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In his 1956 essay “Sometimes Fairy Stories May Say Best What's to Be Said,” C.S. Lewis separates the creator of any given imaginative work (novel, poem, etc.) into two distinct identities: the Author and the Man. The Author, initiator of the creation, is he who first feels the desire to put imagined scenes to form. For him, it’s inspiring, it’s fun. It is the Man, on the other hand, who elevates the work. He supplements it by sprouting meaning within the Author’s vision. The two are essential to any great work, says Lewis, in order to create something that is just as edifying as it is pleasing.I am there to define, explain, or find out more alongside them. We learn together. Each individual piece in the book acts as a wellspring for more.It is within Dr. Matthew Mehan's most recent work — a 375-page tome for all ages, which commemorates our nation’s 250th anniversary — that we see Lewis’ united Author-Man theory perfectly executed. A good, new book"The American Book of Fables" is, at long last, a good, new book. Not a reprint of a forgotten favorite, not an old “classic" we must dust off and apply new pictures to. But a new classic, which explores both the natural splendor and man-made creations that make up our United States — alongside (or rather, through) beautiful poetry and prose and stunning illustrations by master artist John Folley.The book is divided into 13 parts. Each one is introduced by a unique portion of text from the Declaration of Independence and focuses on a different ecological region of the country. Within the text, we find poems, rhymes, fables, and true narrations of America’s historical and cultural traditions. Ensuring no one is left out of the book’s offerings, Mehan includes something each for “littles,” “middles,” and “bigs” in every chapter.On a personal level (I’m a homeschool mom), this setup has been invaluable. I say this because this year, as we lead up to the semiquincentennial, I’ve struggled with exactly where to begin in teaching my small children about the greatness of our nation.Yes, we’ll be going to the Independence Day parade in our town. We’ll wear red, white, and blue and wave American flags. We’ll see fireworks and eat hot dogs. But I’d be lying if I said I actually thought these activities mean nearly as much as having a true understanding of America — its epic history, its diverse beauty, its superb design.Bigs and littlesThis is what "The American Book of Fables" offers. I’m able to start my eager 4-year old with the rhymes and poetry in the “littles” section. My 6-year-old especially enjoys the fables of the “middles” section. And I myself have learned a great deal from the section for “bigs,” which we will undoubtedly graduate our kids to as they get older.It was last fall that I had the honor of interviewing Dr. Mehan about his book, which was then still in the works. Talking with him via FaceTime, I had one of those experiences where I was so obviously in over my head in regard to the content of our discussion. I pride myself on being rather well-read and knowledgeable of historical facts and general information. But Dr. Mehan is a walking encyclopedia of the Western canon. His knowledge of the great books, the great thinkers, and all related fields is light-years beyond my own. I won’t fib and say I didn’t sometimes struggle to remember my philosophers and to understand some of the concepts we discussed.I don’t say this to stir pity, but rather to emphasize a theme that I’ve come to understand in both talking with Dr. Mehan and reading his book. And that is that it’s good to be a bit in over your head. In fact, this is the way the best thinkers learn. It is, for instance, how our founding fathers learned. And somewhere over the last 250 years, we Americans have forgotten that.Antidote to brain rotShining the spotlight on modern-day kids' literature, I hate to be the millionth parent to say it, but much of it is brain rot. If it doesn’t lack a moral center, it lacks plot or meaning entirely. The oversimplified Corporate Memphis illustrations add nothing. Sometimes, the books are actually evil — for example, in those that encourage kids to believe it’s possible to change their sex.The children of the founding generation dined on far heartier intellectual fare. And this drove the entire educational process from youth through adulthood. When we talk about the greatness of America, we do ourselves a disservice by only skimming off the top of what the founding fathers created. Dr. Mehan emphasizes that it’s important to go deeper and examine what they themselves read, studied, and mulled over. This is, after all, what created their imaginations. And “it is just that ‘brilliant imagination’ that formed a crucial and prior condition for all of the founders’ deliberations, words, and deeds — the very things that brought about the formation of this great country,” Dr. Mehan explains.RELATED: 'The American Family's Book of Fables': Wit and wisdom for our nation's 250th Matt Mehan at work (l, photo by his son) and on a research trip to the Everglades (r). Hulton Archive/Getty Images/mythicalmammal.comA rich tapestryIn "The American Book of Fables," Dr. Mehan creates a tapestry of Judeo-Christian values, lessons from the "Book of Nature," ancient philosophy, Greek and Roman myths, beast fables, and other imagery that the founding fathers studied. He accomplishes this while weaving within them his own tales and adapting certain works to American soil.As the title implies, fable stories feature prominently in the book. Fables are, to most modern Americans, a type of story for kids. Historically, however, fables were read and appreciated by adults just as much as children. According to Mehan, these tales were fundamental in the teaching of right from wrong but also in the teaching of human passions and self-government. The more you read fables, the clearer it becomes that individual animals tend to have their own lower order passions they struggle with. Humans share the same struggles. The pig, for example, the gluttonous pig, errs in his gluttony — a sin that is likewise certainly not unheard of in humans. So how do you learn from the pig and govern yourself better? The fables were very much a part of early America’s self-governing spirit and, Mehan says, were mentioned often in the letters and speeches of the founding fathers. As my family reads "The American Book of Fables" together, my kids are sometimes flummoxed by new words or ideas. They have a lot of questions. What’s a lynx? What was the Navajo Nation? What does “candor” mean?Literature to lastBut again, this is a good thing. And it’s why this is a family book. I am there to define, explain, or find out more alongside them. We learn together. Each individual piece in the book acts as a wellspring for more — to look up pictures of the Rocky Mountains or videos of otters swimming, to discuss what the Independence Bell is and why it’s important, or to talk about the marriage of John and Abigail Adams — or what marriage means, for that matter. Each line of text and each beautiful image provides thread for new stitches in our own imaginative tapestries.Two-hundred fifty years from now, God-willing new generations of good Americans will be celebrating our nation’s quincentenary, our 500th anniversary. All of us alive today will be gone. But the good literature of our time will live on, as we have seen good literature do for thousands of years before us. Undoubtedly, "The American Book of Fables" will make it to that time. Its beautiful pages and stories will continue to enlighten the minds of Americans and their children for innumerable generations to come.

On June 14, President Trump hosted UFC Freedom 250 on the White House South Lawn for his 80th birthday and America's 250th anniversary. The historic event featured seven thrilling fights, showcasing some of the UFC’s top fighters in a one-of-a-kind display of American strength and resilience.But Trump isn’t the first president to host fights at the White House. Many forget that Teddy Roosevelt regularly used the president’s house for sparring and boxing, often training with military aides, visitors, and even professional boxers as part of his “strenuous life” philosophy.This penchant for physical and mental toughness translated to his six children. Roosevelt was known for pushing them toward strenuous activities, outdoor adventures, and intellectual curiosity that would hone their physical skills and their moral character.“He would just take [his young children] out in the middle of the forest and say, ‘Find your way home,”’ Glenn Beck recounts to bestselling author Brad Meltzer, who is known for his children' s books on prominent American figures. Out of all the American figures he’s written about over the years, Teddy Roosevelt, Meltzer says, is “the most complicated.”While Roosevelt’s political career is undeniably marked by several controversial decisions and beliefs, he chose to focus on the 26th president’s best traits in his new book, “I am Teddy Roosevelt.”Roosevelt’s father, Meltzer explains, taught young Teddy to stand up for the underprivileged and downtrodden. “His father says, ‘When you have money and you have power, that doesn't make you fantastic or strong or terrific. What it does is it gives you a responsibility — a responsibility to help other people,”’ he recalls, noting that this care for others extended especially to orphans and the working class.Roosevelt’s protectiveness translated to the environment as well. He is widely regarded as America's greatest conservationist president thanks to establishing five national parks, 150 national forests, 51 federal bird reserves, four national game preserves, and protecting roughly 230 million acres of public land during his presidency.While Glenn understands why a children’s book should highlight Roosevelt’s strengths, he personally has a difficult time reconciling some of his controversial perspectives.“He was a big eugenist guy,” says Glenn, highlighting how Roosevelt pushed for more breeding among certain white Americans while discouraging it among people he saw as unfit or inferior.Meltzer agrees that Roosevelt’s belief in eugenics is deeply problematic but still finds him “an incredibly great hero” — especially for kids.“I think today Teddy Roosevelt is sometimes held out as being that strong guy, the macho guy ... but that's not who he is when he's growing up. He's actually sick a lot. He's smaller than everyone else. He gets picked on,” he says.“He had mice and spiders he used to keep in his room. He was a weird kid,” he adds.But tragic loss would soon turn the fragile, intellectual Teddy into the tough, fearless leader he’s best known for today.“His father dies and then soon after his mother and his wife die on the same day, Glenn, on Valentine's Day,” says Meltzer.“He moves to their ranch out in North Dakota, and ... he just sits under the stars, and he listens to the wolves. ... And if being out in nature teaches him anything, it's that success doesn't come from having natural gifts; it comes from how hard you work those gifts,” he continues, “and that's where he falls in love and starts protecting the outdoors.”On July 4, 1886, in a speech in Dickinson, Dakota Territory (his first major Independence Day address as a young rancher/politician), Roosevelt famously said, “Like all Americans, I like big things; big prairies, big forests and mountains, big wheat fields, railroads — and herds of cattle too; big factories, steamboats, and everything else. But we must keep steadily in mind that no people were ever yet benefited by riches if their prosperity corrupted their virtue.”“That's when he starts protecting Yellowstone and Yosemite and Niagara Falls, and he creates five national parks. ... They exist because of Teddy Roosevelt,” says Meltzer.Glenn’s favorite Roosevelt story by far, however, is his shocking response to being shot in the chest while on his way to deliver a 90-minute campaign speech in Milwaukee. Instead of seeking immediate medical care, Roosevelt delivered the speech anyway, famously declaring, “It takes more than that to kill a Bull Moose!”“Where does [that kind of strength] come from?” exclaims Glenn.“[Roosevelt] is complicated,” Meltzer emphasizes, “but he has these hero moments that you're like, ‘Oh my goodness.”’To hear more, watch the video above.Want more from Glenn Beck?To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis, and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

A Florida motorist was arrested Tuesday after Polk County deputies said he sideswiped an ambulance and injured a paramedic in the crash, WFLA-TV reported.The Polk County Sheriff’s Office said an ambulance was traveling north on Harden Boulevard when a driver in a Volkswagen Jetta made a U-turn in front of the ambulance, the station said.‘He was vulgar and rude to the deputy and had to be removed from the patrol car after he refused to get out of it.’“After completing the U-turn, the Jetta entered the lane occupied by the ambulance, and the vehicles collided,” the sheriff’s office said, according to WFLA.Deputies said the Jetta driver then left the scene of the crash, the station reported, while a paramedic in the back of the ambulance was taken to a hospital with a neck injury following the crash.The sheriff’s office told WFLA that deputies went to the home where the Jetta was registered and spoke with the owner of the car — and she said her nephew had been driving it.Gregory McManus, 41, was found asleep on a couch, deputies told the station.RELATED: Florida teens' stupid 'social media stunt' earns them fittings for snazzy jail attire“When deputies awakened him, he admitted that he had been involved in the crash, but claimed it was the ambulance driver’s fault,” Polk deputies said, according to the station.The sheriff’s office said video from the ambulance “clearly showed that McManus had caused the crash," WFLA noted.Sheriff Grady Judd had this to say, according to the station: “Gregory McManus not only caused the crash, he fled from the scene without checking on anybody, and then had the audacity to claim the other driver was at fault. He was vulgar and rude to the deputy and had to be removed from the patrol car after he refused to get out of it. I doubt there is a responsible bone in his body."McManus was arrested and charged with leaving the scene of a crash with injury, WFLA said.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

A friend recently asked why so many Americans seem embarrassed by their own country.The question came during the annual Fourth of July arguments about patriotism, flags, and whether America deserves to be celebrated. It reminded me of something the late Robert Woodson often said about America’s beginning.Love does not require perfection. It requires stewardship. That seems like a good way to care for a family. And it seems like a good way to care for a nation.Woodson acknowledged the contradiction at our founding: a nation proclaiming that all men are created equal while tolerating slavery. Others point to limited rights for women and other shortcomings present at the nation's birth.What interested Woodson was not the diagnosis but the response. He compared America to a child born with a birth defect. Loving parents do not deny the condition or abandon the child because of it. They adapt, advocate, protect, teach, accommodate, and love.They learn stewardship.Caregiving taught me that lesson long before I heard Woodson apply it to a nation. During one particularly difficult season, a wise friend told me something that permanently changed the way I viewed caregiving.“Your wife has a Savior. You are not that Savior.”For years I had lived as though my job was to fix everything. If I researched enough, worked hard enough, and sacrificed enough, I could somehow force life toward the outcome I wanted.Eventually I collided with a truth every caregiver must learn. I could not control the outcome. I was accountable for my stewardship.That realization changed the way I looked at life and the world.For years I believed life would finally begin after the next surgery, the next recovery, the next crisis, or the next milestone. Like many caregivers, I kept telling myself that if we could just get through this one thing, then we could finally get on with our lives.Eventually I realized this wasn’t a rehearsal. This was my life.RELATED: Sorry, socialists: The system isn’t the savior SAHAB ZARIBAF/Middle East Images/AFP/Getty ImagesWhen I stopped trying to get through life in order to get on with life, I quit treading water waiting for rescue and learned to swim.The problems remained. My stewardship changed.Too often we tell ourselves that happiness waits on the other side of some future event. If only this election goes differently. If only this grievance is resolved. Then we can finally live.Stewardship asks another question. Not, “Why wasn't I given something better?” But, “What am I going to do with what I’ve been given?”I’ve seen the difference between cultures that cultivate stewardship and cultures that discourage it.Years ago, while helping establish our prosthetic limb outreach in West Africa, I worked alongside local technicians learning to build prosthetic legs for their own people. In one clinic, nearly every decision required approval from above.One day I asked a technician a simple question. “What do you think?”The puzzled expression on his face answered before he spoke. It wasn’t that he lacked intelligence. No one had ever expected him to own the decision.America, at its best, asks that question every day. What do you think? What will you build? What responsibility are you willing to carry? That expectation lies near the heart of the American experiment.America’s founding principles created room for reform because the nation’s founding documents proclaimed truths many of the founders themselves failed to live fully. Those same principles later became the standard by which Americans challenged slavery and expanded civil rights.The story of America is not one of perfection. It is one of stewardship.RELATED: Caregivers should not have to lie to prove compassion asbe/iStock/Getty ImagesOf course, stewardship is not the only response to a defect. Some people learn from it. Others exploit it.Every family caring for someone with disabilities eventually encounters people more interested in the diagnosis than the person. Nations experience something similar. America’s original contradiction has served both as a call to greater fidelity and as a tool for those seeking power through perpetual grievance.Woodson understood the difference. One path produces stewardship. The other manufactures resentment.I love this country not because it is flawless, but because it repeatedly calls each generation to measure itself against ideals higher than itself.When I look at my grandchildren, I hope they inherit a nation that prizes freedom, embraces responsibility, rewards merit, and teaches that life is shaped more by stewardship than by grievance.What if we stopped waiting for the perfect election, the perfect apology, the perfect reckoning, or the perfect outcome before deciding to engage faithfully with the country we have? Imagine the gratitude, creativity, service, and responsibility that would follow.Parents of children with disabilities understand this. Caregivers understand this. Love does not require perfection. It requires stewardship.That seems like a good way to care for a family. And it seems like a good way to care for a nation.