Monica and Abigail Berg are a mother-daughter team who’ve authored The Gift Of Being Different and are about to release The Tale Of The Other Glove, two children's books in an intended series of ten, each focused on a relatable and positive message. These two books are written through the eyes of a seven-year-old Abigail, who is now 11, and the narrative may shift to that of an older Abigail for later books in the series.
Monica and her husband, Michael, run The Kabbalah Centre, and have each authored books of their own on spiritual topics, and setting forth their inspiring message of consciousness. They have a house in New Canaan, and Abigail is the youngest of their four children. Abigail is in 6th grade at Windward.
I have dyslexia, it’s my superpower!Abigail Berg
“I have dyslexia,” Abigail declares unabashedly, “...it’s my superpower! At first when the teachers and doctors were telling my mother about how I just wasn’t learning the same as the rest of the class, I thought maybe something was wrong with me, or that I was stupid, and asked if I needed extra help. But my mom reframed it for me. She explained that Steven Spielberg is dyslexic, and that Einstein and Picasso were dyslexic as well. I realized that the special way each one of those people saw the world and accomplished what they did was because of, not in spite of, their special dyslexia. I learn differently than most kids and reading is hard for me, although I’ve definitely gotten more confident reading and reading out loud at Windward. But sometimes I notice things that other people don’t notice, and sometimes I can see different solutions to problems, like how to fix something or how to make things fit. My difference is my superpower!”
“And that’s why we wrote our first book, The Gift Of Being Different,” Abigail says with a mix of timidity and sparkle. “It’s really my true story, and we wrote it so other kids can realize that their differences can actually be their strengths!”
“When we write,” Monica explains, “...we discuss ideas about how to tell the story, we ask each other’s opinion, we go back and forth, and the book comes out of our conversation. I’m pretty structured and will often start off in one direction, and Abigail sees things in a different way…and that’s where the magic comes in.”
And Abigail adds, “We really try to hear each other and that’s why we’re so great together!”
“Our second book… the book we’re about to release,” Abigail says in as businesslike a way as any 11 year old can muster, “...is called The Tale Of The Other Glove, and it’s also based on a true story. My babysitter dropped a glove when she was standing on a subway platform and an unhoused person snatched it. When my mom and I talked about it, we wondered why the man would have taken the glove. My mom said that maybe the man was happier with one glove than no glove, or that maybe he would put it to some other use. But the more we talked about it, and about the unhoused, the more I thought the best solution for my babysitter - since she wasn’t getting the one glove back without a fight, and the one glove she still had would be useless to her - would have been to give the unhoused man her other glove!”
Monica adds, “Like each of the ten books we’re writing in this series, The Tale Of The Other Glove focuses on a global issue and provides a spiritual remedy. In this case the issue is the unhoused, and the remedy is empathy. These books are great teaching tools for children to gain a better understanding and a deep appreciation for concepts like generosity, goodness, and paying it forward. We believe in the power of consciousness, and an ability to change the world.”
The Gift Of Being Different has already been recognized by educators as a top tool for teaching differences - and earned Abigail some notoriety amongst her peers! “My school has The Gift Of Being Different in the Library and the kids who know about it think it’s really cool!”, Abigail smiles. “And one of my best friends in school is a girl whose mom read her the book when it first came out and my friend said ‘mom, this girl is just like me’ and they realized from reading the book that my friend has dyslexia - and that started a new way of looking at life for her - but my friend didn’t realize I was the girl in the book until about halfway through our first school year together!”
“I LOVE WRITING,” Abigail declares. “I really like getting the finished product when we get the first few copies of the book, and it’s fun seeing the book in bookstores. AND I REALLY LOVE THAT I GET TO DO THIS WITH MY MOM!”
As featured in the September/October 2024 issue of Bedford & New Canaan Magazine