This collection of outstanding books is geared for new chapter book readers as the chapters are short, the font is large and there is a smattering of black-and-white illustrations found throughout the books. The first four books would be excellent to read-out-loud and are geared for all ages. And all but the last two books are good for ages 7 through 9 to read independently. The last two books are outstanding picture books good for all ages.

White Fur Flying, by Patricia MacLachlan, is a sweet story about how dogs can open lives and hearts when life is difficult. Zoe, and her sister, enjoy the Great Pyrenees dogs who are continually coming and going through their doorway. Their mother rescues these large dogs until a home can be found for them and their house seems to be full of these animals. One day a young boy moves next door. …

Question:

I’m recently divorced. And sometimes I’m completely content to tell myself: “it doesn’t matter what other people believe about our marriage, no one can know what it was like but me.” And then I can let it go. But sometimes all I want is for some understanding and compassion from my friends and family. My best girlfriend insists that my ex-husband loved me, that he loves the kids, and tells me that I should reassure them that he loves them when they feel like he doesn’t. Everyone tells me that he really loved me, and I want to make them understand that things he did to me in our marriage couldn’t be called love. My ex-husband tells the kids, “I love your mom, but she’s doing this to our family.” It’s also really hard when my teenage son says, “Dad loved you, why did you divorce dad?” I have …

When the world just won’t let you sleep.

…

For the record, dishonesty, manipulation, and blame-shifting aren’t exclusively male problems. We all know women and girls who do the same. Nevertheless, a frequent issue that I encounter in my therapy practice is the complaint by women that their boyfriends and husbands often lie to “get out of trouble.” They also say that these men avoid responsibility for their actions by justifying, minimizing, and pointing fingers at others. Mothers and fathers often observe same behavior in their sons. The good news is that you can help the men and boys in your life to be honest and accountable by creating an environment where shame is eliminated, imperfection is accepted, and improvement is promoted not by control, but by “persuasion…gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned” (D&C 121: 41).

Why Men and Boys Struggle with Honesty and Accountability

Not all men and boys have a problem with dishonesty and …

The most important influence on the Supreme Court is its conception of its own role. It is unseen only because it’s so familiar as to be unremarked.

A decision from the last term well illustrates alternative conceptions of the Supreme Court.

Justice Scalia describes the contrast.

On the one hand:

an assertion of judicial supremacy over the people’s Representatives in Congress and the Executive. It envisions a Supreme Court standing (or rather enthroned) at the apex of government, empowered to decide all constitutional questions, always and everywhere primary’ in its role.

On the other:

The judicial power as Americans have understood it (and their English ancestors before them) is the power to adjudicate, with conclusive effect, disputed government claims (civil or criminal) against private persons, and disputed claims by private persons against the government or other private persons. Sometimes (though not always) the parties before the court disagree not …

1 Nephi 1:3 And I know that the record which I make is true; and I make it with mine own hand; and I make it according to my knowledge.

There’s probably no passion (other than that love I reserve for God above all else) that is greater than the passion I have for every form of what many call “Personal Life Writing.”  In my lexicon, “Personal Life Writing” includes any of the following “genres” (forms):

• personal letter writing (whether mailed or not, whether saved or not)
• keeping a “log” or day-planner entries; jotting notes on a calendar page
• diary entries (Which you could think of as expanded log entries that include a little more detail of what happened, but not doing much personal interpretation or reflection.)
• journal entries (Journaling usually implies doing a lot more reflecting, interpreting, and even prayerful pondering aloud in writing upon the reality you are

Carla Kelly delivers a powerful historical novel with Safe Passage, the story of a young man who braves Mexican guerillas and the armies of various Mexican factions to rescue his wife and get her to safety during the Mexican Revolution. The couple have been separated for two years following a hurtful argument, insulting words, and a great deal of misunderstanding. They both have regrets, but let pride stand in the way of a reconciliation until war breaks out in 1912 and the Mormons are ordered to leave Mexico. When Ammon learns his wife was left behind, he stands up to his father-in-law, drives a hard bargain, and returns to rescue Addie.

Ammon is furious when he learns Addie’s father left her behind to care for her ill grandmother. After some heart-stopping adventures he arrives in Garcia to find his wife’s grandmother is dead, a threatening army is searching the …

Turning 60 seemed to be a good time to review what lessons in life I had learned. Were there any?

I write a weekly, mostly humorous column for my local paper entitled “7 X Mom,” i.e.,”7 times Mom.” When my seven children were all home, it was about my attempts to manage a life with so many children, or, as they put it, “You make us look stupid, Mommy.” Now that my kids are grown and gone, I told my husband it was up to him to provide the humor. He does a pretty good job and doesn’t even mind. I think he likes the attention around the lunch table at work when he’s featured in the newspaper.

But sometimes I wax philosophical, or serious, or even skate around spirituality. That was my opportunity recently when, nine weeks before my 60^th birthday, I decided every three weeks to share …

I have a friend whose brother is dying. She’s Catholic, and the entire family is in a panic because he won’t admit there’s a God. Alcoholism has destroyed his liver, hospice has been called, and they’re frantic that he will die without repenting. Only a month ago, they lost the other brother in the exact same situation. And now the five sisters, all devoted to their faith, are determined to keep it from happening again.

Except they can’t. Acknowledging God has to be a person’s choice. It’s under the “Free Agency” banner. And the stubborn brother knows it. I chatted with my friend and learned that this same brother has made comments, over the years, which show he is not the atheist he claims to be, but a believer who won’t formally admit it. We see the same thing in every faith, including our own. Often a person decides this …

Our emotional state is often tied to what we eat and how we feel about ourselves. Self-image and self-confidence are also important parts of the package. As I embarked on book tours with various media, I found myself on a path I never dreamed would be possible for me. On the outside I looked attractive and presentable. I had graduated from BYU, had three successful years of teaching, and was now a successful author and professional speaker.

But underneath, all was not well. My self-esteem suffered because I had always struggled with school. My parents even drove from Salt Lake City to Provo many weekends to read to me as I struggled to complete my university courses. Because I did not do well in school, I sometimes questioned how smart I was.

Success and newfound fame gave me a shot of confidence, and I wanted more and more of it. …