This blog is devoted to all children’s book lovers everywhere, especially those devoted to using the best children’s literature across the curriculum. My hope is that this site will be a source of fun, encouragement and inspiration as we share our discoveries, joys and challenges working with treasures old and new in the children’s book world.
About the Contributors:
Rea Berg is passionate about children’s books and has been republishing classic and historical children’s literature for the last 20 years through her company Beautiful Feet Books. She also designs guides for teaching elementary and secondary students history using award-winning classic and historic literature. She loves talking about anything related to the various genres of children’s lit and would love to hear from you on these topics.
Rebecca
Hi Rea! Thanks for adding me to your list. I look forward to reading future blogs. Excellent article in Old Schoolhouse. Very inspiring.
Hi, Rea!
I recently stumbled upon your site through The Old Schoolhouse Journal. I taught English to upper elementary, junior high, and high school students in a Christian school for more than twenty years and would have loved to have known of your study guides during those years.
I am now homeschooling a friend’s autistic son and tutoring various young people, so I was glad to find your info.
I also just started blogging and appreciate what it takes to keep a site going. You have a great blog!
Renee
Thanks, Renee for your kind words. What is your blog site? I’ll check it out!
Thanks, Rea, for adding me to your list (I just joined). I always look forward to your literature trainings for SLOCA parents (just last night) and come away so inspired and energized! Thank you for lighting the spark for good books, both for my children and myself. It’s transformed our lives. I’m glad to now have the opportunity to log on here for more of your insight and enthusiasm. Blessings to you.
You’re very welcome! Thanks for your kind words of encouragement!
Thank you for a most marvelous workshop today. You are an amazing inspiration for digging into literature.
Hi Nancy,
It was wonderful to meet you and I enjoyed all that you added to the seminar. I’d really appreciate if you would email me a brief paragraph regarding our discussion of autistic spectrum and relating through literature. I think that is so important and will help and encourage many families. Thanks again.
Sorry, can’t find any other place to email you. I have a small group of 4 students that are memorizing poetry. I came across your article in the Spring 2009 Homeschool magazine and delightful poem on Anton van Leeuwenhoek. I am going to have them memorize it but wanted to give full credit (and have them memorize) the author. I am assuming you wrote it, but I’ve learned it’s poor practice to assume things. Please email me back and let me know if you were the author and if there is a poem title and if it’s ok that the children memorize it. Thank you so much, Joan
Hi Joan,
The poem is actually by Maxine Kumin and comes from her book called The Microscope and illustrated by Arnold Lobel. It is out of print, but you can find used copies online. The article I wrote did have the attribution to Maxine Kumin. Glad you enjoyed it!
Hi Rea. I met you at the CHEA conf. this last year. I’m the homeschooling artist dad.
I was cleaning the kitchen and listening to your california history talk you gave. Very excellent, enjoyed it very much. I wanted to add a bit to your excellent observation of the tie with St. Christopher and Columbus. As you see my name is also Christopher and St. Christopher is very dear to me. I wanted to mention to you that the Roman Catholic church, after Vatican 2, has quietly dropped St. Christopher from its official list of canonized saints. The rub is that because he lived and was martyred pre schism (1054 ish) He was actually cannonized as Orthodox and is, thanks be to God, a shining example of piety. His story, as kept by the church can be found here:
http://www.goarch.org/chapel/saints/47
also, Columbus would have visited Ireland in 1477. Particularly Galway, where he would have hear about st. Brendan.more here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brendan
blessings to you,
Chris
Hi Chris,
So nice to hear from you. I had no idea that St. Christopher had been “quietly dropped” from the list. How nice that God is never arbitrary like his church can often be! Will look forward to learning more about that and his visit to Ireland! Do you like How the Irish Saved Civilization? It’s on my shelf but I haven’t had a chance to read it yet!
haha. It’s on my shelf to and I haven’t read it either. My family and I went to Ireland 2 years ago and so we really grew a love for that place. There are some remarkable stories of the conversion of the island and also the monastics who lived there. The link to St. Brendan is one. But St. Columba, St. Aidan, St. Enda, St. Brigid and on and on-remarkable stories of faith. The stories of the calif. settlers reminded me of them.
You touched on the Russian influence. Have you ever heard about St. Herman of Alaska? A Russian Orthodox monk who traveresed the ice between russian and n.america to bring the Gospel arriving on Kodiak island in 1794.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herman_of_Alaska
Thanks for the note. Blessings again. you have been such an inspiration to me. I’ve really been tired and feeling incapable of doing all that is required of me. So, to listen to you and your excitement about history and books charged me up.
thanks again
Chris
[...] Rea Berg of Beautiful Feet Books in San Luis Obispo, [...]
Rea,
I don’t know if this is the right place to ask questions, but I couldn’t find any other place.
I was wondering what you think of incorporating memory into the study of history? Do you think it would add or subtract to the experience of studying history? I know that the sole memorization of names and dates would not be a good idea, but I’ve heard that it can be beneficial to memorize something like the “100 important events” can help kids see the whole picture.
Thanks for any thoughts you may have.
Courtney
Hi Courtney,
Thanks for your interest. I think memorization is a good discipline and as long as it isn’t applied like force feeding can be a good tool in your toolbox. Memorization can operate like a skeleton–but the life is put on that framework by the engagement with “living books”—captivating stories of real people told with beauty and grace.
Rea,
Thank you so much for your response. That was very well put!
Greetings from Australia. You helped me with my university assignment. Thank so much.
Definitely, what a great website and enlightening posts, I definitely will bookmark your website.All the Best!
Thank you for your blog on The Tempest. I loved the animated video. I will be attending a performance of this play next month. Are your former blogs all posted too? Are they in the categories column? Thanks, Carol Vang
Hi Carol,
So glad you enjoyed the Tempest post. Would love if you posted after seeing the play! And yes, my previous posts are organized according the category column on the right. Thanks for visiting! Cheers