Bellman Bear Blog

Together We Can Read 2010

2010-03-26T07:16:00.005+13:00

Imagine 98 classrooms reading Bellman Visits South Carolina together! Wow! Believe it or not, it is happening today and we can hardly believe it ourselves. Here's the press release from the City of Columbia:

Kickoff Held For Together We Can Read 2010

The City of Columbia, Richland School District One, and the Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce are collaborating in an effort to sponsor “Together We Can Read”, a reading day program to encourage children to learn the joys of reading. This is the second year of this successful education initiative. Officials from the City of Columbia and Richland School District One, as well as local celebrities and business leaders will be reading to third grade classes throughout the community on Thursday, March 25, 2010. There are approximately 98 classrooms and 1840 third grade students in Richland District One. Almost 100 volunteers will be in the classrooms, participating on Reading Day.

"Student achievement is our No. 1 priority in Richland One and literacy is our focus this year," said Richland One Superintendent Dr. Percy Mack. ""We are very appreciative of our guest readers for making time in their busy schedules to read to our students and help promote the importance of literacy and the joy of reading. We also want to thank the City of Columbia, under the leadership of Councilwoman Tameika Isaac Devine, for its continued support of the Together We Can Read initiative."

Bellman Visits South Carolina by Brenda Richards and Brantley Parrott, is the book the guest readers will read. The book introduces students to key places and monuments across South Carolina. Ms. Richards is a retired Richland One elementary school teacher. She is also a product of Richland One Schools. Ms. Parrott is a product of Richland One education, having attended Meadowfield Elementary, Hand Middle School, and Dreher High School.

We are thrilled to have this opportunity to work with The City of Columbia, Richland District One, and the Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce to provide this incredible opportunity to the Richland One Third Graders. What an exciting day!

Bear Hugs!

Parent Pages

2010-03-26T04:09:00.003+13:00

We are proud to announce our new parent pages for each book. These pages provide additional educational resources and ideas to enrich your child's learning as you read through the books together. The pages will find a permanent home on our website, but here are the links for now:

Meet Bellman the Traveling Bear

Bellman Visits South Carolina

Bellman Goes To France

Bellman Goes To Greece

It is a joy for us to work alongside parents and teachers to provide these tools for your homes and classrooms. Bear Hugs!

February 27th & 28th - South Carolina Book Festival

2010-02-28T13:56:00.003+13:00

We have enjoyed a wonderful day of reuniting with families, teachers, and vendors that we met at last year's SC Book Festival! We also made many new friends and sent parents, grandparents, librarians, and children home with special Bellman bear books. Everyone seemed to have a favorite book and a young one in their lives that would benefit from sharing and learning about it. Thank you to everyone who came by to see us this year.

We'll be there again tomorrow as well - 11:30-5:00.

Bear Hugs!

Book Orders

2009-12-08T06:16:00.001+13:00

Please contact us directly to place all book orders while our online shopping cart is transferred to a new account.

Bear Hugs!

Thankful

2009-12-01T04:05:00.004+13:00

We hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend! Bellman helped cook the turkey and gravy. YUM!

During this holiday, we are not only thankful for the wonderful food and time with loved ones, but also for others who share our passion for advancing childhood literacy and education.

Here are a few organizations that were recently featured in Reader's Digest:

bookends.org - Kids help kids by recycling and distributing books to inner-city schools, homeless shelters, and after-school enrichment centers.

famlit.org - The National Center for Family Literacy provides families with the tools they need to "break the cycle of low literacy."

firstbook.org - Distributes new books to disadvantaged children in preschools to afterschool programs.

reachoutandread.org - Pediatricians, nurses, and volunteers in impoverished areas promote literacy during well-child checkups.

November 12th World of Women Day

2009-11-20T03:58:00.000+12:00

Polo Road Elementary School invited Dawndy Mercer Plank, news anchor at WIS-TV, to read to students in honor of World of Women Day. She chose to share Bellman Visits South Carolina and Meet Bellman the Traveling Bear with them. Thank you for all of your love and support Dawndy! We are so glad that the children enjoyed meeting Bellman.

November 12th Ninety Six Primary School

2009-11-19T09:26:00.006+12:00

What a joy to spend time with the K-2nd graders at Ninety Six Primary School. Thank you for inviting Bellman and me to your school. We hope to see all of you again soon!

November 11th Waterloo Elementary

2009-11-19T09:22:00.005+12:00

Bellman and I recently enjoyed a delightful visit with the K-3rd graders at Waterloo Elementary. We would like to give a special thank you to Billy who gave us this wonderful drawing of Bellman with the Eiffel Tower.

Good Night!

2009-11-12T15:33:00.004+12:00

I had a busy day of learning with the boys and girls at Waterloo Elementary. Now I am at my grandparent's house and ready for a good night's sleep.

Love,

Staying Connected....Facebook & Twitter

2009-11-12T09:49:00.005+12:00

We know how busy everyone is these days, and we have enjoyed staying connected with loved ones and new friends through Facebook and Twitter. If we haven't "friended" you yet, please send us a "friend" request. We definitely want to be your friend...but we just haven't gotten that organized yet! It has taken us awhile to figure out all of this technology, but we're getting there one keystroke at a time.

Basically, we want to make it as easy as possible for Bellman's fans to know where he is and what he is up to. We have already made many wonderful connections with schools throughout South Carolina. We're looking forward to continuing those relationships online and in person!

Bear Hugs!

Under Construction

2009-11-12T09:09:00.005+12:00

You may have noticed a few exciting changes around here. We are in the process of a website facelift! We hope to make our pages and information easier to navigate..so that you will have everything you need at your fingertips.

Bear Hugs!

It's beginning to feel...

2009-11-12T07:26:00.010+12:00

a lot like Christmas!! It's hard to believe, but I actually heard Jingle Bell Rock on the radio this week!

Many people are already in the Christmas spirit and are trying to find quality, unique, and affordable gifts for their loved ones.

Thankfully, Bellman's books meet all 3 of those criteria..so folks have been snapping them up quickly!

Don't forget that if you buy 4 books, you receive Bellman's Adventure Map for FREE. It makes a tidy, sweet, and educational surprise for that precious little boy or girl in your life.

Bear Hugs!

How old is Bellman?

2009-11-12T07:13:00.005+12:00

When we visit schools, children always ask "How old is Bellman?" So we asked Bellman that question, and do you know what he told us?

Well...there is a little magic that accompanies this special little bear....

He is as old as the person that is holding him at the time. So when a 6-year-old is holding him, he is 6. When a 9-year-old is holding him, he is 9!

South Carolina Artisans Center

2009-11-12T07:04:00.004+12:00

We are thrilled to announce that the South Carolina Artisans Center in Walterboro now carries the Bellman Bear Book Series! The Artisans Center is home to the works of over 250 juried artists. It is a wonderful place to find unique, hand-crafted gifts, and it is the official Folk Art and Craft Center of South Carolina. You will always be glad that you stopped by such a beautiful place!

Bellman Visits North Carolina

2009-11-12T06:59:00.007+12:00

We are busy at work on Bellman Visits North Carolina and several other state and country books! We'll keep you updated on our progress!! We can't wait to share these new books with you. Bear Hugs!

November 5th - McCormick Elementary

2009-11-12T06:23:00.011+12:00

Bellman and I had fun with the K-3rd graders at McCormick Elementary. They knew all about Bellman and were excited to meet him in person. We talked about many things....including the wonderful community helpers in our neighborhoods. Policemen, firemen, doctors, and teachers are all important community helpers. We enjoyed spending time with such smart boys and girls!

At the end of our talk, Justin gave Bellman this wonderful picture that he drew. Thank you Justin for making us feel so welcome at your school!

Oct 14th - 18th Frankfurt Book Fair

2009-11-10T13:38:00.002+12:00

The Frankfurt Book Fair in Germany is the largest international book fair in the world. We had the opportunity to send our books through our membership with the Independent Book Publishers Association.

Wish we could have traveled with the books!

Oct 12th Richland Two Instructional Fair

2009-11-07T09:03:00.006+12:00

Bellman and I enjoyed meeting all of the outstanding teachers at the Richland Two Instructional Fair. We are forever grateful for Bellman's dear friend, Lynne, who attended the Instructional Fair with us and continues to help us with local events. In fact, she plans to join us again in January for the Reading Readiness and Early Literacy Conference in Myrtle Beach. Lynne, we couldn't do it without you! We not only appreciate your help, but we appreciate your company and laughter too.

Oct 11th Read and Romp 2009

2009-11-07T07:24:00.007+12:00

On Sunday, Bellman and I attended Read and Romp 2009 sponsored by SC Reach Out and Read . It was a blast! There were many stations throughout the State Museum. At our station, we shared Bellman’s stories with groups of children all afternoon. Read and Romp is a wonderful, interactive event for young children and their families to celebrate literacy.

Oct 5th with the Caughman Road Comets

2009-10-21T12:30:00.006+12:00

Caughman Road extended a repeat invitation to us....we visited with them once in the Spring and again this Fall. One of the teachers shared with us that her students were so excited to hear that we were coming back...they remembered us from last year and couldn't wait to see what Bellman would tell them about this time! We felt the same way. We were thrilled that so many students remembered us and welcomed us back with warm smiles and good 'ole bear hugs!

"I love you, Bellman!"

2009-10-21T12:23:00.004+12:00

Visiting students and teaching them about writing, social studies, geography, and history is one of Bellman's most favorite things to do! Apparently the children like it too. At a recent school visit, several children lined up to receive a bear hug from Bellman as they left the library. Four students in a row said "I love you Bellman!" It sure made Bellman's day & ours!

September 29th Manning Primary School Literacy Night

2009-10-21T11:52:00.005+12:00

We had a great night of visiting friends and presenting at Manning Primary School for their Parent Literacy Night. Bellman shared his books along with writing tips and ideas for parents. Bellman and I also enjoyed spending time with Mrs. Griffith's class earlier in the day.

Bellman Books in Zambia

2009-10-07T03:16:00.013+12:00

This summer, Dr. Jane Zenger at the University of South Carolina took Bellman's books with her when she visited Zambia through her involvement with The A to Z Project for Children and Teachers in Three Schools in Africa. She said that it was very special to be able to share about her home state through the photos in Bellman Visits South Carolina. The children and teachers were excited when they learned that she actually knew the authors and that the children would be able to keep the books. How fun! We are looking forward to sending more books with her when she returns next year.

International Rates

2009-08-29T12:15:00.008+12:00

We now ship internationally! We haven't been able to update all the "technical stuff" on our Online Shopping Cart - so please contact us directly to inquire about international shipping options. We can be reached at info@bellmanbear.com

Thank you! Have a wonderful weekend. Bear Hugs!

Happy Fall Y'all!

2009-08-27T19:49:00.011+12:00

It is exciting and hard to believe that a new school year is already upon us. We find it hard to resist the Back-to-School sales for supplies and clothes...even though technically neither one of us are heading back to school this year! Our internal clocks seem naturally regulated by the school calendar. I guess that's what happens when you teach school for 29 years and love it, and then pass that love for learning on to your daughter.

We are working on our information for Fall 2009 and plan to start mailing info packets to local schools this week. If you are interested in having Brenda and Bellman visit your school, please schedule your visit as soon as possible. We are thrilled to already have dates on the calendar, and we are looking forward to a busy fall. We will enjoy seeing many familiar faces as we revisit several schools, and then we always look forward to making new friends as well.

We have posted our Fall 2009 School Visits Info. This information will also be permanently posted and regularly updated on the Contact Us page of our website. We hope your new school year has gotten off to a great start, and we look forward to seeing you soon!

Brenda

Bellman for President!

2009-08-27T14:23:00.013+12:00

Well...Bellman may not be quite ready for the presidency, but he is making his way around political circles! Any of you that have already read his books know that Bellman is very proud to be from South Carolina and very proud to be an American. He lives in a great state and a wonderful country, and he wants everyone to know about it. Bellman and his co-authors recently mailed two of his books to our state senators. Here is what they had to say about the books:

"Thank you for sending me your books Bellman Visits South Carolina and Meet Bellman the Traveling Bear. I appreciate the thoughtful gesture and look forward to reading them. Many thanks for thinking of me and God bless." - Senator Lindsey Graham

"Thank you for sending me your wonderful books about Bellman Bear. I appreciate your thoughtfulness, and I look forward to sharing the stories with my own grandchildren. I always enjoy hearing from folks back home, and I applaud your passion for teaching geography and civics to the next generation. I hope children in South Carolina and across the country will benefit from many other books about Bellman Bear's adventures! Please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of any assistance to you in the future. It is an honor to serve you and the state of South Carolina in the United States Senate. Thank you again for your kind gift." -Senator Jim DeMint

Buffalo Baptist Church

2009-08-27T14:13:00.006+12:00

Bellman's grandfather, the one that he is named for...Ryan Bellman Eklund is the pastor of Buffalo Baptist Church in South Carolina (view earlier post here). We cannot begin to tell you how much this precious church has supported and loved our family. And they keep giving and keep loving! They have been large supporters of the Bellman Bear Series. Here is a picture of some of the children from the church with Nana and Papa and their new books.

The Index-Journal, Greenwood SC

2009-08-27T13:47:00.010+12:00

The Index-Journal in Greenwood, SC interviewed us this summer in anticipation of our book signing during the Flower Festival. We were grateful for the interview and press that they gave us. We are excited to post the full article for those of you who missed it! The actual text from the article can be found on our News page.

Bear Hugs!

Brenda & Brantley

Helping Children Around the World

2009-08-23T22:57:00.028+12:00

Many of you already know that a portion of the proceeds from the sale of each Bellman Bear book goes to an organization that helps children around the world. Thank you for your purchases and support of the Bellman Bear Series. It is exciting that the Bellman Bear Series serves two main purposes...fostering responsible global citizenship in your children and your students, while at the same time, supporting the education of children half-way across the globe! Kenya Kids Can! is the current organization that we sponsor. They feed over 18,000 children in 34 schools through their First Things First: The Food Program. They also establish computer centers at schools in remote areas of Kenya. Each center is housed in a recycled steel shipping crate and fueled by solar panels. Students are taught by Kenyan teachers, who are dedicated solely to computer instruction. We thought it would help for you to hear more about their work in Steve Peifer's own words. Here is an excerpt from his June newsletter:

...I was at one of the schools I work with in the valley, and I was trying to film the students about using computers, and it wasn't coming together. After three tries with three students where I could get nothing but a yes or no out of them, I asked the computer teacher why they are acting like that. She told me that there was no food in most of their homes, and school was ending soon, and that the lunch at school was the only food they got in a day.

Then she asked me, very gently, if I had ever been hungry.

I told her no, I had never been hungry.

She told me that if you had ever been hungry, and you knew you would be again, it was the worst feeling you could imagine. The fear would grab a hold of you and not let go.

The reason the children were not helping was because they were wrapped up in the fear of being hungry.

I thought about this all weekend. On Sunday, my daughter had asked if we could go into town and watch the Hannah Montana movie. (Ben threw up in his mouth when I asked him if he wanted to go.) As we sat in that awful movie, with her sitting eagerly at the edge of her seat, I thought about the unusal path that it took for us to have a daughter.

Having a daughter has helped me face all the awful things I've seen in Kenya. Love is the only thing that can help you face fear, and love is the only thing that makes you want to fight for those who don't have a voice or a chance.

I'm so grateful that love is greater than fear.

Your pal, Steve"

Click here to read the full newsletter.

More New Friends

2009-07-28T10:50:00.009+12:00

As many of you already know, Bellman and Mom love making new friends. I don't think Mom has ever met a stranger. They enjoyed meeting Thurl Bailey, inspirational speaker and former NBA player, who also spoke at the SC/NC AGC Conference. They also enjoyed seeing Carson again (the great guy with Thurl and Bellman in the first picture!) Carson and his family were among Bellman's first friends. Bellman and Mom even visited his class this past Spring.

Brantley

July 10th SC/NC AGC Building Divison Ladies' Brunch

2009-07-28T10:35:00.007+12:00

Bellman and I throughly enjoyed our time with the wonderful women at the annual SC/NC AGC Building Division Ladies' Brunch. Thank you Leslie for inviting us to share our vision of using Bellman's books to teach children to become effective local and global citizens. We loved sharing our books with all of you, and we know that many children, grandchildren, and friends enjoyed the thoughtful purchases that you made on their behalf. We hope that Bellman's books will be a continual delight for them as they grow and learn.

Brenda

June 27th Book Signing at McCaslan's

2009-07-28T10:28:00.010+12:00

We were thrilled with the warm welcome we received from the great folks at McCaslan's and all our Greenwood friends during the Flower Festival. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all of you that took time out of your Saturday morning to come support us and to have your books signed. Your friendship is such a blessing. We met several new friends too, and we were grateful that other parents and teachers were introducing their children to Bellman.

Mark Twain once said....

2009-07-09T10:52:00.007+12:00

I recently came across this quote from Mark Twain. He eloquently explains one of the reasons that Mom and I write the Bellman Bear Books; we want to introduce children to experiences and cultures other than their own. Many children will never have the opportunity to travel to the places that Bellman visits, but they can experience his trips vicariously and learn many things from them.

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry,
and narrow-mindedness."

- Mark Twain, Innocents Abroad

Just something to think about....Have a great day!

Brantley

Thank you to All My Friends

2009-06-19T19:53:00.008+12:00

Hi! This is Bellman. I just wanted to write and thank all my friends for their love and support! I love making friends! I've made a lot of new friends lately....Copies of my books are now with families in the United States, Kenya, Thailand, Indonesia, Jordan, and Italy! Wow! I wonder where my books will end up next?!

Bellman's Adventure Map

2009-06-19T19:39:00.004+12:00

Bellman's Adventure Map is a great way to follow Bellman's travels throughout the United States and the world! It is a full-color, laminated desk map. Size: 13" x 19". It has the United States on one side and a world map on the other side. It also includes fun "Learn-A-Fact" details...For example, Did you know that the geographic center of the United States (including Alaska and Hawaii) is Butte County, South Dakota? Or did you know that the largest city in South America is Buenos Aires?

Bellman's Adventure Map comes free with any online purchase of 4 books or more. Also, you may purchase the maps individually for $5.00 each. Have fun keeping up with Bellman and his many fun and daring adventures!! You just never know where he'll go next!

Community Helpers

2009-06-19T19:34:00.005+12:00

When Bellman and I present at a school, we often discuss the importance of living in a community. There are many community helpers in our community. Here is a picture of Bellman with one of his favorite community helpers, a doctor. Thank you to all of the doctors that help all of us feel better when we are sick. Thank you for taking such good care of us! Brenda and Bellman

Springfield Elementary, Greenwood SC

2009-06-19T19:31:00.011+12:00

In early May, I had the opportunity to visit with a very special class at Springfield Elementary in Greenwood, SC. Bellman and I had a lot of fun! We hope to visit this school again next year. Brenda and Bellman

More Flower Festival Details

2009-06-18T16:26:00.007+12:00

We are very excited because our book signing at the SC Flower Festival is right around the corner. Here is our ad that appeared in the Index Journal.

Updates on School Visits

2009-06-18T16:13:00.007+12:00

Now that it is summer, we're finally catching our breath! Bellman was a busy bear at the end of the school year. He enjoyed several fabulous school visits and then took off on more travels. You know Bellman, he loves to travel! Sometimes it is so hard to pin him down!

In April, he enjoyed two visits to Caughman Road Elementary School in Columbia, SC. He spent time with the Community of Learners and the Caughman Road Comets. He shared two of his books and helped Brenda talk about the writing process that they went through to produce his books. While talking about Social Studies standards, he shared pictuers of some of his favorite community helpers!

Best of all, he got a lot of Bear Hugs while he was there, AND he had the chance to meet Mrs. McGill's bear, Benjamin. Thank you for inviting us to your school! Brenda and Bellman

June 27th - South Carolina Festival of Flowers

2009-06-18T15:50:00.008+12:00

We have great news! We have been picked up by McCaslan's Bookstore in Greenwood, SC. And thanks to our wonderful Greenwood friends, the books have been selling fast. McCaslan's also invited us to participate in a book signing during the South Carolina Festival of Flowers. It should be a lot of fun. We look forward to seeing old friends and meeting a lot of new faces too! Check out http://www.scfestivalofflowers.org for more information. Hope to see you there!

Find Bellman on Facebook

2009-04-01T07:53:00.002+12:00

Become Bellman's friend on Facebook! That's right folks, Bellman is cooler and much more hip than his authors. He has his very own Facebook page, and he would love to be your friend!

Coming to a Bookstore near you!

2009-04-01T07:10:00.009+12:00

You may have noticed a new feature on our "News" page. Our books are now available at the R.L. Bryan Bookstore at 301 Greystone Boulevard, Columbia, SC. Also, Sandlapper Publishing, Inc. is our new local distributer for Bellman Visits South Carolina. Sandlapper Publishing, Inc. has a relationship with numerous bookstores throughout South Carolina. Hopefully Bellman's book will make an appearance at a store near you. If you can't find it, let us know and we will contact the bookstore directly with more information about ordering our book.

Also, you may still order the books online through our Shopping Cart or by sending your payment to us along with our Books By Mail order form. We always appreciate your purchase, whether it comes from a bookstore or directly from us. We have a little more flexibility when you order directly from us; this flexibility enables us to provide several special offers...

* $1 off the retail price, per book ($13 from us, $13.95 in stores)

*Bellman's Adventure Map for free with the purchase of 4 or more books

*Signed copies and dedications provided upon request

Thanks for your interest and support!

Brenda, Brantley, & Bellman

We're still here!

2009-04-01T07:03:00.008+12:00

This is what happens when we stay up too late working on Bellman Bear Books! At a certain point, we grow so weary that everything seems like the funniest thing that we've ever heard. You know what I mean. We've all been there! We just wanted to let you know that we are still here, even though we haven't updated the blog lately. We have a lot of new developments that we are looking forward to sharing with you. We have enjoyed meeting many of you recently. Thanks so much to all of our old and new friends for all of your support and all of your orders!

Brantley

Flat Stanley from California

2009-04-01T06:54:00.005+12:00

Bellman really enjoyed meeting Flat Stanley today. He arrived at a friend's home, and he came all the way from California! Flat Stanley is a project that teachers often use to engage their children in learning about the world. Flat Stanley can be mailed all over and then returned to the class with an account of his adventures. Bellman and Flat Stanley became instant friends because they have so much in common...

they are both cute and a lot of fun;

they both love to travel and want to teach children about geography and social studies;

and they both encourage children to read and to write!

March 17th - Celebration Day with Ms. Mitchell's Mavericks

2009-04-01T06:18:00.012+12:00

Today was a special day for Bellman! It was our Celebration Day in Ms. Mitchell's class. We have been part of an exciting collaboration with Ms. Mitchell's 2nd grade class at Horrell Hill Elementary and Dr. Powers-Costello's class of Early Childhood majors at USC. We have been working together for about 7 weeks exploring our community, as well as, our state and other countries. This project involved a lot of one-on-one time between the USC students and the 2nd graders. It has also involved a lot of time with Bellman and his books. The project has now expanded into a Social Studies Buddies collaboration with a class at Forest Lake Elementary. The children always enjoy when Bellman comes to visit and Bellman enjoys it too! He gets lots of hugs from all of his special friends! One of the moms surprised us with this cake. Isn't it great?! It tasted as good as it looks. One of the children offered a piece of cake to Bellman, but Bellman said "No thanks; I'm "stuffed"!"

Brenda

March 11th-13th SC Association of School Librarians

2009-04-01T06:00:00.010+12:00

Bellman’s friend, Lynne, helped us at the SC State School Librarian Conference in Greenville. We enjoyed meeting so many librarians from all across South Carolina! These ladies play an important role in encouraging children to read! Bellman is very happy to help with this exciting process in many children’s lives!

Brenda

Bellman has loved making so many new friends!

2009-03-12T01:31:00.004+12:00

Read Across America Week

2009-03-11T07:48:00.015+12:00

Today I celebrated Read Across America at Forest Lake Elementary School. The Forest Lake Today News Show interviewed me about being an author. I dressed up like the Cat in the Hat (the main character from my favorite Dr. Seuss book)! Anything that I can do to encourage children to pick up a book and read! Bellman and the Cat in the Hat were the stars of the show.

Later today, I was a guest at Lexington Elementary School. I enjoyed visiting one of their Kindergarten classes. What a delightful group of children! They became friends with Bellman through Meet Bellman the Traveling Bear. We discussed writing our own stories, and I encouraged them to be authors too.

Brenda

Rivelon Elementary School

2009-03-11T07:36:00.013+12:00

Books and Breakfast at Rivelon Elementary School in Orangeburg was a lot of fun! The children were great listeners! I was able to read Meet Bellman The Traveling Bear to the students and parents who came and they seemed to enjoy meeting him! My Uncle Tommy Eklund was there, too! He used to be the principal at Rivelon many years ago, and he enjoyed being back with the kids! It meant a lot to me to have him come and be a cheerleader for Bellman and me!

Brenda

Feedback

2009-03-03T15:37:00.003+12:00

In an earlier post, we mentioned how writing the books ended up being a true community experience with help coming from friends, family, and even complete strangers! Well, we would like to invite you to please share any ideas/critiques that you have for our current books, future books, website, marketing materials, etc. A kind lady that stopped by our booth this weekend pointed out that we do not have our last names on the website. It was a complete oversight on our part and a very helpful suggestion on her part. I am going to add our last names right now once I complete this post.

So...if you have any ideas/suggestions, please feel free to post a comment or send an e-mail to info@bellmanbear.com. We are still learning our way through this process and want to create the very best product for children.

Thanks very much for your help!

Brantley

South Carolina Book Festival

2009-03-03T14:21:00.003+12:00

Many thanks to everyone who came by our booth at the South Carolina book festival this weekend. It was fun to see old friends and to make new ones! We met so many sweet families and teachers who loved reading to their children and grandchildren. Bellman Visits South Carolina was our biggest seller.

There were many great vendors around us. We wished for more time to read their books and visit with them. Here are links to some of the other children's authors that we met:

Baxter's Bunch Series by Warren Norman & JBird Thompson - Baxter's Bunch is a series of hardback books that teach values through sports (www.baxtersbunch.com)

Last Night I Dreamt Series by Nadine Johnson - Encourage children to begin dreaming about all the possibilities that life has to offer. (www.books.cdjgallery.com)

Sammy Dog Books by Jonathan Miller - Join Sammy the Wonder Dachshund on his many adventures. (www.sammydogbooks.com)

If you weren't able to visit us at the festival, we hope to see you soon. We will continue to update our Events page.

Brenda & Brantley

How It All Began

2009-03-01T02:24:00.003+12:00

For as long as I can remember my Mom has wanted to write children's books. She has always loved teaching and always put a huge emphasis on reading and writing in her classrooms. In the summer of 2007, she came up with the idea for the Bellman Bear Series. She thought the books would provide a great way for parents and teachers to introduce their children to the United States and the world. Many children will never have the opportunity to visit places in their own state, much less overseas. She wanted to open their eyes to the rich history and cultures that make up our great nation and our world. These would be the books that she had always wanted to use in her classroom, but could never find. From the very beginning, we knew that each book would focus on geography, history, and social studies.

Having this vision and passion to develop the books was the first step. Then she had to talk me into helping her! That was probably the hardest part! After that it was truly a community effort....my friend Robin, a great graphic designer, guided us through the software selection process for the layout and answered early design questions; Mom bounced ideas off of the wonderful librarian at her school and other teachers....to see which skills/curriculum connections that we should focus on; other dear friends helped with editing text and providing encouragement; our husbands took and edited numerous photos; we created a rough draft of our idea on the website Shutterfly; we read everything we could find on the Internet and in bookstores...including The Idiot's Guide to Publishing Children's Books. Ha, ha!

Finally, almost two years later, we have the books and are having a blast watching children's reactions to them. If you watched the news clip of Mom reading to the first grade class at Forest Lake, then you saw that the children are captivated and excited about what they are learning through the Bellman Books. Mom returned to that same class a week later, and the children shouted out "Bellman!" when she walked in the door. I must say, seeing the children's excitement about reading and learning, makes all the hard work and all the late nights worthwhile.

Brantley

Bellman is a star!

2009-02-21T02:51:00.003+12:00

Bellman enjoyed being on the news last night with his wonderful co-stars, the precious first graders from Tuesday's school visit. Many thanks to Dawndy Mercer Plank and the wonderful crew at WIS-TV.

If you would like to view the clip, please visit our News page.

Have a great Friday!

Work in Progress

2009-02-20T14:50:00.001+12:00

Thank you for your patience! Our website is brand new, and we are still working out all of the details. We have a few typos to fix and need to add the Mailing List feature and Shopping Cart. Please check back because we expect to complete these updates very soon.

Bellman's Family

2009-02-19T14:51:00.003+12:00

If you've read Meet Bellman the Traveling Bear, then you already know that Bellman is named after his grandfather. So we would like to give a big shout out to Papa and Nana. Papa's name is Ryan Bellman Eklund. He and Nana have led tour groups for over twenty years; they are the ones that introduced Brenda, Brantley, and Bellman to many of the places that they have visited. Papa is also the one that takes Bellman arrowhead hunting with him (see Bellman Visits SC). Thanks for everything Nana and Papa!

Brantley

February 17, 2009 - School Visits

2009-02-19T14:00:00.003+12:00

Today I was able to share Bellman with a 1st grade class at Forest Lake Elementary and a 2nd grade class at Horrell Hill Elementary School in Columbia. I really enjoy these school visits because it gives me the opportunity to interact with students again. It was fun to hear their thoughts as we studied Social Studies and learned about Bellman the Traveling Bear. I hope to schedule more school visits soon.

Brenda

February 17, 2009 - WIS News

2009-02-19T13:56:00.002+12:00

Dawndy Mercer Plank with WIS-TV videotaped me reading to a wonderful group of 1st graders today. She was interested in why we decided to write these books and how we are integrating reading, writing and social studies throughout the book process. The 1st graders enjoyed hearing about Bellman and discovering that he lives in South Carolina just like they do!

Watch for our clip on the six o'clock news, Thursday February 19th!

Brenda

February 9, 2009 - Forest Lake Elementary

2009-02-19T13:48:00.003+12:00

One of the first places that I wanted to go to share our Bellman Books was my old school, Forest Lake Elementary. My teacher friends were encouraging and excited to have the books to use in their classrooms.

Brenda

Sharing with Friends

2009-02-19T13:30:00.001+12:00

It was fun to share our books with friends recently. Everything in life is better when shared! We are looking forward to our official "debut" at the SC Book Festival at the end of February. If you are in Columbia, please come out and see us. Admission is free, and we are Booth #224.

Brantley

January 6, 2009 - Printing Day

2009-02-19T12:53:00.003+12:00

Today RL Bryan invited me to come and see Bellman Bear Books being printed! What an adventure! I went in the back room and saw stacks of the Bellman pages ready to be cut. Then I actually saw the covers going through the print machine. Our dream is really becoming a reality! Thank you to David Clubb, Matt Jay, Brenda Beck, and everyone in the printing department at R.L. Bryan.

Brenda