Books published by publisher Beautiful Feet Books

Considered the innovator of "horizontal history," Genevieve Foster became frustrated when her two school-aged children complained about the boring presentation of history in their school textbooks. This frustration led to Foster's first book, George Washington's World (1941). In her unique approach, Foster weaves a story of the world around her central character; rather than focusing exclusively on geo-political events, as most textbooks do, she includes stories of scientific discovery and invention, music, literature, art, and religion. Her keen intuition for stories will especially delight and amuse youthful readers. In Augustus Caesar's World, Foster traces the seven major civilizations of Rome, Greece, Israel, Egypt, China, India, and Persia from 4500 B.C. to the time of Augustus Caesar in 44 B.C. and culminating in 14 A.D. Within this timeframe readers will learn not only the stories of Julius Caesar, Cleopatra, and Marc Antony, but also the historian Livy and how Virgil came to write the Aeneid. Foster will then take her readers all over the world to learn what was happening at this same time in China, Persia, India and so on. Foster's detailed pen and ink drawings are fresh and appealing, and her illustrated timelines give a clear sense of chronology, enriching the engaging text. We loved this book! Being able to see what was happening in all areas of history during the time of Caesar Augustus was fascinating, and the illustrations inside were captivating! - Kendra

1945 Newbery Honor Title With her whimsical and informative illustrations and timelines, Foster has magnificently captured a remarkable age and a remarkable man. The author earned her reputation by her masterful display of "horizontal history" telling the story of world events in the geo-political sphere, while giving as much importance to advances in science, medicine, music, art, literature, and exploration. Thus, while Abe Lincoln was a boy romping the woods of Kentucky, Thomas Jefferson was completing his eighth year as president, George III reigned in Great Britain and Napolean was about to meet his Waterloo. Beethoven and Sir Walter Scott were at the height of their creative powers, while Victor Hugo was staging plays at school. By the time Lincoln was old enough to help his father chop wood, other young boys and girls were being prepared for the future parts they would play. Harriet Beecher was reading anything she could get her hands on, Charles Darwin was collecting toads, crabs and shells, and the impoverished boy Dickens was working in a shoe blacking factory in London. When Lincoln opened his shop in Salem, David Livingstone was exploring Africa, and thousands of Americans were opening up the West on the Oregon Trail. The spirit of freedom was moving around the globe as the abolitionist movement gained power in the States and serfdom saw its demise in Russia. Technologically the world was bursting with the invention of the telegraph, the railroad and the steamboat.

A terrific book to introduce children to a great scientist, some of his scientific forebears, and his significant scientific ideas and discoveries. - Cathy Duffy Reviews One of the most important figures to come out of the awakening world of the Renaissance was Galileo Galelei. Galileo was forever asking questions. Is it possible to measure heat? Can you weigh air? Does the earth stand still or does it move? How fast do objects fall to the earth? These questions, and his answers to them, led to some of the most important discoveries ever in astronomy, physics, mathematics, and the natural world. Among his many accomplishments Galileo advanced the astronomical telescope and invented the compound microscope. He measured the rotation of the sun, invented the thermometer, a geometrical compass, and the pendulum clock. He was a man of faith, a lover of art and an accomplished artist. He played the lute and enjoyed working in his garden. He was the first to see, through the lens of the telescope, the sights and wonders of our galaxy that moved him to profound gratitude to God. He was so ahead of his time that his discoveries caused him to be the object of persecution and injustice. Through her whimsical illustrations and her bright and engaging text Jeanne Bendick has provided the middle reader with Galileo's inspiring story.

Newbery and Caldecott Medal winner James Daugherty has applied his literary and artistic skill to bringing to life the remarkable expedition of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark on their 3555-mile trek from St. Louis to the Pacific Ocean. Taken largely from original accounts of the expedition, Daugherty has written in his simple, forceful, and lyrical way to evoke the drama and pathos of what was one of American's most daring journeys of discovery. Commissioned in 1803 by President Thomas Jefferson to explore and open up this vast territory, Lewis and Clark felt it was the realization of a lifelong dream. Against the hardships of the wilderness, possible attack by hostile Indians, sudden blizzards and terrifying natural obstacles, these two men led the Corps of Discovery ably and nobly to complete their mission. Their Corps included American Indians from the Sioux, Mandan, Shoshone, Clatsop and Chopunnish tribes. Sacajawea, the only woman on the trip, was a Shoshone woman who contributed invaluable service as interpreter and guide. Daugherty's evocative sepia and black ink illustrations depict individuals of humor, vitality, passion, and strength.

THIS BOOK IS PART OF THE SOUTHWIND KNIGHTS STARTER PACK http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00LE7PCD8/FAST-PACED FANTASY ADVENTURE, WITH A TWISTIn an age when people lived off the land and the Wild was still wild—when a young Queen warmed the throne and her Bulwark Knights patrolled the unruly borders—the edge of civilization was a place where dreams went to die.Welcome to Southwind.When a salamander poisons Asher’s best friend Finn, he only has three days to live. Suddenly, Asher is pulled off his father’s farm and into a suicide quest for the only known cure: the horn of a unicorn.Accompanied by the Bulwark Knight Sir Victor and a contentious Healer, Asher must venture into the wild depths of Dragoncliff Cove, home to the most fearsome creatures in the Queendom. And as Asher races to save his friend, a mysterious past comes to light that could doom the quest and leave more than one boy dead.Book #1 in a series of fantasy novellas.

In Genevieve Foster's inimitable style, she brings to life the dawn of the 19th century with all its wonderful advancements in transportation, communication, and technology! This is the age of Napoleon, Jefferson, Toussaint, Livingston, Robert Fulton, Richard Trevithick, Beethoven, Lewis and Clark, Sacajawea, Dolley Madison and many others. While the world of technology is progressing rapidly, human rights and liberty are variously being trampled or rising. The megalomaniac Napoleon is proclaiming "liberty, equality, and fraternity" to a war-weary Europe, Jefferson is contemplating the largest land purchase in the history of the world, and Toussaint L'Ouverture is fighting for liberty in Haiti, while Robert Livingston, Robert Fulton, Richard Trevithick, Beethoven, Lewis and Clark, Sacajawea, and Dolley Madison are all playing their parts. Foster's use of "horizontal history", weaves these stories together by delightful retellings and whimsical illustrations. In this memorable retelling, youthful readers will come to appreciate why Foster was convinced that "history is drama.

In this newly edited and expanded edition, children will learn not only the faithful saga of the Separatist's struggle for religious freedom, but also that young Rembrandt was just learning to walk when the Pilgrims arrived in Leiden, that Galileo was fighting his own battle for religious and scientific freedom, and that William Brewster served as clerk to Queen Elizabeth's secretary until the ill-fated execution of Elizabeth's half sister, Mary. The Pilgrim's heroic struggle, along with the history of many iconic figures from this time period, will clearly come into view and meaningful context in this engaging and well-researched book. With whimsical illustrations by Christen Blechschmid, children and parents alike will see the world as the Pilgrims saw and lived it. In the early 1900s, Pumphrey, a primary school teacher, compiled stories from a number of original sources, including William Bradford's diary Of Plymouth Plantation and Edward Winslow's journal Good Newes from New England--stories of faith, courage, and joy that became the seeds of a great nation.

It was Ben Franklin who coined the phrase, "Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to God," and if any historical drama fulfills that maxim, it is surely the saga of King John and the drafting of the Magna Charta. Out of the rich turbulence of English history, June 15, 1215 stands apart as a significant milestone in the progress of human liberty. On that day, a brave band of barons, led by the noble Stephen Langton, and calling themselves the Army of God, stood up to the wicked King John and demanded that he restore the ancient laws of England that he had so unabashedly trampled underfoot. The era is a rollicking one filled with colorful characters like Robin Hood and his Merry Men, Richard the Lionheart, Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine, and many more. Newbery and Caldecott medal-winner James Daugherty brings his own passion for freedom's story to this wonderful saga of the thirteenth century. Daugherty devotes the last part of the book to a history of the "documents" of freedom, what he calls the "Children of the Magna Charta", demonstrating how liberty has progressed over the ages. Two-color illustrations by the author enhance the drama of this text.

Continuing her unique approach to "horizontal history", Genevieve Foster explores the wide world of William Penn - a world reaching across the courtyards of the Sun King to the Great Wall of China. Penn's contemporaries included such colorful figures as Louis XIV, Peter the Great, Edmund Halley, Sir Issac Newton, Shah Jahan (who built the Taj Mahal), and the great explorers Marquette, Jolliet, and La Salle. Penn's life spans a fascinating age of exploration and discovery. Penn's Quaker beliefs undergirded his relationships with the Pennsylvanian tribes and established the longest standing peace treaty between American Indians and European settlers.

1940 Caldecott Medal Winner This book is breathtakingly beautiful... It's truly a living book that brings you in as you read. It has quickly become a family favorite! - Heather O. Make Abraham Lincoln your child's friend with this book! Beautifully written and illustrated, this book is definitely a keeper. - Janet In honor of the 75th anniversary of the 1940 Caldecott Medal award this edition reintroduces readers young and old to America's most beloved President through exquisite illustrations made from the original lithographic proofs the authors created in 1939. This delightful biography traces Lincoln's life from his birth in the Kentucky wilderness, to his shop-keeping days in New Salem, becoming a lawyer in Springfield, and his eventual election as President. Woven throughout are his legendary adventures, his humor and wit, and stories you won't read anywhere else. Of our nation's historical icons, Lincoln is the quintessential embodiment of American possibility in his mythic-like rise from rail-splitter to Chief Executive and Emancipator of the oppressed. The admiration felt by Americans for Lincoln's humble integrity, his noble statesmanship, and his keen sense of justice, is beautifully captured in the illustrations and text.

School Library Journal: Best Book of the Year Adolf Hitler der Fuehrer rose from a childhood of obscurity to wield more power than probably any person in history. His control over his subjects was so complete that he literally shaped every aspect of their lives. The slightest defiance of his authority meant torture or death. Marrin carefully traces the forces that framed Hitler's fanaticism; readers will learn of his hardhearted and abusive father and his doting and indulgent mother who continually schooled Adolf in his superiority over other children. When he is twice rejected at a prestigious art school in Vienna, Hitler's delusional thoughts of himself seek a scapegoat for his seething anger. This was the genesis of Hitler's raging anti-Semitism that would play out in the deaths of over six million people. Hitler's path to power included a heroic career as an infantryman in World War I where he earned six medals for bravery, including the Iron Cross. But Germany's surrender plunged him into a dark depression. In this state he began to believe he was called by God to "right Germany's wrongs, rebuild her armies, and punish the traitors." The rest is history, and Marrin brings the tragedy of Hitler's dark reign to the young adult reader in a manner that is honest, forthright and sobering. Illustrated with maps and photographs.

A clever tale of two English children who are told the story of their grandfather's experiences as one of the original Jamestown colonists. Pen and ink drawings add to the story! Through dramatic depictions of significant moments in American history, this informative series (Adventures in Colonial America) gives young readers a vivid sense of Colonial American life -- its farms and villages, cities and ports, and the struggles and dreams of its inhabitants.