Books Like “A New Contract for Welfare”

Man and Wife

Wilkie Collins, Norman Page, Harry A. Webber

1870

Man and Wife was Wilkie Collins' ninth published novel. It is the second of his novels (after No Name) in which social questions provide the main impetus of the plot. Collins increasingly used his novels to explore social abuses, which according to critics] tends to detract from their qualities as fiction. The social issue which drives the plot is the state of Scots marriage law; at the time the novel was written, any couple who were legally entitled to marry and who asserted that they were married before witnesses, or in writing, were regarded in Scotland as being married in law. The novel has a complex plot, common in Collins' work.[3] In a Prologue, a selfish and ambitious man casts off his wife in order to marry a wealthier and better-connected woman, by taking advantage of a loophole in the marriage laws of Ireland.The initial action takes place in the widowed Lady Lundie's house in Scotland. Geoffrey Delamayn has promised marriage to his lover Anne Silvester (governess to Lady Lundie's stepdaughter Blanche), who has incurred the enmity of her employer. The spendthrift Geoffrey is about to be disinherited and wishes to escape from his promise and marry a wealthy wife. Nevertheless, he is obliged to arrange a rendezvous with Anne, in the character of his wife, at an inn, and documents this in an exchange of notes with her. Subsequently, urgent matters force him to send his friend Arnold Brinkworth, Blanche's fiancé, to Anne in his place. To gain access to her, Arnold must ask for "his wife". Although nothing improper passes between them, they appear to the landlady and to Bishopriggs, a waiter, to be man and wife.Thus, both Geoffrey and Arnold might be deemed to be married to Anne, depending on the weight put on the spoken and written evidence. Most of the novel concerns Anne's, Geoffrey's and Arnold's attempts to clarify their marital status:

Jude the Obscure

Thomas Hardy

1895

Hardy's masterpiece traces a poor stonemason's ill-fated romance with his free-spirited cousin. No Victorian institution is spared - marriage, religion, education - and the outrage following publication led the embittered author to renounce fiction. Modern critics hail this novel as a pioneering work of feminism and socialist thought.

Heidi

Spyri, Johanna

1885

"Heidi was so happy living with her grandfather on the mountain. She loved to walk in the green pastures, tending the goats and talking to Peter the goatherd. But her happiness was not to last. Her aunt took her away to live in the busy, grey town of Frankfurt, where Heidi wasted away wondering if she would ever return to the mountains ..." -- Back cover.

Little men

Louisa May Alcott

1885

This sparkling sequel to the beloved Little Women follows the grown-up and married Jo, mistress of Plumfield, a school for boys (and a few girls, too). The fun begins with a new arrival, Nat Blake; it is through his eyes that we first meet Plumfield's lively residents and experience the cheerful confusion that reigns in the welcoming home

Little House on the Prairie

Laura Ingalls Wilder

1935

A family travels from the big woods of Wisconsin to a new home on the prairie, where they build a house, meet neighboring Indians, build a well, and fight a prairie fire.

Louder Than Words

Jenny McCarthy

2007

The celebrity author presents an account of her experiences as a mother of an autistic son, describing her efforts to manage the condition's symptoms while sorting through conflicting medical theories.

Whole Child, Whole Parent

Polly B. Berends, Polly Berrien Berends

1975

Fostering spiritual growth through practical discipline, Berends relates the central concepts of happiness, honesty, freedom, love, and unity to the everyday concerns of parenting.

This is how it always is

Laurie Frankel

2017

"This is Claude. He's five years old, the youngest of five brothers. He also loves peanut butter sandwiches. He also loves wearing a dress, and dreams of being a princess.When he grows up, Claude says, he wants to be a girl. Rosie and Penn want Claude to be whoever Claude wants to be. They're just not sure they're ready to share that with the world. Soon the entire family is keeping Claude's secret. Until one day it explodes."--

Your child at play

Marilyn M. Segal

1985

Packed with learning activities, games, poems, and recipes, as well as anecdotes and advice, the eight sections focus on: Individual Differences and Common Threads (distinguishing between real and pretend; concern with fairness; self-awareness) The Questions Children Ask (the physical world; the natural world; the social world) Friends (best friends; controversies and conflicts; sibling play) Active Play (contact and cuddling; physical feats; sports) Creative Play (music; art; crafts; storytelling and jokes) Pretend Play (actor play and dressing up; imaginary playmates; reemergence of pretending) School Play (reading; writing; arithmetic; collecting facts; science) Family (attachment and separation; family continuity; traditions)

Building resilience in children and teens

Kenneth R. Ginsburg, Martha M. Jablow

2005

Confronting the overwhelming amount of stress kids face today, this invaluable guide offers coping strategies for facing the combined elements of academic performance, high achievement standards, media messages, peer pressure, and family tension. The handbook acknowledges that adolescents commonly survive stress by either indulging in unhealthy behaviors or giving up completely, and its suggested solutions are aimed at strengthening resilience. The proposed plan enables kids from the age of 18 months to 18 years to build the seven crucial "C's"--Competence, confidence, connection, character, co.

Read to Your Bunny

Rosemary Wells

1997

Brief text and colorful illustrations tell what happens when parents and children share twenty minutes a day reading.

Assertive discipline for parents

Lee Canter

1982

"A proven, step-by-step approach to solving everyday behavior problems"--Cover.