History > Historical Biographies

Bertie: The Best Stuttering King is a children’s story about a timid, stuttering prince who is thrust unexpectedly on the throne of England and becomes one of the best kings of the 20th Century. A history book in rhyme for children and children who stutter, this story highlights England’s most reluctant monarch, King George VI, and his early struggles with stuttering, knock knees, and bullying – topics still relevant today.

Jessie Colby moved from Iowa to a homestead on the West Fork of Pine Creek in North Idaho. She hoped to make her fortune harvesting the timber from her claim. But danger was afoot. All during the hot, dry summer of 1910, fires were ablaze throughout the northwest. When the fires came close to Jessie’s homestead, she and her sister, Mary, were drawn into the drama. Her account of their experiences was documented in a letter she wrote to her mother back in Iowa. Now, more than one hundred years later, this letter has resurfaced, a gift from Jessie’s daughter to a community her mother once called home. It inspired this little story of the nearly-forgotten fire on Pine Creek and the br ...