BOOK RELEASE | By Patricia A McGoldrick

Written and illustrated by American author Susan Kapuscinski Gaylord, Handmade Books for a Healthy Planet contributes to celebrations marking Earth Week 2010 (April 19 – 23).  The book is a great resource for upcycling or, as Gaylord notes, in Wikipedian terms it is “the practice of taking something that is disposable and transforming it into something of greater use and value.”

For many of us, reduce / reuse / recycle has become part of our lives, a way of living. Now, Handmade Books for a Healthy Planet provides guidelines for going a step further to upcycle many objects and materials into handmade books. While crediting the originators of the term “upcycle”, Gaylord, a talented artist / educator, introduces hands-on activities to promote the practice of upcycling. 

BOOK RELEASE | By The Chapter & Verse Team

Barbara Coloroso’s international bestseller — kids are worth it! raising resilient, responsible, compassionate kids — is set for release this month by Penguin Canada. The book was originally published in 1995 with worldwide sales of more than one million copies.

Coloroso delivers a powerful message that good parenting begins with treating kids with dignity and respect. It advocates giving children a sense of power in their own lives and offering them opportunities to make decisions, take responsibility for their actions, and the ability to learn from their own successes and mistakes.