The Barefoot Books Story

Enjoy!

Ethiopian Culture Camp

I had the pleasure of participating in a recent Ethiopian Culture Camp at Franklin Pierce College. The Camp is a time for children adopted from Ethiopia and their families to spend time together as a community. The kids were obviously ecstatic to be together. It is amazing to see these families. One man I met was 17 and just adopted 9 months or so ago. As I was leaving the event, the families were meeting to take a group picture. They were all dressed in traditional Ethiopian garb, scarves and long flowing skirts. This is a completely family-run event.

The most popular title was African Animals ABC. As with many Barefoot Books, there are great end notes that describe the illustrated animals.

A portion of the sales I made will go towards a donation for the Culture Camp. If you’d like your purchase to benefit the camp, Please enter event code EV28 at checkout

Barefoot Books in PJ Library

My family is a proud member of the PJ Library, a wonderful program started by the Grinspoon Foundation. The PJ Library sends books that relay Jewish values and content monthly to kids 0-7. My kids get so excited when their books come in the mail. I feel very lucky that The Grinspoon Foundation is based in Western Mass and we get to benefit from such wonderful programs. This program is now national so you can check their site and see if it is available in your area.

I am excited to say that Barefoot Books is now part of the PJ Library. One City, Two Brothers, a Silver Winner in the 2008 Nautilus Book Awards, tells the ancient folktale of the creation of Jerusalem.

Barefoot Books in ForeWard Magazine

I was featured in the ForeWard Magazine E-Newsletter in January after the Twentieh Annual Indy And Small Press Book Fair and forgot to share it. How selfish of me. Thanks Eugene!

Barefoot Books. Dawn Cordeiro and Laurie Mattaliano are work-at-home mothers who came down from Massachusetts to present this children’s line “that celebrate art and story,” with a learning experience about themselves and the world. As “stallholders” they are among hundreds of parents who attend book fairs and special events to build their own business and promote the value of the book.

The two illustrated books I bought for my granddaughters (with audio CDs bound in) are Magic Hoofbeats: Fantastic Horse Tales (978-1-84686-129-1) and Winter King, Summer Queen (978-1-84686-009-6). The first one, for middle schoolers, tells the story through words and illustrations of eight horses from countries around the world. The second one is for younger children, and beautifully describes how the seasons of winter and summer are born. Barefoot Books are beautifully designed and printed and can be viewed in their printed catalog or on-line at www.discoverbarefootbooks.com.

http://www.forewordmagazine.com/ftw/ftwarchives.aspx?id=20080109.htm#1

Motherbridge of Love #3 on TIME’s Best Children’s Books of 07

I know most of my posts recently have been about Motherbridge, but I just love this book and now so does TIME Magazine.

#3. Motherbridge of Love
Illustrated by Josee Masse

Got a girlfriend who just adopted a kid? You’re going to want to get them this book, although the illustration is so gorgeous, you could give it to anyone. The text was submitted anonymously to the charity Mother Bridge of Love, which seeks to connect kids adopted from China with their homeland…. it does explain quite lyrically how two mothers can each have a part in making one whole child.

Barefoot Book Titles receive Starred Review

Booklist (the American Library Association’s magazine) has given starred reviews to two Barefoot Books, Listen, Listen and One City, Two Brothers.

For Listen, Listen – “Jay’s stylized pictures, with the texture of ancient frescos, are a window into a world in which the buzz of an insect and the whoosh of the wind lend surprising emotion. Illustrations filled with snowmen, anthropomorphized animals, and people running through a leaf-swept field will make children long to discover what is just over a hill or around the next bend. Capturing a summer idyll reading in a hammock with the same care as a warm evening by the fireplace, Jay invests each image with both joy and melancholy. This jewel of a book will draw children back again and again”-Booklist, STARRED REVIEW

**I have to add that I brought this book to the Reading Recovery Conference and a teacher said this book has wonderful example of Onomatopoeia. Once the other teachers heard this, it was quickly snatched up!

For One City, Two Brothers – “Framed by a story of King Solomon dealing with two squabbling brothers, this tale tells of two other, quite different brothers. They live in two villages, sharing the land between them. For years, they have divided their harvest. One abundant year, the elder brother, who has a wife and children, worries that his unmarried brother needs to save for his old age. Secretly he brings extra grain to his brother’s storehouse. Yet the next morning, the elder brother seems to have the same amount of grain as before. Meanwhile, the younger brother has been worrying, too; his elder brother has a family to be fed. He is also secretly bringing grain to his sibling, then finding his own storehouse still full. The mystery is solved when the brothers meet on the hilltop, each with a donkey laden with grain. The blessed spot where they meet becomes Jerusalem. Based on a folktale told by both Jews and Arabs, this picture book beautifully captures the spirit of brotherhood and gives both readers and listeners hope for what could be if people thought more about one another than about themselves. The accomplished folk-style artwork, in shades of verdant green, heavenly blue, and harvest orange and yellow, does more than illustrate the story; it adds an air of peace and hope to which children will respond.” -Booklist, STARRED REVIEW

Barefoot Books at Indie & Small Press Book Fair, NYC

I just completed a successful Barefoot week. I had 6 events this week! My kids were great. They came with me too quite a few of them and they are great helpers. Barefoot is truly a family business.

I’m now gearing up for my trip to NYC. I’m excited to represent Barefoot Books at the upcoming Indie & Small Press Book Fair run by the NY Center for Independent Publishing. I’ll be there 11/30-12/2. It’s the first time Barefoot will be participating and I’m looking forward to being in the City.

If you’re going to be in NYC that weekend, please visit us. The Fair is at The General Society of Mechanics & Tradesmen, 20 West 44th Street, Midtown. Admission is free and if you mention my blog you’ll receive 10% off your purchase at the Barefoot Booth!

I can’t see!

We’re very fortunate to live not to far from the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. It is a beautiful museum with a gorgeous art room. My son often plays while I do the art projects. It is very relaxing to make something as complex as a tissue paper collage.

The museum also has a library filled with picture books, of course. When we can, we try to go to the storytime there, which is really one of the best around. Megan Lambert, who runs the library uses the Whole Book Approach, which treats the picture book as a piece of art and that books are meant to be read with children not at them. I tried to absorb as much as I could from Megan before I went to do my first Storytime.

At my first storytime, I had a small group of kids and they were interested in the books I had chosen. Pretty early into the reading, though, a boy sitting right in front of me said, “I can’t see, I can’t see”. I thought I’d invite him to help me hold the book but that didn’t work because he stood right in front of the book and none of his friends could see.

A few weeks ago, I took a workshop with Megan about the Whole Book Method, focusing on Jewish Literature. During a discussion about children’s learning she stated that kids’ minds look at the pictures and then need to catch up with what it being read to them. She stated that when a child says I can’t see, what they are really saying is “Slow Down”. She explained that this is why kids often ask to read a book again. They need to hear it one more time to get it.

I had an Aha!! moment in the workshop. Slowing Down is something I need to work on everyday. For those who don’t know me I am a fast talker. Many times my brain and mouth have different plans. My son now corrects me when I use the wrong word for something. I also find myself walking too fast. Why do I need to have a brisk pace to the grocery store with my son following behind? Why don’t I just enjoy the walk with him? In terms of storytime, I need…to…speak..slower. The kids have come to storytime because they want to hear me speak. They want to enjoy the story and I need to share it with them.

Any storytelling tips are greatly appreciated.

Motherbridge of Love

 

Over the next month, I will be showcasing some of Barefoot’s newest titles. The one that I am most excited about is Motherbridge of Love. This is a beautiful book that illustrates the parent child relationship in adoption.

The adopted child is Chinese but this is a universal story that any adoptive family can identify with. I had a booth at a Fall Festival this weekend and people of all different backgrounds were moved by the book. The title Motherbridge of Love comes from an organization with the same name that helps children identify with their Chinese heritage.

The Boy Who Grew Flowers

The Boy Who Grew Flowers, written by Jen Wojtowicz is one of my favorite picture books and a perfect read for back to school. It tackles the anxieties of being different and the power of acceptance.

The Boy is Rink Bowagon, a shy person whose classmates think is weird because he has odd family members, inlcuding snake tamers and “shape shifters”. A new girl, Angelina, comes to town and doesn’t understand why the other kids don’t talk to him. Just because he’s different and his family is different doesn’t mean he’s not worth knowing. Angelina is different herself, with one of her legs shorter than the other. Her family is a family of dancers so she feels left out as well. As they become friends, they discover that they are more similar than different.

Although I have read this book to my three-year-old, I believe older children will identify with the anxieties of fitting in at school and starting a new school. The illustrations by Steve Adams are very sophisticated and truly capture the emotion of the story. I should say that the first time I read this to my son I cried, actually wept, at Rink’s kind actions. I was 7 months pregnant, but I challenge you not to shed a tear.