You Are Special

In this heart-warming tale, Eli helps Punchinello understand how he is - no matter what other Wemmicks may think. Children will learn a vital lesson - regardless of how the world sees them, God loves each of them just as they are.

Punchinello's opinion of himself changes after talking to his creator.

In her first-ever (sort of) memoir, the beloved actor and YouTube sensation gets personal about everything from mental health to drunken debaucheries with this “brave, behind-the-webcam look at self-discovery” (Kirkus Reviews). As an only child raised in a town of less than 8,000 people and without a Starbucks in sight, Meghan Rienks has always been pretty good at entertaining herself. Then one day—cue the dramatic voiceover—her life changed forever. In 2010, Meghan was diagnosed with mononucleosis. Mono is basically just a really bad case of the flu, right? Wrong. To a party crazed sixteen-year-old, mono is social suicide. More than anything, it’s just plain boring. So, Meghan opened up her MacBook, used the webcam for something other than a bad Andy Warhol–style photobooth session, and recorded her first YouTube video. Since then, Meghan has shared the ups and downs of her life with the internet, documenting her teenage years for the whole world to see. Now that she’s (mostly) through her awkward stage, Meghan’s here to tell you that it gets better. You’re not alone in the thoughts you think. Sometimes a bad hair day feels worse than a punch in the gut and asking a boy out seems about as difficult as achieving that perfect dewy glow. But despite what you’ve been told, your problems are not unique, and somebody else has felt the way you feel right at this very moment. You’re not special. But you’re also not alone on the bumpy road to adulthood.

A profound expansion of David McCullough, Jr.’s popular commencement speech—a call to arms against a prevailing, narrow, conception of success viewed by millions on YouTube—You Are (Not) Special is a love letter to students and parents as well as a guide to a truly fulfilling, happy life “Every once in a long while, a voice seems to come out of nowhere, and you wonder how you ever managed without [it]. David McCullough, Jr. has that startling, insightful, wry, reassuring, helpful voice and You Are Not Special may be the wisest ?‘parenting’ book I’ve read in decades.”—Madeline Levine, author of author of The Price of Privilege and Teach Your Children Well Children today, says David McCullough—high school English teacher, father of four, and son and namesake of the famous historian—are being encouraged to sacrifice passionate engagement with life for specious notions of success. The intense pressure to excel discourages kids from taking chances, failing, and learning empathy and self-confidence from those failures. In You Are (Not) Special, McCullough elaborates on his now-famous speech exploring how, for what purpose, and for whose sake, we’re raising our kids. With wry, affectionate humor, McCullough takes on hovering parents, ineffectual schools, professional college prep, electronic distractions, club sports, and generally the manifestations, and the applications and consequences of privilege. By acknowledging that the world is indifferent to them, McCullough takes pressure off of students to be extraordinary achievers and instead exhorts them to roll up their sleeves and do something useful with their advantages.

A funny interactive “quiz” identifies the most special creature of all — you! Do you ever feel like you’re different from everyone else? Like there’s no one quite like you? Then you might be special! Take this quiz to find out! This playful “quiz” first asks conventional Yes! questions, like: “Do you like to stay up late? Are you sometimes wild and crazy?” Then, “Do people run away when they see your furry face and pointy teeth?” No? Then you’re not a werewolf! This pattern repeats for several fantastical creatures — unicorns, dragons, mermaids — until finally children are reassured: they are special, “because you’re YOU!” A one-of-a-kind book for every one-of-a-kind kid!

Master storyteller Max Lucado shows childrenhow very special they are and how very much God loves them through each ofthese bestselling picture books. Four bestsellingbooks that offer hope and encouragement to parents and children alike . . . nowcombined in this sturdy carry-along treasury-the perfect size for a child'ssmall hands. Stories include: YouAre Special (based on the popular DVD) TheTallest of Smalls Hermiethe Common Caterpillar JustIn Case You Ever Wonder

Bob’s red and round, and he bounces ‘cause he has no feet. Madame Blueberry lives in a tree. What makes her special? She’s as blue as can be. What about those French Peas? They speak with “zee accent.” Tots will discover that it’s okay to be different, because God made you special and he loves you very much. Through fun rhymes and humor, and some help from those lovable Veggies, little ones will realize that God makes everyone special!"

As Eli the woodcarver helps Punchinello understand how special he is, young hearts come to understand that regardless of what the world thinks, they are precious in God's sight. And now there are three more ways to share this great truth beyond the original storybook, which has sold more than 1 million copies since its release in 1997.

Little One, God Made You Special, written by Amy Warren Hilliker and inspired by the New York Times #1 bestseller The Purpose-Driven Life, is the perfect reminder that God created each child with intention. This cuddly board book reminds children that God made each one of us very special. Children will be encouraged with: Short sweet rhymes that highlight their unique features Sweet colorful art with adorable animals The understanding of individuality and characteristics Little One, God Made You Special is: Perfect for children ages 0-4 A great gift for baby showers, baptisms, and birthdays The perfect book to read at story time or bedtime

A long time ago a wise man named Shaddai built a wonderful village for children to live in. He talked to them and sang for them and told them stories. He gave them everything they needed. And with his own hands Shaddai built a protective wall around their village, rock by rock. He did all of this for just one reason—because he loved them. One day Paladin, the village's most curious child, discovers something troubling about the wall. Something that makes him wonder about Shaddai's love. Could there be a mistake? Young Paladin is about to discover the answer. And when he does, he will come to understand just how deeply he is loved. And so will you. Everything God does for your children, He does because of love. He protects them. He listens to their prayers. He provides for their needs. He even gives warnings and sets boundaries—for no other reason than love. As an adult you already know this. Now your children can know it too through this captivating tale, which was first published in the award-winning children's bestseller Tell Me the Story. Let this timeless story of a curious boy's choice and a caring man's sacrificial response help you make the infinite love of their Heavenly Father as real to your kids as your own love. Because they need to understand about Him what you have already learned—that everything God does throughout our lives, He does for one reason only, and for the best reason of all: "Because I Love You."

NOW a NETFLIX series entitled Special from Executive Producer JIM PARSONS starring RYAN O‘CONNELL as himself. From the beloved blogger turned voice of an online generation, an unforgettable and hilarious memoir-meets-manifesto exploring what it means to be a millennial gay man living with cerebral palsy, which VICE calls “a younger, gay version of Mary Karr's Lit.” People are obsessed with Ryan O’Connell’s blogs. With tens of thousands reading his pieces on Thought Catalog and Vice, watching his videos on YouTube, and hanging on to each and every #dark tweet, Ryan has established himself as a unique young voice who’s not afraid to dole out some real talk. He’s that candid, snarky friend you consult when you fear you’re spending too much time falling down virtual k-holes stalking your ex on Facebook or when you’ve made the all-too-common mistake of befriending a psycho while wasted at last night’s party and need to find a way to get rid of them the next morning. But Ryan didn’t always have the answers to these modern-day dilemmas. Growing up gay and disabled with cerebral palsy, he constantly felt like he was one step behind everybody else. Then the rude curveball known as your twenties happened and things got even more confusing. Ryan spent years as a Millennial cliché: he had dead-end internships; dabbled in unemployment; worked in his pajamas as a blogger; communicated mostly via text; looked for love online; spent hundreds on “necessary” items, like candles, while claiming to have no money; and even descended into aimless pill-popping. But through extensive trial and error, Ryan eventually figured out how to take his life from bleak to chic and began limping towards adulthood. Sharp and entertaining, I’m Special will educate twentysomethings (or other adolescents-at-heart) on what NOT to do if they ever want to become happy fully functioning grown-ups with a 401k and a dog.

Katie has Down Syndrome, but that's not what makes her so special. Find out what makes Katie unique. This title focuses on sight words, decoding, and retelling.

Join Bob and Larry as they share their joyful message for little ones: God made you special and he loves you very much! The words— the lyrics to a favorite VeggieTales song—will be familiar to every VeggieTales fan, and here they are paired with bright illustrations and a cast of familiar characters. Children can push the button to hear the Veggies singing the refrain, and they will quickly learn that God made each of us unique and he loves us deeply.

Rhyming text and colorful illustrations point out the things that make each person special.

In a village where everyone has been carved from wood, an uppity Miss Bess Stovall claims her maple "ancestree" is superior until the day a shunned willow fellow saves her life.

Now available in board book form so that younger children can also hear Punchinello's newest lesson: he is loved, not because of what he owns, but because of Whose he is.

Who will win the prize? The new library in Wemmicksville has comfortable chairs, nice tables, lots of shelves ... but not a single book! Now the Wemmicks are competing to win a prize for donating the best book to the library ..."--Cover back.

The beloved host of PBS's Mister Rogers' Neighborhood offers warm words of advice and encouragement on such subjects as relationships, childhood, parenthood, and communication, along with reflections on his own childhood. Reprint. National ad/promo.

My mummy tucks me in. She tells stories just right. We make secret wishes. She kisses me goodnight. Mummy, you're special to me. Follow Little Giraffe's journey in this beautiful story to share with your special mummy.

You are special, one-of-a-kind, made for a unique purpose, and so wholly loved no matter what happens to you and your world. From a young age, every child wonders about how they are made, what their place is in this big world, and whether they are significant. This book hopes to assure every boy about how much love and thought was placed into creating him. That he is created so special, for a unique purpose only he can fulfill. In our current fast-changing world, our children face pressures like never before to adapt. They may come face to face with situations they do not understand or accept. There is hope, because there is an unchanging Love they can trust and run to at all times.This book is a perfect conversation starter with the young ones, and also perfect for the young-at-heart!