In My Mailbox/Mailbox Monday - 1/3/10

Welcome to another edition of my combo meme In My Mailbox/Mailbox Monday.  You can find these hosted by some wonderful ladies: Kristi at The Story Siren and Marcia at The Printed Page, respectively.  They host these memes so that book bloggers can share the books that come into their houses.  I appreciate them both and hope that you will visit their blogs.

I didn't do a mailbox post last week, so this is a combination of the books I received the week of Christmas and this past week of New Year's.

For Review:

Magic Tree House #43: Leprechaun in Late Winter by Mary Pope Osbourne, from Random House

Jack and Annie are on their third mission to find (and inspire!) creative people to bring happiness to others through the arts (Mozart and Louis Armstrong so far). Set in Ireland, Jack and Annie meet an Irish girl and go on a magical adventure that changes the girl’s life—she grows up to be Lady Gregory, who helped bring back the Irish legends, started a theater, and helped the Irish people regain both their heritage and their pride.

Magic Tree House Research Guide: Leprechauns and Irish Folklore by Mary Pope Osborne and Natalie Pope Boyce

Do the folk stories about leprechauns match our ideas about them today? Are there other fairies in Irish tradition? What are the origins of these stories? Why do people believe in leprecahuns and fairies? Find out the answers to these questions and more in Magic Tree House Research Guide #21: Leprechauns and Irish Folklore, Jack and Annie’s guide to the wee folk of Ireland.

Kyle's Island (ARC) by Sally Derby, from Charlesbridge
For as far back as Kyle can remember, he spent summers at Gram's cottage on the lake--fishing all day, and hanging out with the whole family. But this year is different. His father has moved out, his grandmother has died, and his mother is selling the cottage because they can't afford the upkeep.

One Amazing Thing (ARC) by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, from Voice
Late afternoon sun sneaks through the windows of a passport and visa office in an unnamed American city. Most customers and even most office workers have come and gone, but nine people remain. A punky teenager with an unexpected gift. An upper-class Caucasian couple whose relationship is disintegrating. A young Muslim-American man struggling with the fallout of 9/11. A graduate student haunted by a question about love. An African-American ex-soldier searching for redemption. A Chinese grandmother with a secret past. And two visa office workers on the verge of an adulterous affair.
When an earthquake rips through the afternoon lull, trapping these nine characters together, their focus first jolts to their collective struggle to survive. There's little food. The office begins to flood. Then, at a moment when the psychological and emotional stress seems nearly too much for them to bear, the young graduate student suggests that each tell a personal tale, "one amazing thing" from their lives, which they have never told anyone before. And as their surprising stories of romance, marriage, family, political upheaval, and self-discovery unfold against the urgency of their life-or-death circumstances, the novel proves the transcendent power of stories and the meaningfulness of human expression itself. From Chitra Divakaruni, author of such finely wrought, bestselling novels as Sister of My Heart, The Palace of Illusions, and The Mistress of Spices, comes her most compelling and transporting story to date. One Amazing Thing is a passionate creation about survival--and about the reasons to survive.

Not Just Spirited: A Mom's Sensational Journey with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) by Chynna T. Laird, from Loving Healing Press
What would you do if your child suffered with something so severe it affected every aspect of her life?

And what if your cries for help fell on deaf ears at every turn? You'd follow your gut and fight until someone listened. And that's what Chynna Laird did. When she was just three months old, Jaimie's reactions to people and situations seemed odd. She refused any form of touch, she gagged at smells, she was clutzy and threw herself around and spent most of her day screaming with her hands over her ears and eyes.

By the time she turned two, Jaimie was so fearful of her world they spent most days inside. What was wrong with Chynna's miracle girl? Why wouldn't anyone help her figure it out? Jaimie wasn't "just spirited" as her physician suggested nor did she lack discipline at home. When Jaimie was diagnosed with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) at two-and-a-half, Chynna thought she had "the answer," but that was just the start of a three-year quest for the right treatments to bring the Jaimie she loved so much out for others to see. With the right diagnosis and treatment suited to Jaimie, this family finally felt hope. Not Just Spirited is one mother's journey to finding peace for her daughter, Jaimie. As Chynna says often, "Knowledge breeds understanding. And that's so powerful."

Chynna will be guest posting on the blog Tuesday for Because of A Book.

How Do Lions Say I Love You? (board book) by Diane Muldrow, from Random House

How do animals say “I love you”?

Bears like to say it with a kiss on the muzzle.

A mama cow says it with a lick and a nuzzle.

Sweet, simple rhymes and soft pastel illustrations show some of the unique and touching ways in which different animals show love to their little ones and each other.

Ferocious Wild Beasts by Chris Wormell, from Knopf
A wonderfully witty and utterly charming story about fear.

Jack is lost in the forest—a forest that his mom has told him is full of ferocious wild beasts! But the creatures that Jack meets there seem perfectly friendly to him, even if they are a bit worried about the ferocious wild beasts he’s been telling them about . . .

But then they hear a terrible roar . . . Who can it be?

You're Lovable to Me by Kat Yeh, from Random House
IN THIS WARMHEARTED tale of multigenerational love, repentant bunnies apologize to their mama for the day’s shenanigans. Mama Bunny gathers her children together and reassures them that she will always love them: “No matter what your feelings are, whatever they may be . . . I’m your mama. You’re my bunnies. And you’re lovable to me.” After the young bunnies are tucked in, Mama Bunny’s papa drops by for tea and to tell her that she, too, is his bunny and infinitely lovable to him.

Kiss Kiss by Selma Mandine, from Random House

“What is a kiss like?” That’s what a teddy bear asks a little boy in this sweet and enchanting picture book. From Grandmother’s noisy kisses, to Father’s prickly kisses, to Little Brother’s chocolate kisses, Teddy learns there are many different kinds of kisses—but the best kisses are from the ones you love!

For Cybils Judging:

In the Snow
In the Garden