The long awaited adult version of Goodbye, Grandma Erma, which won two Best Children’s Book prizes in 2001, is a personal journal of the author’s time with Erma and her family during her final months of life. It has been recommended by Dr. Shigeaki Hinohara, a leading authority on terminal care in Japan.
“There are many books written about caring for ill or elderly people, but I don’t know of any journal on terminal care which is so warm and real. This book is written with the loving connection between Grandmother Erma and the author.
This is a personal photo essay of the author’s life with her two cats, both of which died of Feline Leukemia. It describes her journey from the time when she first learned of the cats’ illness until she came to accept their deaths. Along the way, the author learns that our lives are filled with lessons about how to let go of things that we are attached to.
In 1984, The Garden Project: an organic gardening program for the rehabilitation of inmates, was launched at San Francisco County Jail by former jail counselor Cathrine Sneed. Since then, the program has grown into an independent, non-profit organization which helps both inmates and ex-offenders who need jobs to ease them back into society. While practicing organic gardening, they learn to take care of themselves. The community where they came from also heals as the garden grows. This is a two-year documentary which follows the remarkable work of The Garden Project as it strives towards growing people through gardening.
Fonzie the dolphin has an important job: He plays with children who are sick or disabled, and gives them joy and laughter. Children come from all over the world to Island Dolphin Care in Key Largo, Florida where this book is set. It is a facility that provides dolphin assisted therapy, and it offers a safe place where children can just be kids and enjoy themselves. Fonzie is the narrator of the book, and he talks about his work and the lives of the children with whom he plays.
Shogakukan INC, 2002 Yen1,400 (Japanese and Korean)
Japan is in the midst of a pet boom, so it has become important for Japanese to learn how to live with their cats and dogs in the crowded neighborhood where most people in Japanese cities live. Dr. Shibanai is a pioneer in promoting human-animal bond in Japan, and she gives many helpful suggestions on how to benefit from living with animals, as they can be the best teachers to both children and adults.
