Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Celebrate Cinco de Mayo with Barefoot's title Off We Go to Mexico in either English or Spanish.  The paperback version is only $7.99!

Off We Go to Mexico!

An Adventure in the Sun

Travel to Mexico and discover its many wonders, from the amazing monarch butterflies in the Highlands to a mariachi show in the village square. The rhyme and lyricism of the text is complemented by endnotes about the history of the country, national fiestas, and a glossary of simple Spanish vocabulary.

Ages 4 to 10 years
Written By: Laurie Krebs
Illustrated By: Christopher Corr

 

Plymouth Ct. Library Celebrating 140 Years!

Come and join Barefoot Books at the Plymouth Library 140th Anniversary Celebration on Saturday, April 30th,  Main St, Plymouth Ct.  
10:00 am-4:00pm

Our free-family, morning activities on the Plymouth Congregational Church Green & Hall starting at 10 a.m. include read-a-louds, face painting, book sales, book signings, portrayals of our founder and the “Leatherman”, historical displays, 11 a.m. workshop on “How to Get Your Book Published” by renowned literary agent Jan Kardys, music, quilters and more yesteryear activities. We are pleased to have popular mystery writer Jerry Labriola, M.D., author of the Dr. David Brooks Mystery series and coauthor with renowned forensic scientist, Dr. Henry Lee, speak at 2 p.m. His remarks will feature “The Nature of Forensic Science” and “Why People Are Fascinated With Murders and Murder Mysteries.” (PLS. RSVP FOR LITERARY WORKSHOP)
Also, children's author Susanna Hill, Barefoot Books, portrayls of founders Rev. Hillard and Mrs. Julia Hillard, antique sales, food, scavenger hunts, and more!

Put Some Color in Your Reading!

 Color Your Reading With Your Child!

Read Barefoot Book's The Parrot Tico Tango and then create your own color book!  Parrot Tico Tango is a wonderful, fun way to learn colors and also the importance of sharing.

Parrot Tico Tango

Follow the cheeky antics of Parrot Tico Tango as he journeys through the jungle!

Come down to the rainforest to meet Tico Tango and his animal friends. Tico Tango wants all of the fruit in the forest, even though it belongs to other animals. Will he learn what's right and wrong? The rhyming text teaches colors and animals, as well as an important lesson about sharing.

Ages 3 to 7 years
Written By: Anna Witte

http://store.barefootbooks.com/the-parrot-tico-tango-1.html?bf_affiliate_code=000-032x

for more ideas to use Parrot Tico Tango go to:
http://www.homeschoolshare.com/parrot_tico_tango.php

Now you are ready to write your own color poem book!

Find out how these color poem books by Susan K. Gaylord where created at:  http://blog.susangaylord.com/2011/04/national-poetry-monthcolor-poems.html

Happy National Poetry Month!

In honor of National Poetry Month Bare-Footnotes would like to highlight one of Barefoot's beautiful poetry books, The Sun in Me.  This lovely book is perfect for Earth Day celebrations.  The illustrations are amazing!  So is the price.  Originally $12.99, but NOW on sale for only $9.99.  You can celebrate National Poetry Month and Earth Day with just this one book.  Amazing!

The Sun in Me Listen to the soothing patter of a summer rainfall, watch the first flames of the rising sun, and sing with the stars as you travel through this enchanting anthology of nature poems. Poems from many different cultures are brought together here to celebrate the beauty and fragility of our lovely Earth. Ages 3 to 11 years Compiled By: Judith Nicholls Illustrated By: Beth Krommes

The Sun in Me

Listen to the soothing patter of a summer rainfall, watch the first flames of the rising sun, and sing with the stars as you travel through this enchanting anthology of nature poems. Poems from many different cultures are brought together here to celebrate the beauty and fragility of our lovely Earth.

Ages 3 to 11 years
Compiled By: Judith Nicholls
Illustrated By: Beth Krommes

Available at http://marshamiles.barefootbooks.com 
or click on book above

At Barefoot Books, stories come to life - The Boston Globe

Barefoot Book Story in Concord, Mass, where you can Step Into A Story!  Read article from Boston Globe!

 At Barefoot Books, stories come to life - The Boston Globe

Barefoot children in the rain - Jimmy Buffett

Spring has Sprung and April Showers bring May Flowers but maybe the Spring Rains Also Bring Barefoot Children!   Enjoy Jimmy Buffet's song and then go to http://marshamiles.barefootbooks.com and shop for your own Barefoot Children.  There's still Free Shipping for all online orders $60.00  and over!   Enjoy!

Find the Pot of Gold at the End of the Rainbow this St. Patrick's Day with Barefoot Books

Tales from Old Ireland Celebrate the wonder of Ireland with the seven enchanting stories in this captivating collection. The rich traditions of Irish storytelling are honored with larger-than-life characters, myths and legends around every bend, and plenty of magic. Book with double CDs include stories read by Grammy-nominated singer Maura O'Connell. Ages 6 and up Retold By: Malachy Doyle Illustrated By: Niamh Sharkey Narrated By: Maura O'Connell

Tales from Old Ireland

Celebrate the wonder of Ireland with the seven enchanting stories in this captivating collection. The rich traditions of Irish storytelling are honored with larger-than-life characters, myths and legends around every bend, and plenty of magic. Book with double CDs include stories read by Grammy-nominated singer Maura O'Connell.

Ages 6 and up
Retold By: Malachy Doyle
Illustrated By: Niamh Sharkey
Narrated By: Maura O'Connell

Love This and Wanted to Share It!

 This is from the website:  http://the good stuffguide.com  Please visit them!

10 Tips for Raising Readers

"March 1, 2011 We continue our celebration of National Read Across America Day  with the following ideas to promote reading in your home:

Written by Contributing Writer, Sarah Farthing
1. Read aloud to them.
It’s never too early to start, there is no good reason to stop and you can’t possibly do it too much!  Even when your kids are proficient readers, there are always books above their reading level that are still appropriate to be shared, and some stories are just plain more meaningful when you read them aloud together.
2. Make reading part of your routine.
When reading is part of your family’s routine, it becomes a child’s healthy habit.  It is as natural and satisfying as a meal.  Whether you choose morning books, naptime books, afternoon books or bed time books, when certain times of the day have always included reading, it doesn’t feel like reading is an infringement on time otherwise spent.
3. Use your library.
If your son loves construction or your daughter is obsessed with bugs, I challenge you to walk in your door holding 30 books about the subject they live and breathe.   Watch their excitement for reading explode before your eyes and note the impression your gesture made on him or her.  Visiting the library is wonderful for kids, as we’ve discussed before on The Good Stuff Guide: It’s Library Time! (It’s Heidi here: make sure you read the comments section of this post – you will cry with laughter, I promise.  Oh, and there are fantastic ideas in there too.  Sorry for interrupting!) Reserving books from your home or work computer has its place, too; you can make quick work of refreshing your home library by choosing books by subject or author from your library’s website and running the quick errand to pick them up when they’re in.
4. Change the way you read.
Use silly voices, make faces, exaggerate your tone and let your own enthusiasm and suspense show.  Don’t rush it.  Savor the story and the illustrations if applicable.  Children’s book author Sue Fliess (www.suefliess.com) finds that “…stopping every now and then during a story at suspenseful parts to ask [her] kids what they think will happen gets them excited and keeps them paying attention too.”  When you do these things you are modeling good reading and encouraging reading comprehension for your listener.
5. Get your kids hooked on stories.
Help your kids appreciate a good story.  Children’s librarian and storyteller Nancy Schimmel (www.sisterschoice.com) recommends using “Family stories, stories about themselves when they were younger, made-up stories, or easy to tell standards like The Three Bears…or Little Red Riding Hood…” to help get kids hooked.  Grandparents, aunts and uncles are a good resource to tap for help with this!
6. Find reading opportunities everywhere.
Kids naturally want to help with adult tasks from a young age.  Instead of pointing to the buttons on your dishwasher, washer or dryer for your little one to push, try spelling the words out and have them find the right one.  They will get used to looking for letter combinations.  When you’re baking together, examine the back of the cake mix box with your child.  Ask where they think it explains how many eggs to add.  Knowing how to navigate instructions like that is a great pre-reading skill.  So is brand and logo recognition!  In the car you can ask what stores they see as you pass.   
7. Demonstrate that reading is valued in your home.
Do this by making sure that books are plentiful and readily accessible in different rooms of your home. Participate in Scholastic Book Fairs to build your library and help your child’s school.  Respect books by taking good care of them and handing down outgrown titles to younger children.   Give books as gifts, within your family and to others.  As Shara Lawrence-Weiss, owner of Personal Child Stories (www.personalchildstories.com) points out, “Books are a special gift.  Make sure your kids know that you believe that as much as they need to.”   Shara encourages parents to model reading in their homes.  “If they see you enjoying a book, they will be more likely to pick one up and read it.”    
8. Help your child make their own book.
I have never met a child that isn’t full of stories!  Use a notebook and basic art supplies to let them write, or help them dictate, their very own story.   Add illustrations too!  Susan Kapuscinski (www.makinkbooks.com) notes that, for kids, “Telling their stories and expressing their feelings makes them writers which in turn gives them a new appreciation as readers.”  Visit www.makingbooks.com for information and tutorials.
9. Use technology.
Karen Robertson, author of the ‘Treasure Kai’ Series (www.treasurekai.com) touts the success of using book apps for iPhones, iPads, etc… with her sons.  “…the really good ones engage kids on many levels that regular books can’t like; tactile (touching things in the book to make things happen), auditory (with narration, sound effects and music), visually (with illustrations and animation).”   Use websites like www.abcmouse.com and www.starfall.com when your child is learning computer skills.  Set them up with an e-mail address and give their spelling words to grandparents so they can drop a few in a message to their grandchild!
10. Use books to research their questions.
Children have virtually everything still to learn about their world and their capacity for understanding expands exponentially from year to year.  Resist the urge to Google everything and instead agree to “look it up,” in the old sense of the phrase, and follow through!  Go to an atlas, a globe, the non-fiction section of your favorite bookstore or local library and teach them the art of finding just what they’re looking for.  They’ll need that skill someday and in the physical process of finding their own answers, they’ll realize that reading opens up the world to them.  If they can read well, they can teach themselves anything.

How do you engage your children to read?  What works at your home?
Sources:
Fliess, Sue. Home – Sue Fliess. Web. 23 Feb. 2011. .
Schimmel, Nancy. Nancy Schimmel’s Children’s Music, Animal Songs & Science Songs. Web. 23 Feb. 2011. .
Lawrence-Weiss, Shara. Personal Child Stories. 23 Feb. 2011 http://personalchildstories.com/.
Kapuscinski Gaylord, Susan. Making Books with Children. Web. 23 Feb. 2011. .
Robertson, Karen. Treasure Kai. Web. 23 Feb. 2011. .
Hill, Lisa. School Tech Talk. 23 Feb. 2011 .
Bariese, Christina.  Kids and Reading. 23 Feb. 2011. Personal communication.

Category: Activities, BooksTags: National Read Across America Day, Ten Tips for Raising Readers |"

Happy Tell a Fairytale Day!

   February 26th is Tell A Fairytale Day!  I never realized that there was an actual celebration of telling fairy tales but why not?  Sound likes a wonderful reason to celebrate.  This got me thinking about fairy tales I liked and still like.  At the top of the list are the old Baga Yaga stories that were published in the children's magazine, Jack and Jill.  I wished I still had my Jack and Jill collection.  Every month I remembered waiting for my magazine to arrive.  My love of this magazine was mainly due to the continuing story of the Russian fairy tale character known as Baga Yaga.  Baga Yaga was a witch, who lived deep in the forest in a hut, which could walk around on large chicken legs.  This image has still stayed with me today.  While I don't remember the specific stories about Baga Yaga  I  love saying her name!  Baga Yaga lacked a broomstick, instead she moved around in a large mortar which she steered with a pestle.  I believe she also had a very put upon black cat.  I remember being enthralled and also a little scared by these stories.   But I couldn't wait to get the next edition because each Baga Yaga story would leave you with a cliffhanger every month.  You wouldn't know what happened until your next issue of Jack and Jill arrived.  Really a marketing genius!  Tomorrow, let's honor the power of a well written fairy tale with the good always winning out over the evil.  A  well written story and amazing art work are the bases of every Barefoot Book.  Barefoot may not have any Baga Yaga stories, but maybe they will in the future since many of their books are anthologies of folktales from different countries.  Take a look at The Fabrics of Fairytales, or The Barefoot Book of Fairy Tales, or Storytime, or The Barefoot Books of Princesses and you will find yourself eagerly waiting for the next Barefoot story or book.  What is your favorite fairy tale?

(click on pictures of books below for more information)

                                                                    

Barefoot Books and Home Depot?????

 You may be wondering what Barefoot Books has to do with Home Depot.  No, Barefoot is not starting to partner with Home Depot. The connection is about saving money.  I love playing around with the double meaning of words.  (as you can see with the name of my blog!)  About a month ago, Home Depot was running TV ads announcing they "were lowering the cost of going Barefoot!"  They were actually referring to their carpet sale.  Barefoot Books is not selling carpeting but we also are lowering the cost of going Barefoot with our current
free shipping on online orders of $60.00 and over.  I can't  help you  get your carpet cheaper but I certainly can help you save money on Barefoot Books.  Go to http://marshamiles.barefootbooks.com and you, too, can lower the cost of  "Going Barefoot!"