By Elvin Lim
America is the only country in the world that that has the luxury of creating an economic crisis when there isn't one. Ours is the only democracy with a debt ceiling, with the exception of Denmark, which raises its ceiling well in advance of when it would be reached. Economists say that our "debt crisis" is an unforced error, because people are more than willing to lend us money, at pretty good rates. This is the benefit of having a really good credit score.
The concept for the ‘Behind The Mask’ Project (to create a user-generated video of the Gloved One’s single was awesome, but considering the excessive direction fans were given regarding their submissions — as in instructions for... Read the rest of this post
My writing group gave my baby-to-be a great gift–a library full of their favorite picture and board books. I am thrilled–it is such a generous gift and great idea. Two of the books that I received were Little Golden Books, which of course brought back fond memories of my own Little Golden Books. I used to ask for these all the time when we went to the grocery and drug store. 
I wanted the ENTIRE collection, of course. But I thought I would revisit these today with the couple I got from my writing group–Nurse Nancy and The Monster at the End of this Book (starring Grover).
Before I do, I want to talk about how important inexpensive and quality books are for young readers. Study after study has been done about literacy, and one of the important points that always pops up is that a child needs books at home. Okay, so Little Golden Books are no longer like 39 cents (they are about $3.99), but that’s still cheaper than many of the gorgeous, but expensive, picture books at the bookstore that sell for $15.95. So, if you are on a budget, think about Little Golden Books for your young reader or your preschool/kindergarten classroom.
So, the first book I received was Nurse Nancy by Kathryn Jackson with illustrations by Corinne Malvern. This book comes with band-aids attached to the title page. I love it! My daughter will love it! It’s about a little girl named Nancy, who likes to play nurse with her dolls. But not only does she take care of her dolls, she also helps her mother and her brother, Tom, who gets a cut when he is running from some bees. This book shows the first aid steps–from cleaning out the wound to bandaging it. And soon her brothers are joining in the fun with a wagon for an ambulance. The illustrations are darling, the book is still timely (remember when we all used to play and pretend things instead of watch TV, go on the computer, and play video games?), and your child or your students will love it!
There’s a Monster at the End of This Book by Jon Stone is one of my very favorite books of all time. It’s not just because I love GROVER–I mean, who doesn’t? But it’s a funny, funny book, and I can’t wait to giggle over it with my daughter. If you aren’t familiar with it, then you need to get familiar with it–WOW! That ‘s a strong statement. And it’s now A Little Golden Book, so the price is right. Grover finds out that there’s a monster at the end of the book, and he is SCARED. So, who is this mean monster? Well, what is Grover after all?
Check out everything that Little Golden Books still has to offer here: www.goldenbooks.com
