Such a wonderful story. I bought my first copy for my daughter. I've purchased 3 more as children's birthday gifts. Helper Cow is a standard gift giving item on my list as it's appropriate for both boys and girls. When's the next book coming out?

All the three year olds of my aquaintance have loved this book. We are eagerly awaiting a new story. i saw the cow play with her large rubber water bowl,tossing it around on her horn to get attention. smart cow

Here is a new twist on children's books, Helper Cow is a great story with a tune, and a recipe! How do we go about getting a cow like this one?

Cheri Register's book "Living With Chronic Illness" was both validating and helpful to me.
Eight years of living with chronic migraines has effected my faith, self-image, independence, relationships, work aspirations and what I consider my purpose in life.
At first I tried to minimize the migraines disabling effect but over time and with more acceptance I have, for the most part, found ways to accommodate and live with them.
Register describes many of the challenges of living with chronic illness. Sickness in our culture is seen as an enemy to be fought and defeated. These war images cast chronically ill people as victims, and it's sometimes seen as a character defect if we experience suffering, grief or fear. Instead of 'battling' the illness we can accept it as something we live with that is our normal state of being. The realization that we can be happy and sick is a major lesson.
Our culture expects a person's disability to be a test of character or an opportunity for heroism. People effected with illness should not have to prove their value to others. We are not better or worse, no more heroic or cowardly, strong or weak than healthy people. We are people first not a disease.
Other hurdles for the chronically ill include: loss of autonomy, (self-reliance and being financially self-supporting carries the imprint of virtue). For the chronically ill not pulling your weight is compounded by the fear of becoming indigent and feeling different. Unemployment not only involves economic loss but the loss of identity, productivity, self worth and a sense of meaning. Register says it is important to separate our economic and identity issues from the quest of human worth. When we accept our illness we can stop looking for a cause to blame or a miracle cure.
Chronic Illness challenges our relationships. Adversity can bring couples closer but with chronic illness the adversity comes and goes on a regular basis. The crisis may even become the core of the relationship. Illness highlights and compounds the gender differences. Females are trained to show emotion and males to hide them. It is easier for women to "be there" for intimacy and shared vulnerability. Women often want simple consolation from their husbands, what they get instead is a rational solution. Seeing their mate sick leaves many men feeling powerless. When a relationship requires sustained expression of thoughts and feelings it may become burdensome for the mate.
Register illuminates patience as a way of life for the chronically ill. Acceptance means taking realistic control over how we live and being ready for chaos. The "one day at a time approach" helps. When pain grows intense it demands complete attention. It also helps to focus on the recovery instead of the traumas.
Most doctors are more comfortable caring for acute illness. When medications do not work the patient rather than the medication is often blamed. Few doctors are honest about the limits of medical knowledge and trust patients enough to be partners in care.
Register acknowledges that anger, fear and grief are healthy responses to physical suffering. The value of catharsis allows us to face the emotions head-on rather than avoid or dismiss them. It is reassuring to hear that having suicidal fantasies are a normal consequence of chronic illness and not evidence of losing hold. Since most people do not act on their suicidal thoughts, considering death as a way out of the pain often diffuses the suffering. Also, when we confront the suicidal fantasy head-on it looses its power. Register even came to regard her own suicidal fantasies as a treasured choice. Knowing that suicidal thoughts are a feature of the illness is empowering.
Instead of asking "why me?" the chronically ill are better served by the question "what now?" And for people of faith we might ask, "what do you want from me God?" which implies not penance but fulfillment of a mission. Instead of seeing chronic illness as a punishment for sin, an endurance test, a divine plan geared to your natural capacity or a random event Register recommends we see chronic illness and suffering as central to the human condition. It is our own share of life's condition - a way of life not an aberration. Register says, to live with passion allows us to live with the dynamics of contradiction in joy and sorrow, caring and indifference, in courage and fear, in friendship and alienation. Passion is a fully human and divine spark that burns with life.
To answer the question "what should I do?" Register says, "Just live your life, pain and all with attention and purpose." Lived fully, the experience of illness can free us from the curse of perfection. For people of faith learning to feel God's pain makes us more attuned to God's pleasure. Life is a beautiful tapestry being woven with our lives, it's pattern visible only to God.
Register redefines the disabled hero as one who demonstrates a capacity to come through multiple ordeals with their will intact. Instead of winners and losers, survivors have moments of courage, moments of cowardice, moments of determination and moments of despair, moments of glory and moments of humiliation. That many of us survive these ups and downs is a miracle that happens many times a day.
Register describes the ingredients of survival for the chronically ill: a sense of humor, tenacity, a will to live, discipline, inner strength, trusting ourselves, inner peace, acceptance, a support system, faith, skepticism, and a belief in a Higher Power and Purpose. Instead of saying, "There but for the grace of God go I" we might say, "Here, with the grace of God, I am." Our bodies are, after all, our medium for experiencing creation.

"Living With Chronic Illness" has probably been one of the most important books in my collection as I deal with chronic illness myself. I met the author in 1990 and heard her speak about the unique nature of rare and chronic diseases, and found myself nodding and smiling throughout her talk. If you are dealing with a chronic illness, you will re-read this book (or sections of it) for years as you experience different problems. Mine's marked up with yellow highlighter and underlined passages, a sign of how deeply and personally Cheri's writing touches my heart. I saw that she's revised and updated this book, so I would unhesitatingly recommend that one sight unseen too.

Register, who has a chronic illness herself, has interviewed other patients in Minnesota to get their views on subjects ranging from marriage to work. I found myself underlining so many sentences. The book has been a comfort to me since I first bought it in 1991. It has seen me through asthma and depression. One drawback, which Register acknowledges--all her interviewees are from Minnesota so there is no geographical diversity. Also, from their names and descriptions, they all seem to be African- or European-American--no Asians for example, and I didn't find any gay people. A more diverse sample would have made this a stronger book. Overall, I highly recommend it, and I hope she's still around to publish more! I really appreciated her sharing so much about her life.

A wonderful book! So lyrically written and beautifully illustrated
that it held the attention of my 11 year old son and 17 year old daughter
when I read it aloud to the family. Especially interesting were the author's
well-written notes at the end of the book that explained the symbolism used in the book.
As a result, the book was not only entertaining but gave us an opportunity to learn
about the Islamic mystics, the Sufi, and to see how allusions and metaphors were used
enhance the story. Get this book for your children -- so you can read it yourself!

Margaret's books always sing. They are like music. Her first, Marriage of the Rain Goddess was pure poetry--and this one, her third, is similar. It is refreshing to find such writing in children's books. The illustrations are breathtaking. This book is like a dream.

A beautiful and unusual story. The writing is like rare jewels, and the illustrations are extraordinary. I enjoyed this book because it featured a female who undergoes a spiritual transformation. Because of the rich inner story this makes an excellent book for adults as well--particularly for lovers of the poet Rumi. Superb.

I picked this book up remembering my childhood vacations on Nantucket and was really glad I did. I can recall as a child learning something about whaling and wondering what life was really like on one of the ships, and now here's a story to answer that question. I'm planning to share this book with all the 10-year-old girls I know.

Patience captured my interest as an adult, and I enjoyed it because of the accuracy of the whaling and sailing history and technology, and the easy flow of descriptive writing. This is the kind of book which children from 8 to 13 can get lost in and not want to put down. The plot is exciting and after all is said and done, one wonders where Patience will go next?

This author made a whole world come alive, and even though I wasn't sure I would like a story that had whaling in it, it was really fun to read. I couldn't put the book down until Patience was safe again.

This is a wonderful book, a true and rare treasure, full of hunger and appetite, joy and toil. Books like this are sometimes called "a labor of love", which is somewhat of a cliche, but this book is brimfull of all the labor and love that goes into gathering, harvesting, preserving and cooking food grown for its own sake. Here, food is not a commodity to be bought and sold but a mainstay of life, a vital ingredient for happiness, a celebration of simple and good - but hard - life. The book would be valuable enough if that was all but there are also so many delightful recipes, so many wonderful anecdotes and descriptions, so much interesting autobiographical material. I've seen someone compare Honey from a Weed to Frances Mayers tedious Tuscanny books but don't let that mislead you; this is a very different book, written with immense sensitivity and hard-earned knowledge of the land the author has cultivated and the people she lived with and learned from.

I first read Ms. Gray's book looking for a specific recipe, how was I to know it was not just a 'cookbook', but a charming look at life? Ms. Gray's stories about life among the stonecutters, peasants and artists of Greece and Italy was a delight to read. I'm buying extra copies to pass them around to cooks and non-cooks alike, anyone who needs to see firsthand that living well, often on a shoestring, can be the best revenge. Wonderful illustrations, simple recipes for soul-satisfying food...and one woman's recipe for a simpler life. If this doesn't make you long to quit the 'day job' and run off to live on grilled sardines and fresh tomatoes in Tuscany or Naxos, call Tech Support, you've got some wires disconnected.

This book is very well written and fun to read. Since the birth of my son, I've been reading him a story every night before bedtime. Even though he is only 4½ months old, he seems to especially enjoy "Moose, of Course". I can only assume it is because of all the rhymes and repetitions this story contains. I feel confident that he will enjoy it for a long time since the story is also adventurous and amusing. I will definitely be buying more of Lynn Plourde's books.

A sweet, natural story with great rhythms. Includes a lesson about understanding nature and being patient! My four-year-old loves to hear it and I love to read it. Wonderful for bedtime and anytime you need a quiet moment together.

This book is the best book I have ever read. I really think it will help younger kids to learn about the dentist. It also shows that going to the dentist is not scary, and how it can be really a lot of fun. I think it is an extrodinary book. I highly highly reccomend everyone to buy it.

This book is wonderfully written and illustrated. It addresses all aspects of the dental visit. It is a great learning tool for young patients at dental offices as well as for teachers in the elementary grades during dental health education. This book also appeals to the preschool age child and is great help to parents who want to acquaint their children with oral health and what to expect at the dental office. I highly recommend it.

We LOVE Patience! With it's beautiful pictures and charming story this book has long been my niece's most requested bedtime story. Children will love it and the adults won't mind reading it to them again and again.

A simply charming book for all ages. A story about a sheltie who discovers herding. A must have for dog lovers.

My three-year-old daughter and I love this book. Recently after reading it, she was wiggling around while I brushed her hair. I asked if she would be patient like Rosie was while her mother brushed her fur, and she sat still!

Patient Rosie is a warm and wise book for very young children that celebrates patience without being preachy. Rosie the mouse shows us in wonderfully child-appropriate ways just how patient she is... she waits for her turn; she sits very still while Mama combs her fur; she lets the cookies cool before eating one. A very sweet book -- my preschooler loves it!

This book has renewed my spirit for cooking. So simple in tasks, yet with the essence of true cookery, I have found a bible. Evoking the great repasts that my grandma used to lay on at a moments notice, this book has brought me close to understanding the old ways of cookery. The beauty of this book is that it beholds traditions alongside every new convenience, and is still as pertinent today as when it was written in 1957.

The summary on the Amazon site suggest that this is a book on French cookery. It actually covers a much wider range of peasant cookery from the Mediterranean region including Spain, Italy and Greece as well as France. The approach is practical and straightforward but pays due attention to authenticity. Even though many of the recipes which were unfamiliar and exotic 40 years ago are know well known, the elegant writing make this a book to read as well as cook from.