New Releases by Rita Golden Gelman

In 1987, Rita, newly divorced, set out to live her dream. She sold all her possessions and became a nomad. She wrote a book about her ongoing journey and, in 2001, insisted on putting her personal e-mail address in the last chapter—against all advice. It turned out to be a fortuitous decision. She has met thousands of readers, stayed in their homes, and sat around kitchen tables sharing stories and food and laughter. In this essay collection, Gelman includes her own further adventures, as well as those of writers and readers telling tales of the shared humanity they experienced in their travels. The stories are funny and sad, poignant and tender, familiar and bizarre. They will make you laugh and cry and maybe even send you off on your own adventure. Also included are fabulous international recipes such as vegetarian dolmades (stuffed grape leaves), chiles en nogada (stuffed poblano chiles topped with a white cream sauce with walnuts and a sprinkle of pomegranate seeds), and ho mok (an extraordinary fish-coconut custard from Thailand). Happy reading—and bon appétit, selamat makan, buen provecho!

The true story of an ordinary woman living an extraordinary existence all over the world. “Gelman doesn’t just observe the cultures she visits, she participates in them, becoming emotionally involved in the people’s lives. This is an amazing travelogue.” —Booklist At the age of forty-eight, on the verge of a divorce, Rita Golden Gelman left an elegant life in L.A. to follow her dream of travelling the world, connecting with people in cultures all over the globe. In 1986, Rita sold her possessions and became a nomad, living in a Zapotec village in Mexico, sleeping with sea lions on the Galapagos Islands, and residing everywhere from thatched huts to regal palaces. She has observed orangutans in the rain forest of Borneo, visited trance healers and dens of black magic, and cooked with women on fires all over the world. Rita’s example encourages us all to dust off our dreams and rediscover the joy, the exuberance, and the hidden spirit that so many of us bury when we become adults.

A girl tries to convince a grumpy cat to wear a variety of hats, including a top hat, a baseball cap, a knight''s armored helmet, and a cowboy hat.

Here is a doodler doodling. And here are her doodles. Here is a book starring twenty-one words, a blank piece of paper, and a train of thought. And you will be amazed. WOW!

This beautifully illustrated children''s book begins at morning on the Indonesian island of Bali. Farmers head out to the sawah, or rice field, to plant seeds. While they work, eels slip through the mud around their feet, & dragonflies flutter overhead. Rains come & the rice stalks grow steadily. Mice crawl over the stems, munching as they go. As the sun sets each night, bats dart & swoop, looking for mosquitoes to eat. When the rice is ready to be harvested, the farmers cut, thresh, & pack the grain. After they are done, they give thanks. For in Bali, as in many countries around the world, everyone knows that rice is life.

Bo the sheep is finding his field of grass too quiet, too safe. So Bo takes Jo, they say sayonara, and go off to the beach and the seas, and then on to the city in a bus. The delights of the Yummycafe prove overwhelming, but they move on to the airport, and parachuting, and float down into a lovely field... It''ll be a jungle next time! Illustrated with full-page colour drawings.

A lonely mole''s animal friends find his hole too dark and small for them, but in Ms. Mole he meets the perfect companion to share his life. Features rebuses throughout the text.

Pizza is fun to make. Pizza Pat stretches the floppy dough, puts on the gloppy tomatoes, adds the sloppy sausages, sprinkles on the cheese, and then pops it in the oven. But just before he cuts into his delicious pizza pie, he turns his back for one second--and the pizza disappears! A gang of hungry mice have taken Pat''s irresistible creation away for themselves. Kids love pizza, and this cumulative Step 1 book, based on the poem "The House That Jack Built", will whet their appetites for both pizza and books!

Minnie the monkey is too busy eating spaghetti--all day, in all ways--to play with her friend Freddie.

Explains how each of the senses provides the brain with different kinds of information about the surrounding world, and tells how they work

Follows the activities and adventures of a panda from before his birth until five years of age when he looks for a mate.

Thinking that the zoo animals look "as bored as bored could be," a boy takes them all home with him.

The animals in these stories are laugh-out-loud funny! 4 easy-to-read stories for beginning readers.

This book introduces children to the natural defensive weapons in their bodies, including earwax, skin, stomach acid and more.

Introduces readers to the harmful substances that can invade the human body and desccribes the body''s defense strategies.

Explains how viruses and bacteria can make people sick, shows how the body keeps them out, and suggests ways to help your body avoid illness

Argues that people have used their imagination to transform frightening bumps in the night and mysterious phenomena into such night-stalking characters as werewolves and vampires.

Story about a funny little monkey.

A rhyming text describes the different kinds of scientists, what they do, and the kind of people they are.

Text and photographs explore the vast array of unusual creatures still to be found in the Galapagos Islands.

Discusses the characteristics, habitats, and behavior of different kinds of monkeys and apes around the world.

Illustrations and brief text depict twelve giant sea creatures, some prehistoric and some modern.

Two painters run amuck and begin painting everything in sight, including windows, beds, grass, animals, and children.

The author describes her experiences traveling through Nicaragua and the effects of the present conflict on the lives of the young people of this troubled country.

Two children are joined by a funny man who builds the biggest sandwich in the world.

Minnie gives advice to her friend on how to get his finger out of the bottle in which it is stuck.