Oliver and the Seawigs by Philip Reeve

    Published by OUP Press

    ISBN: 978-0-192-73455-6

    Oliver grew up in a family of explorers—but his biggest adventure is about to begin! Along with his new friends, Oliver goes off to look for his missing parents.

    I really like this book because it's not one of those short stories that are over too quickly, but a longish book that takes time to read. I recommend this book and give it 5 stars.

    Ginny, age 8

    Lady Lydia: Read Me a Story by Anne Lavis

    Published by A H Stockwell

    ISBN: 978-0-722-34327-2

    Lady Lydia is old and eccentric (古怪的), but she is never lonely. She shares her home with bats and mice and spiders, and all the animals round about are her friends too.

    My lovely daughter Alice likes all the pictures of the animals in this book, but she doesn't like it when the pages have lots of writing on with no pictures. Alice rates this book 2 out of 5.

    Alice, age 4

    I Am a Woolly Hat (EARLY READER) by Salma Koraytem

    Published by Orion Books

    ISBN: 978-1-444-00844-9

    Early Readers are stepping stones from picture books to reading books. A blue Early Reader is perfect for sharing and reading together.

This book makes my sweetheart Lucie feel lovely inside and the drawing are not as good because the colors are not bright like other books. Lucie rates this book 3 out of 5.

    Lucie, age 4

   A Royal Fairytale by Ink Robin

    Published by Egmont

    ISBN: 978-1-405-26843-1

    See Kate and Will's romance develop from their studying days at Edinburgh through to their happy wedding at Buckingham Palace with the royal family, even the queen, in tow.

    My little angel Amy likes the book. The best parts are the wedding and fireworks as she likes fireworks and the colors on the page are really bright. Amy rates it 4 out of 5.

    Amy, age 4

    The morning had been a disaster. My tooth was aching, and I'd been in an argument with a friend. Her words still hurt: “The trouble with you is that you won't put yourself in my place. Can't you see things from my point of view?” I shock my head stubbornly — and felt the ache in my tooth. I'd thought I could hold out till my dentist came back from holiday, but the pain was really unbearable. I started calling the dentists in the phone book, but no one could see me immediately. Finally, at about lunchtime, I got lucky.

    “If you come by right now,” the receptionist said, “the dentist will fit you in.”

    I took my purse and keys and rushed to my car. But suddenly I began to doubt about the dentist. What kind of dentist would be so eager to treat someone at such short notice? Why wasn't he as busy as the others?

    In the dentist's office, I sat down and looked around. I saw nothing but the bare walls and I became even more worried. The assistant noticed my nervousness and placed her warm hand over my ice-cold one.

    When I told her my fears, she laughed and said, “Don't worry. The dentist is very good.”

    “How long do I have to wait for him?” I asked impatiently.

    “Come on, he is coming. Just lie down and relax. And enjoy the artwork.” the assistant said.

    “The artwork?” I was puzzled.

    The chair went back. Suddenly I smiled. There was a beautiful picture, right where I could enjoy it: on the ceiling. How considerate the dentist was! At that moment, I began to understand what my friend meant by her words.

    What a relief!

    Have you ever been to Taiwan, China's biggest island? Do you want to pay a visit there? We'll show you the best of Taiwan is land.

    "No matter where you are or what time it is there's something going on at a Hard Rock Cafe. All over the world our cafes not only serve great food, but they serve up great music." Hard Rock Cafes around the world symbolize the timeless energy, originality and unifying (团结的) spirit that have helped to shape rock music over the last century.

    Founded by two Americans, the first Hard Rock Cafe (HRC) opened its doors to the public on June 14, 1971, in London. Today, HRC has become a global phenomenon with more than 180 cafes in different countries.

    HRC has also become the world's leading collector and exhibitor of rock ‘n' roll memorabilia. It all started when Eric Clapton, a regular at the first HRC, asked the staff if they could hang his guitar on the wall to mark his favourite stool (凳子) as "his spot". They did and one week later, a package from Pete Townshend arrived with a guitar and a note with the message, "Mine's as good as his! Love, Pete."

    Ever since then, Hard Rock Cafes have been collecting pieces of rock memorabilia and covering their walls with them. Their collection is rotated from restaurant to restaurant and provides the world's most comprehensive "visual history" of rock ‘n' roll. These treasures include an awe-inspiring collection of classic guitars and other instruments, posters, music, etc.

    Throughout its history, HRC has been governed by a special service philosophy: "Love All—Serve All." Since it was established, HRC has taken part in a wide variety of humane activities around the world. Following its idea of being more than just a restaurant, HRC tries to connect its business and its passion to make the earth a safer, healthier and better place to live.

    All in all, Hard Rock Cafe International is an entertainment company that continues to successfully expand the Hard Rock brand through countless music-related activities.

    The goings-on in the consulting room have become more transparent (透明的) recently. Thank goodness. We know more than the lines supplied by the movies in which the therapist knows all and gives wisdom to those who, sitting on a couch, consult with them. Therapists are interested in how the individual, the couple or the family experiences and understands their difficulties. That has to be a starting place. We can be of value if our first port of call is to listen, to gradually feel ourselves into the shoes of the other, to absorb the feelings that are being conveyed and to think and then to say some words.

    The thinking and talking that I do inside the consulting room is at odds with many features of ordinary conversation. Not that it is mysterious, but it isn't concerned with traditional ways of sharing or identifying. The therapist makes patterns and theorizes, but they are also reflecting on the words that are spoken, how they are delivered and how the words, once spoken, affect the speaker and the therapist themselves.

    Words can give voice to previously unknown feelings and thoughts. That's why it's called the talking cure. But just as words reveal so, too, can they obscure, and this gets us to the listening and feeling part of the therapy. Whatever and however the words are delivered, they will have an impact on me as a therapist. I might feel hopeless, I might feel energized, I might feel pushed away, I might feel demanded of, I might feel pulled to find solutions.

    The influence of the other is what makes any relationship possible or impossible. A therapist is trained to reflect on how those who consult with them affect them. As I try to step into the shoes of the other and then out again, my effort is to hold both those experiences, plus an awareness of my ease or discomfort with what I encounter in the relationship.

    Feelings are the bread and butter of our work in the consulting room. They inform or modify our ideas and they enable us to find an emotional bridge to what can so hurt for the people we are working with. Along with the more commonly thought-about theories and ideas we have about the psyche, they are an essential part of the therapist's toolkit, certainly for me. The talking cure means talking, yes. It also means the therapist is listening, thinking and feeling.

At school, I was in the top set for maths. My teachers recommended that I study economics and statistics as my A-level subjects, but I had my mind set on a life fulfilled by the arts.

In fact, I was a victim of a gender stereotype made stronger since birth, that men do science and maths and women do arts or languages. Computer science, technology and physics just did not figure in my teenage world view. Nobody popular in my school chose to study those subjects.

Reality struck hard when I began attending job interviews and interviewers would say: "It's great that you speak foreign languages, but what else do you do?" Nobody asked my friends who had studied science or technology those questions.

A survey recently showed that three of the best-paid jobs for women are in the technology sector. It's a sector that really can change the world. We must show girls that technology has an effect on every industry out there, from fashion to architecture to journalism. Anybody can learn to code and these days it's as important as reading and writing. I've realized that at university I'd achieved the wrong kind of literacy. Not being able to code limit your impact on the world far more than an ignorance of great literature.

Now I have a five-year-old daughter. I don't want her to blindly follow gender roles the way I did. I want her to know the fact that a science or technical degree will not limit her creativity but expand it and broaden her horizons far more than my arts background could. I'm exposing her to Minecraft and apps, which help improve analytical thinking and problem solving skills. I'm hoping that my daughter will discover and accept her potentials in science and want to change the world.