BAREFOOT BOOKS REVIEWS AND GIVEAWAYS

Barefoot Books Gift Collections - perfect for the Holidays!

2008-11-15T11:36:00.002-08:00

Barefoot Books has recently added a new collection: The Gift Collection. Each of these collection contain the best of what the Barefoot Books has to offer.
These collections are perfect for your holiday gift-giving - for your baby, family, your child and everybody else!
Check out below for the pictures.

Barefoot Baby Collection - $125.00

Packaged in a beautiful, colorful canvas tote bag with a gift tag to personalize, this enchanting collection features Baby’s First Book, Mother Goose Remembers with music CD, Mrs. Moon: Lullabies for Bedtime with music CD, Listen, Listen, Alligator Alphabet, Who are You, Baby Kangaroo?, Putumayo Dreamland CD, and an adorable Bo Peep Woolly Sheep puppet.

Barefoot Story Time Collection $100.00

Packaged in a beautiful, colorful canvas tote bag with a gift tag to personalize, this collection includes Storytime: First Tales for Sharing with story CD, The Story Tree: Tales to Read Aloud with story CD, The Gigantic Turnip, Jack and the Beanstalk, and The Prince’s Bedtime, all paired with a charming Prince puppet to help bring the stories to life!

Barefoot Sing Along Collection - $100.00

Presented in a beautiful, colorful canvas tote bag with a gift tag to personalize, this collection contains Barefoot favorites Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush, Port Side Pirates!, The Animal Boogie, Knick Knack Paddy Whack, We All Go Traveling By, and Whole World — all with singalong CDs!

The Best of Barefoot Books Collection - $150.00

Best-selling books in this highly collectible selection include Mother Goose Remembers with music CD, I Took the Moon for a Walk, The Story Tree: Tales to Read Aloud, The Faerie’s Gift gift edition with story time CD, The Boy Who Grew Flowers, The Gigantic Turnip, The Barefoot Book of Classic Poems, and The Barefoot Book of Fairy Tales.

Enchanted Tales Collection - $140.00

The collection includes The Barefoot Book of Princesses with story CD, Magic Hoofbeats: Fantastic Horse Tales with accompanying My Magic Diary, The Faerie’s Gift gift edition with story CD, The Princess and the White Bear King gift edition with story CD, The Barefoot Book of Fairy Tales, The Barefoot Book of Ballet Stories, and a Princesses 100-piece puzzle.

Travel the World Collection - $100.00

This fun and educational collection features We All Went on Safari: A Counting Journey through Tanzania, We’re Riding on a Caravan: An Adventure on the Silk Road, My Granny Went to Market: A Round the World Counting Rhyme, Off We Go to Mexico!: An Adventure in the Sun, We’re Sailing Down the Nile: A Journey through Egypt, and our colorful and interactive Landmarks of the World 64-piece puzzle!

Barefoot Books Red Totes

Barefoot Books - FREE SHIPPING!

2008-09-27T18:49:00.001-07:00

This is the perfect time for all the moms out there and all the children who are longing to read the latest books from the Barefoot Books - this weekend starting today September 27 until Tuesday, September 30th, 2008 , BAREFOOT BOOKS is having a FREE SHIPPING on all your orders!
Receive also a 10% off from your total order when you go to my Stallholder website to place your order. To start getting all these Barefoot Books priviledges, click on the Barefoot Books site now!

Barefoot Books Stallholder Starter Pack Contents

2008-09-27T17:42:00.000-07:00

Those who are interested to join the Barefoot Books Stallholder, can purchase their starter kit at a real deal which can really start your business rolling. I love the fact that when I joined the Barefoot Books, this starter kit pack (which of course, when I joined was a little bit different from what it is now) really helped me get to know the business by reading the bestseller books that Barefoot Books has with my daughter, and the marketing materials that I need to jumpstart my business.

As a Barefoot Books Stallholder, I do recommend to anybody who is interested in the program to take advantage of this Starter Kit. Remember it is only offered to you at the time of registration. It's really worth every penny for your business!

Good luck!

-Alpha

“Every child is an artist” — PABLO PICASSO

PRODUCTS
Fun First Steps: Engaging Young Minds
I Took the Moon for a Walk Hardcover $16.99
Hidden Hippo Hardcover $15.99
The Animal Boogie Paperback with Music CD $9.99
Bear at Work Board Book $6.99
Bear’s First Puzzle Puzzle $10.99
Tell Me a Story: Feeding the Imagination
The Barefoot Book of Princesses Paperback with Story CD $15.99
Folkmanis Princess Puppet Puppet $17.99
The Gigantic Turnip Paperback with Story CD $9.99
The Adventures of Odysseus Hardcover $19.99
One World, One Planet: Broadening Horizons
Little Leap Forward: A Boy in Beijing Hardcover $16.99
Whole World Mini Edition Hardcover with Music CD $9.99
Off We Go To Mexico Paperback $7.99

TOTAL PRODUCT VALUE: $159.88

MARKETING MATERIALS
Frosted White Barefoot Branded Bags 15 individual bags $3.00
Barefoot Box 1 $10.00
Barefoot Easelback 8"x 10" Sign 1 $3.00
Fall Stallholder Catalogs 20 $9.00
Customer Order Forms — 3 part 1 pad of 50 $5.00
Stallholder Opportunity Postcards 1 pack of 20 $3.50
Barefoot Event Invitations 1 pack of 50 $3.00
Press Kit Folder 1 $4.50
Stallholder Handbook 1 $15.00

TOTAL MARKETING MATERIALS VALUE: $56.00

TOTAL STARTER PACK VALUE: $215.88

*This optional Starter Pack is only available at registration! Starter Pack contents are subject to change.

Barefoot Books Story Video

2008-09-07T20:51:00.000-07:00

Little Leap Forward - Giveaway Winner

2008-09-07T20:32:00.000-07:00

For all of you who have joined the giveaway thank you so much...
and the winner is...

GINA MARIE PARKER

Please provide your complete address and respond to the email given to you. Congratulations!

Come Here Cleo - A Barefoot Book Review

2008-08-30T08:37:00.001-07:00

Come Here Cleo

Written by: Stella Blackstone
Illustrated by: Caroline Mockford
Read Alone: Ages 4-7
Read Together: Ages 0-4
Board Book; Full-color illustrations; 24pp;
6.5 x 6.5 inches

A board book that exemplifies minimalism at its finest!
One sentence for each page.
One subject and one verb.
One thought throughout the whole book!
This book is about Cleo, the Cat and her movements in and around her surroundings. It is a catchy board book that is very easy to remember. From the moment Cleo wakes up to the time Cleo starts to play and bounce around the yard, every reader will absolutely remember the actions that Cleo, the Cat is doing throughout the book.
The illustrations perfectly fit the idea of minimalism.
Caroline Mockford's brush strokes on watercolor are simple yet conveys a brilliant rendition of the main character Cleo, an orange-striped Cat. Her choice of colorful background on each sturdy page of the book, adds a more striking appeal to the young reader.
Great book for readers who are learning about simple action words!

To buy this book and get 10% off, go to http://www.barefootbooks101.com

The House that Jack Built - A Barefoot Book Review

2008-08-28T14:35:00.000-07:00

The House that Jack Built

Illustrated by: Diana Mayo
Read Alone: Ages 4-7
Read Together: Ages 0-4
Paperback; Full-color illustrations; 24pp;
10.25 x 10 inches

I could literally memorize all the lines of this book by now! Who wouldn't if you are reading this book every single day with your child? My daughter just loves everything about the book ~ especially all the rhyming words, repetitive lines (which are very easy to memorize) and the sounds of each of the characters in the book which it makes it even livelier and more interactive.

This book also is a good proof of the saying "Don't judge the book by its cover." When I first got this book from the mail, it really didn't interest me that much. I am not sure why but the cover, despite its vivid color and the carefully designed drawing of a house with a man on it wasn't that appealing upon its first sight. To me, it didn't look as if the book was interesting at all. In fact, I felt like that book would just contain like some barnyard animals and the usual word-picture identification of the animals that you could see in the barn. But, boy I was wrong!

This book is totally the opposite of my first impression. As soon as I went through the first page, the lines that slowly builds up from one incident to the next give the book a sense of interactivity. The book is also predictable in such a way that the reader would be able to instantly get the series of events as it unfolds. As the events build up, so as the characters. It's like opening a present with the best surprise at the end of the wrapping paper!

The CD is the best part of this! All the characters that are involved in each line gives out a particular sound which is beneficial for readers who are trying to associate words to sounds and vice versa. My daughter loves it whenever the words cat, dog, rat, cow, maiden and man come up because she could then make the sound that the book initially presented! It is a nice way for her to associate these sounds and remember these to connect to a particular word.

Barefoot Books Pictures - International Conference

2008-08-24T20:51:00.000-07:00

Finally, here are the pictures for the 2008 Barefoot Books International Conference held at the Royal Sonesta Hotel in Cambridge, MA from August 1-3, 2008. I hope you enjoy going through them as much as I did when I was there!

July Giveaway Winner

2008-08-22T19:57:00.000-07:00

And the winner for the June Giveaway is….drum roll please…

CHERIE

To the winner: Please respond to the email that was sent to you within 72 hours to claim your prize.

To all of you who participated in this giveaway: Thank you so much for your time and effort.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

Please stay tuned for OUR NEXT GIVEAWAY.

Free Barefoot Books - Little Leap Forward: A Boy in Beijing

2008-08-05T19:42:00.000-07:00

In honor of the Olympics games 2008, I thought it might be a great time to give away to ONE lucky reader a FREE copy of the newly released Little Leap Forward: A Boy in Beijing written by Guo Yue and illustrated by Clare Farrow for the Barefoot Books Young Fiction.

This book looks at a close friendship and at the conflict between political change and personal freedom. It contains 128 pages with at least 7 pages of colorful illustrations of the scenes from the book. It retails for $16.99. A great reading material for you or for your children.

To get this book for free, please leave a comment on this post as to why you should win this book and email me the following information:

1. Name

2. Address

3. Email address

All entries must be posted on September 1, 2008. The winner will be notified and will be posted on this site.

Barefoot Books 's co-founder Nancy Traversy's Message

2008-08-05T09:14:00.000-07:00

At the Barefoot Books International Conference 2008 in Cambridge, MA, Barefoot Book's co-founder and CEO Nancy Traversy welcomed all the guests and stallholders and delivered a very insightful message to everybody at the audience. She was very enthusiastic and honest in every word she said, which truly made me feel connected with her and the company she and Tessa Strickland started in 1993.

What I liked about Nancy was that she was very transparent in her message. She talked about their victories, the challenges that she and Tessa overcame for the past 15 years as the visionaries of the Barefoot Books. She was as vivid and colorful as the stories that the Barefoot Books publishes. You could certainly tell that you can not separate the company from her ~ because she speaks genuinely from the heart in every aspect of the company. She was proud to admit about their failures in setting up the Barefoot Books and even openly told us about all the mishaps she's had between balancing motherhood and being a CEO of a very cause-driven, people-oriented and socially-aware company. I'd have to say she is truly a walking image of SUCCESS and I would like to share with everybody what I've highlighted from her message to Barefoot Books Stallholders and how you could apply that as well to whatever you do.

According to her, "Success comes with perseverance." and with that said, she definitely persevered and still doing so with all the plans she and Tessa's got for the company. Nancy pointed that in order to attain success here are few things to remember:

1. Simplify

2. Focus on building relationship - isn't it that life is all about relationships? No man is an island. She said, "Listen to their stories."

3. Appreciate opportunities

4. Believe in community

5. Be pioneering - Don't just sit there and follow the traditional path. Do something that is unique. Do something more creative and pioneer in what you do.

6. Redefine success - Success is not always determined with how much do you earn in a year or how much money do you have in the bank but maybe if we redefine success based on other social causes and helping our community that might be a lot better.

In accordance with the conference theme of Telling Stories, I wanted to share what Nancy Traversy said about storytelling ~ that Storytelling is the heart of what it means to be humans! Learning the facts is important but story and imagination are far more powerful.

Barefoot Books International Conference ~ Telling Stories

2008-08-03T22:26:00.000-07:00

I do not even know where to start about this wonderful experience I've had at the Barefoot Books International Conference ~ Telling Stories that happened from August 1 - 3 at the Royal Sonesta Hotel in Cambridge, MA. But there is a beginning and there is an end. I'd like to break down my post into a few segmented articles to tell everybody what I've learned and I've seen about the Barefoot Books!

The few posts you will see in the succeeding pages will be the following:

1. Nancy Traversy's message

2. The Barefoot Books Vision and Opportunity

3. Lessons I've learned from the Conference about the Barefoot Books Business

and of course!

4. Pictures from the Conference

There were a lot of things that happened during the three-day conference, which include the following schedule of activities:

Friday, August 1 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM - there was a welcome reception at the Barefoot Books Retail Store in Cambridge. I wasn't able to go there but I heard from fellow stallholders who were able to attend the cocktail here at our flagship store, there were some raffle draws, announcement of winners (by the way, I won a signed book by Stella Blackstone! one of my daughter's favorite's authors ~ how lucky!) some won signed books and others won $25 gift certificates!

Saturday, August 2 from 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM - this is the most important day of the conference and where I made sure I was there! Just like everybody else who were there, we met and saw Nancy Traversy, the co-founder of Barefoot Books, the great and hard-working staff of the Barefoot Books who answered all our questions regarding shipping, new releases, payment information, etc (everything possible that takes place behind the scene) and of course the friendly Stallholders from all over the US and the UK! It was so much fun! As part of the program, one of the authors/illustrators Maria Carluccio of Skip Through the Seasons and Sound About Town, was our mystery author guest and shared to us her techniques ~ and allowed us to chat with her about her work.

The day concluded with a poolside barbecue party at Nancy's house in Concord, MA.

Sunday, August 3 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM - there was a duck tour for the family members as well as the Stallholders!

There was somuch fun and a lot of new information about our Barefoot Books business and what are in store for us in the future. Nancy Travery mentioned about the opening (soft launch) of the Barefoot Books store in FAO Schwarz this October 2nd and the full day celebration will happen on October 4th, with possible celebrities attending the Opening Day! Nancy also talked about how despite the economic crisis the US is experiencing right now that our company, Barefoot Books continues to very stable and will continue to succeed because what we offer is unique, and we all believe that everybody's success comes with perseverance!

I left the conference with so much knowledge and so much enthusiasm about building a future with Barefoot Books! So, if you would like to join this community with a passion of listening to other people stories, reading great books, developing early literacy and just a drive to live and respect the environment, you can start here:

http://www.barefootbooks101.com

I guarantee you that you will feel that you are making a difference in your own world, one book at a time. Go Green, Go Barefoot!

FREE SHIPPING with Barefoot Books

2008-07-25T20:50:00.000-07:00

Starting today, Barefoot Books is having a FREE SHIPPING on all your orders until July 27th! Take advantage of this wonderful offer to get your favorite copies of some of the award-winning books that Barefoot Books have!

If you are a Stallholder or an affiliate and would like to place your order to stock up, then this weekend is just the perfect time for all of you!

If you would like to become a Stallholder and enjoy the many benefits of selling unique and amazing children's books, arts and gifts check out the Barefoot Books website.

July Giveaway

2008-07-22T12:44:00.000-07:00

This month’s giveaway will run until August 15th...so you have a few more weeks to stop by here and participate in this giveaway.

One winner will win a copy of the board book, “Bun bun at Bedtime” ~ another series of the Bun bun books published by the Barefoot Books.

If you would like to win a copy of this book for your child, please follow the guidelines below and leave a valid email address on your comment on this post. If you are the winner of this giveaway, you will be notified and you would need to respond within 72 hours upon the notification.

GUIDELINES

What I would like to do is to go and check out the three reviews written by other Mama bloggers about Barefoot Books, and then leave a comment on their write-ups, right on their blogs and then come back here and tell me one GOOD thing about the Barefoot Books! As simple as that…

The three write-ups written about Barefoot Books are the following:

1. http://accidentalmommies.com/2008/07/22/barefoot-books-a-review/

2. http://i-exhale.blogspot.com/2008/07/parents-great-gift-to-child.htm

3. http://afroginmysoup.com/2008/07/barefoot-books/

The winner will be announced on August 18th! Good luck and Go Barefoot!

Barefoot Books - a review by Kim from 'What's That Smell?'

2008-07-22T12:42:00.000-07:00

Kim, from Accidental Mommies wrote a wonderful review about the Barefoot Books and about the book, “Off we go to Mexico”. You can view the whole entry by clicking on the link below

http://accidentalmommies.com/2008/07/22/barefoot-books-a-review/

or you can read the post here:

Barefoot Books - a review by Kim

What is Barefoot Books?
From their site:

This is what we care about: first, we’re convinced that it’s never too early to introduce children to other cultures. We believe too that children can appreciate high-quality art, and enjoy the music as well as the meaning of language from a very early age. They deserve the very best, and they are dependent on their elders to help them make connections — between themselves and others, between nature and culture, between learning and living.

So we create books, CDs and other gifts that offer high educational value and are lots of fun. They’re designed to last, but above all, they are meant to be shared and enjoyed.

I was sent a Barefoot Book to review called Off We Go to Mexico! An Adventure in the Sun by Laurie Krebs and Christopher Corr.

Our take on a Barefoot Book:

I have to admit that when i first opened the book and looked through it, I wondered if my son, who is 4 would be interested in it considering there are Spanish words and he’s just started mastering the English words. My concerns were quickly put to rest, however, as we started reading it.

The book is laid out in a way that when you have the book open to any particular set of pages, the page on the left has a series of words with their Spanish translations and the page on the right has the continuing story that uses the words from the left page. We started out with Jake reading all the English and me reading all the Spanish. He really enjoyed the story and spent a lot of time looking at the pictures saying “look, she’s got a baby” or “hey, a fruit hat!”

About halfway through he wanted to switch with me and had me reading the English parts and he read the Spanish parts. He was really getting a kick out of it and was very patient when I tried to get him to pronounce everything right - or at least as right as this non-Spanish speaking person could!

The end of the book has a map and some information about Mexico today and its history. He was very interested in the map and its relationship to the USA. Even after I got up to take care of my daughter, he was still going back through the book looking at the pictures and every once in a while repeating some of the Spanish words.

Overall I am very impressed with the Barefoot Book we received and am going back to the site to look for more. It certainly inspired more interest from my son than other books have and I really like that it will promote in him an appreciation for other cultures and instill some additional language skills in him early on, when he is soaking up so much information. Both the art and the story in Off We go To Mexico! are captivating and this book is sure to be on his shelf for many years. It certainly spans a wide age range with its bright and colorful images, the story, and the history and information about Mexico in the back of the book.

If you are interested in Barefoot Books and their award winning children’s books and would like more information or to purchase them, you can visit their website:Barefoot Books and check out all the other wonderful books they have to offer. You can also visit the Barefoot Books Blog for information about their books and special offers. In addition to books, Barefoot Books carries CD’s and educational gifts designed around the same values as their books.

The Barefoot Books opportunity:
Another interesting aspect of Barefoot Books is the ability for anyone looking for a work from home opportunity to sell Barefoot Books by becoming a Barefoot Books Stallholder. For more information about how to become a Stallholder and to register for FREE, visit this page: Sell Barefoot.

Here are a few of the benefits:

Start your own creative business with low start-up and running costs. Experience not necessary!
Sell in homes and your local community (online or offline), and create a community of customers who also love Barefoot and share our values
Give back to your community by fundraising for the school or organization of your choice
Earn immediately with upfront discounts, free products, monthly bonuses and fantastic special offers
Enjoy prizes, incentives, workshops and get-togethers… and simply doing something you love
Mentor other Stallholders and create your own Barefoot community
Embrace creativity and bring something a little different to traditional book-selling from storytelling and craft activities to children’s art and writing competitions, the Stallholder program allows you to explore your own creativity and create a community buzz!
Whether you are interested in the books, the business opportunity, or both, I recommend that you visit their site and see all their wonderful books! And if you and your children already enjoy Barefoot Books, I’d love to read your comments about them!

Barefoot Books SPECIALS until August 15th

2008-07-19T06:21:00.000-07:00

Starting on July 15th through August 31st 2008, Barefoot Books has launched some SPECIALS on our favorite Barefoot Books. In conjunction with this SPECIALS, I am also happy to share to everybody that Barefoot Books has finally released the book Little Leap Forward: A Boy in Beijing written by Guo Yue. With the 2008 Olympics coming up pretty soon, this book will definitely serve as a great opener for your children.

Little Leap Forward: A Boy in Beijing is now available to purchase online through the Barefoot Books website!

This story is the launch title forBarefoot Books’ new Young Fiction list and is perfect for young readers ages 9 – 12. It is based on author Guo Yue’s childhood in China during the Cultural Revolution and is brought to life by co-au thor Clare Farrow with gorgeous illustrations by Barefoot artist Helen Cann. The story looks at close friendship and the conflict between political change and personal freedom. It’s a wonderful title and we suggest you add a copy to your order today!

Barefoot Books Affiliate write-up - by Mira Burns

2008-07-11T18:19:00.000-07:00

Mira Burns, the author and owner of "A Moment to Exhale" blog joined recently as a Barefoot Books Stallholder. In one of her posts, she wrote about her relationship with her son when it comes to promoting early literacy. As a teacher herself, she knows that reading is one of the most precious gifts that a parent can give to her child.

Read on her write up below. Please be sure to check out her blog at:

http://i-exhale.blogspot.com/2008/07/parents-great-gift-to-child.html

A Parent's Great Gift To A Child
by Mira Burns

Very early on in my son's tender age I already saw his love for books. He would always take my hand and press it against his book as if asking me to read it to him. Until now, I see how he gets very enthusiastic and excited at just about any book he gets hold of. He can sit and browse through the pages of books for a long time, longer than other boys his age would normally do. He has relatively long attention span and he listens very well. He also picks up quickly when I identify pictures for him in a book. When I take him to the library for story telling sessions, he listens and participates. His love and interest for books made me encourage him even more. I read to him at least 15 minutes everyday, I watch Baby Einstein dvd's with him and explain what's going on. I demonstrate to him how animals and things sound like and basically talk and do interactive play with him a lot.

Recently I was introduced by a friend to Barefoot Books, a company started by two mothers who abandoned the security of corporate world to do something that they believed in. They wanted to publish children's books that are quite different from the rest. They took a big risk and wondered about whether anyone is going to listen or if anyone would ever buy their books. But their strong belief and great conviction in the values they cared about gave them the determination to pursue their dreams. They are convinced that it is never too early to introduce children to other cultures. They believe that children can appreciate high-quality art, and enjoy the music as well as the meaning of language from a very young age. Children deserve the best, and they are dependent on their elders to help them make connection between themselves and others, between nature and culture, between learning and living. They need their parents' and teachers' interest, involvement and time.

As I learn more and more about Barefoot Books, I know this is exactly what I want my son to grow up with. As a stay-at-home mom, I take my job as a teacher to my son seriously. I believe that what you teach a child can shape him into what he will become when he grows up. I always find ways on how to engage my son's imagination and enhance his development. I not only look for books with eye-catching designs but also with great contents and high educational value. Although I always say that my son drains all my energy during the day, it is all worth it when I see how he is learning new things and getting smarter every day. I find comfort at the thought that the involvement and quality time I spend with my son's learning are paying off.

So this is why I decided to be an affiliate and sign up with Barefoot Books, I am one with their goals and aspirations for little children. I give Barefoot Books two thumbs up for their great works. For all mom bloggers out there with little children, I am inviting you to be a part of this great community of educators and share their creative books, CD's and other gifts that offer high educational value and lots of fun. Becoming an affiliate of Barefoot Books, not only give you the access to own great books that help enhance your children's development, but it also gives you some earnings on the side. JOIN BAREFOOT NOW!

Barefoot Books Affiliate write-up - by Shera S.

2008-07-09T18:59:00.000-07:00

One of the newest Barefoot Books affiliate is Shera S. from A Frog in My Soup. She started to promote the Barefoot Books Affiliate Program on her blog and would like to invite everybody to stop by her blog. Check out the full entry of her post below and if you would like to enter her giveaway, please visit her link below:

http://afroginmysoup.com/2008/07/barefoot-books/

Barefoot Books
July 9th, 2008

Live barefoot … imagine! That is the whole vision of Barefoot books in one little statement. I was recently introduced to Barefoot Books by Alpha Sanford when she contacted me about their products. I was definitely interested and as you may have noticed it didn’t take me long to decide it was a great company to promote (see my sidebar button).

I had started by asking Alpha to share why she loves the company so much!

All the books that they publish speak to what I want my daughter to learn! The colors, the vocabulary, the diversity of people and characters presented are just amazing!

Barefoot Books offers award winning Children’s Books, Music CD’s, Gifts and more. They have many books that are great sellers, but their Whole World Book was featured on Oprah and is very popular. Alpha’s daughter’s favorite book though isAnimal Boogie (which I plan to order very soon)!

You can see Alpha’s Barefoot Books site atwww.BarefootBooks101.com. She also has a wonderful Barefoot Books review blog and I encourage all of you to visit that as well to get some great first hand information about Barefoot Books - go to http://barefootbooks101.wordpress.com/ and be sure to leave a comment letting Alpha know you were there.

Alpha has offered a copy of Barefoot Books’ board book Bun Bun, the Middle One. If you’d like to enter to win this be sure to visit her Barefoot Books store atwww.barefootbooks101.com and take a look around (they have a great summer sale going on right now with books up to 80% off, but only through July 15th). Then come back here and leave a comment telling me what your favorite product at Barefoot Books is!

Available to ship to US and Canadian addresses. This contest will end on July 21st.

Skip Through the Season - by Stella Blackstone

2008-07-07T19:56:00.000-07:00

Skip through the Seasons
(formerly published as Jump into January)

Written by: Stella Blackstone
Illustrated by: Maria Carluccio
Read Alone: Ages 4-9
Read Together: Ages 0-4
Paperback; Full-color illustrations; 32pp;
10.25 x 10 inches

This is one of the many books that the author Stella Blackstone wrote. Among the many other best-selling books that Stella Blackstone wrote were My Granny Went to Market, Cleo the Cat series, Dragon on the Doorstep, I wish I were a Dinosaur, Secret Seahorse, Alligator Alphabet, An Island in the Sun, Bear series, Who are you? and Where’s the cat? Each of these books that Stella Blacktone wrote is distinctive of each other but the diversity of topics presented in each book is evident throughout. Her stories were translated in different languages. She lives in southwest England with her three children, two dogs and two cats.

For this book Skip through Seasons, it portrays about a journey around the year that includes objects and things and events that happen in each month. For most of each month of the year, there is also an action word that begins with the same letter as that month. For example:

Jump - for January

Fly - for February

Move - for May

Jive - for July

Slide -for September

Dance - for December

The other six months of the year that does not begin with an action word that begins with the same letter. However, these months still incorporates movements and actions that somehow relates to what is going on for these months. Examples are:

Whirl - for March

Splash -for April

Race - for June

Sail - for August

Twirl - for October

Sweep - for November

What I like about this book is at the bottom part of each page, it displays several words that are commonly used for each month. This is very useful when teachers and parents are introducing key words to children that are related to a festivities for the month. The words are supported by the pictures that are drawn for each page. There are many activities that you could use this book for including (let’s take for example you are introducing the month of December) :

1. asking where the picture of a candy cane,

2. asking which among the set of words is a ‘candy cane’,

3. naming 3 objects that they see on the page that are commonly used during the season,

4. naming the 12 months of the year,

5. the different seasons of the year, movements,

6. words that begin with the same letter as the name of the month and

7. rhyming words! (at the end of each phrase it says - come along with me! - and on the other page it ends with - what can you see? -)

The teachers can also laminate the words for a particular season for their word wall say summer -

For June - the words are (scooter, thermos, picnic blanket, basket, butterfly, swing, skateboard, bread, bicycle, bananas, cooler, picnic bench)

For July - the words are (juggler, dolls, bumper cars, ice cream stand, cotton candy, carousel, balloons, flags, ticket booth, ferris wheel, moon)

For August - the words are (sailboats, shovel, fisherman, crab, beach ball, sunglasses, pails, seagull, hammock, surfboard, sandcastles, flippers)

If I were still an early childhood teacher, this book would definitely be an all-year-round sight in my class’s library. They can build their vocabulary throughout the year with the pictures and the sight words that are included in each of the pages. What is also great is that, this book targets every topic that has to do with seasons even weather. This is worth having a multiple copies for yourself!

The Elephant Dance - Barefoot Book Review

2008-07-07T19:46:00.000-07:00

Elephant Dance
Written by: Theresa Heine
Illustrated by: Shiela Moxley
Read Alone: Ages 6-10
Read Together: Ages 4-8
Hardcover; Jacketed; Full-color illustrations; 40pp;
8.75 x 10.5 inches

”Thank God for Granparents!” - this is we, parents usually say whenever our children ask us somethings that only grandparents can answer. i remember when I was a little child, I used to ask questions about how my grandfather lived during World War II and during the Martial Law times (in the Philippines). He would tell me in details exactly and vividly as how he could remember all his experiences both in his community as a leader, a father and an officer of the Philippine Air Force. How I used to like hearing all of his stories and gave me more insights about how he and his family lived during those times. There is nothing like hearing all these memories first-hand - it is a treasure that is passed on from his generation to mine and pretty soon, to my daughter.

This theme of grandfather-grandchild is very evident throughout the day. Ravi, the main character of the story bombards with his grandfather with questions about India. And as I read through the book, I get acquainted about living in India - such as the map of India is shaped like the ear of the elephant (thus, the title of the book is from), the geography of India, the seasons of India - cold weather, dry/hot weather and moonsoon rains -,the religion and their culture.

Speaking of the seasons of India, I like the part when Ravi asked his grandfather if it ever snows in India. This made me laughed as I read this part, because when I was little I also used to wonder, “does it ever rain in other parts of the world?”, “does it ever gets hot across the Pacific?” - and this part of the book reinforces the answers to most of the intriguing questions that children have about the changing seasons of the world. I also like the way the grandfather uses analogy to describe the things that Ravi asks him.

I adore the way the grandfather describes a rainbow in India to Ravi and he said,

“A rainbow in India Ravi beta is seven saris hung across the sky to dry,

red as the watermelon,

orange as lentils,

yellow as saffron,

green as parakeet,

blue as kingfisher,

indigo as the deep ocean,

violet as the storm sky,

before the thunder growls.”

Throughout the book, the grandfather continues to use this similar analogy to explain to Ravi how things are different in India. I think this is a great strategy for children to absorb memories by associating things to things that are familiar to them and things that are colorful and full of live description. In addition to that the grandfather makes sure that the culture of India is also added in how he explains things to Ravi, whether it could be an Indian flower, the Indian Divaali festival, the spices, the food, the himalayans or the clothing, Ravi’s grandfather truly exalts in using these common Indian words.

The book also incorporates a lot of Indian spices. In fact, in the middle of the book, the family of Ravi needed to cook for supper time. This part reflects the Indian family tradition of preparing food and the use of Indian spices such as daal, cloves, cardamom, turmeric, coriander and cumin. Each member of the family is described as having a task to do in preparation of supper. Ravi set the table and his sister Anjali fetched the rice.

The story ends with Ravi going to sleep and before he went to bed, he asked his grandfather, “do you love me grandfather?” and his grandfather used the same strategy of answering this question by saying,

“you are as warm as a newborn kid,

as soft as a frangipani blossom,

as sweet as the juice of the mango

and I love you very much.”

I can also say that this book will be great as gifts to grandparents on their special day and writing a note to them by saying how informative they are to us, in many ways than they could ever think of.

- Alpha

The Great Race (The Story of the Chinese Zodiac) - book review

2008-07-03T21:21:00.000-07:00

Written by: Dawn Casey
Illustrated by: Anne Wilson
Read Alone: Ages 6-10
Read Together: Ages 4-8
Hardcover; Jacketed; Full-color illustrations; 32pp;
8.25 x 10.75 inches

Ever wondered why the names of animals are used in the Chinese zodiac? Ever wondered too how come there is NO cat in the Chinese zodiac? This book tells it all in a playful, colorful and easy-to-remember story.

The story starts with the Jade Emperor hosting a race to start a calendar and name each year after a different animal. He had announced that whoever will finish a swimming race across a wide river first will be declared the first animal sign of the calendar. The oder of how the animals will arrive, will be used for the order of the chinese calendar.

During that time the rat and the cat were the best of friends. However, near the end of the race, the rat pushed over the cat down the river so the rat could jump to the finish line and win the race. The cat who hates the water tried very hard to get out of the water but just couldn’t make it to the shore. This is the reason why there is NO cat in the chinese calendar. This is also the reason why up to this day, the cat and the rat are the worst of enemies.

The rat won the race and as the Jade Emperor said, “Rat may be small but he is also smart!”! The other animals who came after rat were in the following order:

2nd: ox

3rd: tiger

4th: Hare

5th: dragon

6th: horse

7th: snake

8th: sheep

9th: monkey

10th: cockerel

11th: dog

12th: pig

Reading this book to my daughter is like learning a new lesson for me. I was like, “huh, now that is the reason why…?”. I really enjoyed the book as much as my daughter did. Although she can not associate the meanings of the story behind the book, i could tell based from her attentiveness and interest with the book, that this captured her as well.

But what I love about this book is at the very end of it there are two pages devoted to the characters of the 12 animals included in the chinese calendar with the corresponding years that these animals represent. For the fun of it, check your animal sign and see if the characters of these animals are similar to yours:

Rats - are clever, ambitious and quick-witted.

Ox - are honest, patient and hardworking.

Tiger - are brave, powerful and daring.

Hare - are lucky, kind and peaceful.

Dragon - are powerful, strong and energetic.

Snake - are calm, wise and elegant.

Horse - are popular, independent and fun.

Sheep - are artistic, loving and tender-hearted.

Money - are happy, confident and enthusiastic

Cockerel - are adventurous, kind and hardworking.

Dog - are loyal, affectionate and generous.

Pig - are noble, helpful and forgiving

My Daddy is a Pretzel - Book review

2008-07-03T21:16:00.000-07:00

Written by: Baron Baptiste
Illustrated by: Sophie Fatus
Read Alone: Ages 4-9
Read Together: Ages 0-4
Hardcover; Jacketed, Full-color illustrations; 48pp;
8.75 x 11 inches

I can honestly say that this is one of my most favorite Barefoot Books ever! It combines what I would like to see for the perfect yoga book for children - thus, this makes it the PERFECT book to introduce children to yoga. This is also a great book for teachers who would like to introduce the different occupations or work that parents do!

The Introduction part of the book is very sincere. The author Baron Baptiste really showed how caring and how dedicated he is in bringing the right kind of discipline to his children as well to other children in the form of yoga. He made yoga a more enjoyable, and not frightful to most kids by interconnecting what profession a parent has. An example of which is the page below:

In this page, the mother is a gardener…on the other hand the dad is sometimes a tree. From this, the author builds on an occupation to a yoga position that is related to the occupation of being a gardener, thus the TREE position comes up.

In this page, it guides the reader from the first step to attaining this position to the final step. What I love about this YOGA pose page is that, throughout the book the author explains as to what this particular pose teaches us in our daily lives (i.e. Tree Pose teaches us to support ourselves) and then moves to the reason why we need to learn this lesson. For the Tree Pose, “so that we can reach high and remain stable, yet be flexible.”

I love the lessons/sayings from these YOGA pose pages. Here are some of the sayings I find very inspiring, even for young children:

1. “….and as with anything practice makes progress”

2. “Triangles have 3 sides and 3 angles - just as we have 3 aspects: mind, body and spirit”

3.”If we plow well, we can sow well, and then reap the rewards of what we have planted.”

and

4. from the Fish pose…”Don’t struggle upstream, jump in and just go with the flow, even in turbulent times.”

This book also presented a lot of diversity. The parents and the children that are illustrated are of different nationalities - and the diversity of work from a gardener, to a marine biologist, to a builder and then too a baker, it is just an amazing book! And of course, these poses can be enlarged if you are a teacher wanting to teach a step-by-step way of a certain pose.

Become a Barefoot Books Stallholder!

2008-07-03T21:09:00.000-07:00

Join the Barefoot Community

This is the perfect time for you to join the Barefoot Books Stallholder Program because effective May 1st the REGISTRATION IS FREE!!!!

STALLHOLDER
noun (1993): one who—manages a stall to display and sell something they and gives back, to their local community
Barefoot Stallholders are dynamic and passionate entrepreneurs. They are also parents and children, family and friends, teachers and librarians, authors, artists and storytellers, and probably you, too! From Scotland to Seattle, Stallholders are all “living barefoot” in their own ways, connecting with one another and introducing our beautiful books and gifts to their communities online, and through one-to-one sales, home parties, and fundraising activities.

Some of the best parts of our Stallholder Program are:

It’s flexible and free!

For just $99.99—choose to invest in a Starter Pack filled with beautiful and award-winning books and gifts, and marketing material (value $230)

Be part of a fun, vibrant, global community

Receive immediate earnings with generous discounts

Market your business with your own Barefoot website for $59.99 for a six-month subscription

Take advantage of full training and support

Available in the US and Canada

Ask me more about the many benefits of a stallholder! Below are just some of them.

Start your own creative business with low start-up and running costs. Experience not necessary!
Sell in homes and your local community (online or offline), and create a community of customers who also love Barefoot and share our values
Give back to your community by fundraising for the school or organization of your choice
Earn immediately with upfront discounts, free products, monthly bonuses and fantastic special offers
Enjoy prizes, incentives, workshops and get-togethers… and simply doing something you love
Mentor other Stallholders and create your own Barefoot community
Embrace creativity and bring something a little different to traditional book-selling from storytelling and craft activities to children’s art and writing competitions, the Stallholder program allows you to explore your own creativity and create a community buzz!

Start your Barefoot Journey here:

https://stallholder.barefootbooks.com/us/Register.php?user_name=Philippines&rep_code=US-1018892

Barefoot Books Summer Storytelling Sale up to 80% off

2008-07-03T21:03:00.000-07:00

Starting June 2, 2008 until July 15, 2008, Barefoot Books will have the Summer Storytelling Sale which gives the customers a chance to buy great book with up to 80% off the regular price. Some of the titles included for the sale are are following:

1. The whole world mini

2. Motherbridge of Love

3. My Daddy is a Pretzel

We All Went Safari

2008-06-29T19:02:00.000-07:00

This book is amazing! I wish I had this book when I was younger! I could have learned how to count in Swahili

Good points about this book:

1. It opens up our minds (children and children at heart) about the culture in Africa!

2. The different names of children in Africa.

3. The animals in Africa.

4. Counting both visually in numbers and in a different language.

5. It teaches you how to count in Swahili from one-ten. Check out this two other pages of the book.

AND

6. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of each book will be donated to the African Wildlife Foundation, to aid their wildlife conservation and community building efforts in Tanzania.

Great, great book! And you could help as well when you purchase this!

The Farmyard Jamboree - Barefoot Book Review

2008-06-28T07:29:00.000-07:00

Two Fridays ago we stopped by the Thomas Crane Library in Quincy, MA and borrowed some Barefoot Books. We got a few of them including this one “The Farmyard Jamboree”! Well, it wasn’t the exact title though but it was of the same content. I was able to figure out why the change of the title..I realized that the book we got from the library was published in 2002, and the title then was “The Hen, the Chick and the Guitar” which is based on a Chilean folklore! Uhm, another international and multicultural book (Barefoot books is really listening to all the different cultures in the world and it is amazing how they put together wonderful folklore into the eyes of young children)

In this book, a boy dressed in a traditional Chilean costume is receiving different gifts from his relatives - granfather, grandmother, mother, father, uncle, brother, sister, etc…and each one of them gives a pet. As the book progresses, it talks about what is the small animal is called…and it teaches you about counting from 1-20 (until obviously there would be twenty little pets!)

The best part of the book is the way the little boy sings “Ay, ay, ay, ay,…” and how it matches with the Chilean theme part of the book!

If you are a teacher looking for a counting book, introduction of the baby animals, and/or Chilean tradition this is a great book to use. Plus, the lively music and the sound of the guitar uplifts the mood of anybody who is reading and listening to the CD!

Have fun reading The Farmyard Jamboree!

You can purchase this book at http://www.barefootbooks101.com

My Barefoot Story

2008-06-27T21:26:00.000-07:00

Having been a mother for a year now, I have started to built more awareness on the information I tell my daughter. My husband and I have become more cautious in everything we tell her - specially now that she is at a stage when language acquisition is rapidly developing.

In our search for the right books for her, we have found Barefoot Books! Sure, there are a lot of award-winning books that we’ve collected even before our daughter was born, but Barefoot books are absolutely more than amazing! These books are multicultural and convey international ideas that we want our daughter to grow up with!

The fun does not end here.

In fact, we want to share this wonderful discovery we’ve found through Barefoot books with you! We know that as parents, we only aim to give the best for our children - and with Barefoot books, you will recognize the best books and products that target to our children’s developmental needs.

We are so lucky that these books truly speaks to what we want our daughter to learn about. We want you to feel the same as well.
If you believe in bringing up your children with reading books that creates multicultural learning, continue to check out Barefoot books - and remember to pass along this message to your friends and family!

Thank you for time!

Animal Boogie - Barefoot Books Review

2008-06-27T21:17:00.000-07:00

This is the very first book from Barefoot Books that my daughter and I read together! As soon as I started reading this book, I knew my daughter is glued on it! The pictures on the cover page are brilliant! The colors are just wonderful. But here are the best things my daughter and I love the most about this book!

1. The beat and the rhythm of the book makes me swing, sway…and “boogie, woogie, oogie.”

2. The different animals that depict all the movements in the jungle (there’s the leopard, monkey, vulture, bear,etc.)

3. The incorporation of a child who has a disability - which just shows how the company values children of diversity and children with special needs. (I was actually telling this to some of my friends that who among publishers would give enlightenment in a subtle way about children with special needs? Barefoot Books does!). See the page above from the book.

4. The convenient place where you could insert a CD at the book of the book’s back jacket. (easy to store and no need to put them separately in a bag!)

5. The different races of children portrayed in the book!

This book is just a book rolled into one. If you are a teacher who is looking for a unit book on animals, movements of animals, sounds of animals, and diversity of children - this is the book!

I hope you will enjoy it too as much as we did!

To purchase this book, visit http://www.barefootbooks101.com