for us. Not calorie counting, but a common-sense approach to eating naturally according to body cues.

If you’ve finally decided it’s time to make peace with your body and love it just as it is, Health at Every Size will be a breath of fresh air. And if you haven’t, this well-written and well-documented book might just convince you.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

The Liberation Diet

Author: Kevin Brown CPT, NC & Annette Presley RD, LD, CPT
Publisher: BookSurge
Genre: Health / Diet / Fitness
ISBN: 978-1439207390
Pages: 260
Price: $24.95

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There are so many diet books on the market, that one can’t help but be frustrated by all the conflicting information. The experts can’t seem to agree on what’s best for us, so how can we choose? But one voice of reason has emerged in The Liberation Diet.

Intuitively, we all know nature didn’t intend for us to eat processed foods full of chemicals that come in a box. But in the last 100 years, more and more food options have become available to us, and most of those new choices have not been in our best interest.

Eating low-fat and high-carb has been touted as the healthiest choice we can make, but the results have shown otherwise. As we continue to eat “healthfully,” we also gain weight at alarming rates. Authors Kevin Brown and Annette Presley suggest this is not the healthy diet it claims to be, and they show us another option, backing this up with studies that support their ideas.

Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide what to put in your body. But with The Liberation Diet you’ll be eating foods that are all-natural, and not full of toxic chemicals. I think that’s always a wise choice.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

The Little Elephant With the Big Earache

Author: Charlotte Cowan, M.D.
Illustrator: Elaine Garvin
Publisher: Hippocratic Press
Genre: Children
ISBN: 0-9753516-0-5
Pages: 32
Price: $17.95

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Eddie the elephant is excited that his birthday party is coming up. But a few days before the big event, his ear starts to hurt and he can’t sleep.

Eddie needs to visit Dr. Hippo, and he’s scared. But Dr. Hippo is gentle and kind, and soon determines what’s causing the pain in Eddie’s ear. Eddie receives the proper treatment, and gets well quickly enough to celebrate his birthday and participate in the mud sculpture contest.

The Little Elephant With the Big Earache is adorably illustrated by Elaine Garvin, and also includes a guide for parents in understanding ear infections and how they’re treated. I highly recommend this cute and informative story for all families with young children.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Katie Caught a Cold

Author: Charlotte Cowan, M.D.
Illustrator: Katy Bratun
Publisher: Hippocratic Press
Genre: Children
ISBN: 0-9753516-3-X
Pages: 32
Price: $17.95

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Katie the polar bear is excited to be skating in the Ice Show. But a few days before the big event, she comes down with a cold. She doesn’t have a fever, but she’s sneezing a lot. Will she be better soon so she can skate?

In Katie Caught a Cold, Dr. Cowan shows kids and parents the best way to treat a common cold. She explains why antibiotics are almost always unnecessary and over-the-counter medications don’t help. Her advice for a quick recovery is rest and fluids.

The story is beautifully illustrated by Katy Bratun, and also includes a guide for parents in conquering the common cold. I highly recommend this cute and informative story for all families with young children.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

HealthMinder Personal Wellness Journal

Author: F.E. Wilkins
Publisher: MemoryMinder Journals
Genre: Journal
ISBN: 978-0963796875
Pages: 224
Price: $14.95

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Sometimes health issues can be a puzzle. Are you allergic to a particular food? Need to stop taking an over-the-counter remedy that seems to be causing side effects? Are there sleep patterns you need to track? Monitoring these and many other concerns can be difficult, unless you have a system. That’s where HealthMinder Journal can help.

Each journal entry includes space for information on weather conditions, your vital statistics, any drugs or vitamins taken, physical activity, and food you ate. Plus you can record pain and other discomfort you’re feeling that day, rating it on a scale of 1 to 5.

The journal pages are of high-quality paper, with a spiral binding and sturdy cover. An introductory section explains how to use this journal for maximum effectiveness. And the last section allows you to record your medical history, as well as organizing all your doctor and insurance information in one place for easy reference.

Don’t monitor your health concerns alone. Use the HealthMinder Journal to assist you on your journey back to good health.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

The Confidence of Feeling Good

Author: Jeanie Marshall
Publisher: Marshall House
Genre: Guided meditation
ISBN: 1-885893-06-X
Price: $19.95

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Do you want to be sure you’ll have a great day before it begins? Do you need a boost when you’re feeling a little tired in the afternoon? The Confidence of Feeling Good was created to enhance your energy and vitality.

Focusing on your higher self, this meditation guides you to receive this energy and send it to all parts of your body. As it fills you, it brings you feelings of goodness and pleasure. Soft background music accompanies Jeanie Marshall’s voice for a soothing experience.

This gentle & relaxing meditation will leave you feeling refreshed and ready to go back to your day, full of joyful, exhilarating energy.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

The Power of Soul

Author: Dr. Zhi Gang Sha
Publisher: Atria Books
Genre: Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN: 1-4165-8910-4
Pages: 352
Price: $26.00

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In 2003, Dr. Zhi Gang Sha began offering Divine Soul Downloads to humanity through the direct instruction of the Divine. In The Power of Soul, he continues his Soul Power Series of books, and provides new insights into how we can use this soul power in our lives.

Dr. Sha has included eleven new Divine Soul Downloads in this book. If we read his words and follow the instructions as written, we will receive these new divine souls for ourselves. Knowing we might doubt his words, he answers, “If you want to know if the pear is sweet, taste it.” Only by experiencing it for ourselves will we know the truth.

Heal the soul first, and all else will heal. Sickness will be prevented, the mind and body will be rejuvenated, and relationships, finances and business will be transformed.

Dr. Sha’s message is a positive one. He encourages us to receive his Divine Soul Downloads, chant powerful words, and sing uplifting soul songs to promote transformation and healing in our lives. But skeptical folks who rely solely on conventional healing may find his teachings to be too “new age” for their tastes.

Reviewer: Alice Berger

Peeper Has a Fever

Author: Charlotte Cowan, M.D.
Illustrator: Susan Banta
Publisher: Hippocratic Press
Genre: Children
ISBN: 0-9753516-2-1
Pages: 32
Price: $17.95

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Peeper really wants to go with his family to the big picnic, but he’s woken up with a 104F fever. After a call to Dr. Hippo, his mom says he needs to stay home, so his dad stays with him to keep him company. Keeping cool will make him feel better, so Peeper takes a bath and eats ice cream and popsicles. And since the diving contest is postponed, he recovers in time to participate.

Peeper Has a Fever is part of the Dr. Hippo series, designed to explain illnesses to children so they understand what’s happening to their bodies. This book shows us the stages of Peeper’s illness and how he gets better by taking his medicine, resting and cooling off.

In addition to the story, a guide for parents is included, which explains what to look for when a child has a fever, and how to handle it. I highly recommend this cute and informative story for all families with young children.

Reviewer: Alice Berger