This blog is coming to you from the American Libraries Association National Convention in Anaheim,CA. This convention is like a Disney Land for librarians. It starts as the barren landscape of a convention hall and in one day's time, magically a city of books is created. Well, maybe not magically - it took my mentor from the Barefoot home office and me a lot of time and sweat to create a Barefoot Books oasis out of 3 tables and a curtained backdrop! I will be writing more about the ALA convention as time and my energy allow.

Barefoot Books is taking a big leap into the chapter book world with a beautiful and timely title called Little Leap Forward: A Boy in Beijing, due out in July. With the summer Olympics just weeks away, Beijing will be seen on television screens around the world. Get a glimpse into the communist world of this city, as musician and now author Guo Yue, tells the story of an eight year old boy, much like himself, who lived in bustling Beijing during tumultous 1960's.




If you are a librarian or educator attending the ALA come by Barefoot Book's booth 1012. You will get a copy of Little Leap Forward if you agree to give Barefoot feedback on the book. In the weeks to come I will be posting about the many educational levels in this book and ways to utilize it in your curriculum for science, music, art, history and more.




Also, come by our booth to get a free signed copy of the Barefoot Book of Knights and get your name entered into a drawing for a free copy of the new King Arthur coming out in the Fall.

Summer heat lends itself to a slower pace and gives us time to unwind from the hectic pace of the school year. Yoga is a great way to de-stress, not just for adults but for children. Barefoot Books has just what you need to get your family yoga time started: the book My Daddy Is a Pretzel and Yoga Pretzels yoga deck (50 Fun Yoga Activities for Kids & Grownups) both on SALE until July 15th, 2008! To order these and other great Barefoot Books products go to my website www.barefootlibrarian.com

http://www.barefoot-books.com/us/site/pages/productone.php?pid=1729



http://www.barefoot-books.com/us/site/pages/productone.php?pid=1435



http://www.barefoot-books.com/us/site/pages/productone.php?pid=1730





Create a yoga center, a place where your child, student or you can cool down and relax. All you need is a space, a mat, Yoga Pretzels yoga deck (50 Fun Yoga Activities for Kids & Grownups) and a music source with headphones (optional). Choose any card, try out the position and relax!
(Thank you Belinda for sharing this great idea created by one of your educator clients!)


Parents & Educators check out these sites for more info about children & yoga:
http://www.yogaed.org/ and http://www.storytimeyoga.com/blog/

The Barefoot Librarian’s Blogging Journey Begins

One year ago, I decided to turn in my school library card and go beyond the stacks of the school library. I was about to become an empty nester, having raised two avid bookworms. I was searching for something to fill that void and began surfing the net to find my answer. After hours of clicking on hundreds of links, I found my children’s book dreams come true in the enchanted world of Barefoot Books. I immediately fell under the magical spell of Barefoot Books and became a stallholder (seller) of Barefoot children’s books.

I soon found out that being a Barefoot stallholder is much more than just selling inspiring children’s books. It is a way of life we at Barefoot call Living Barefoot. It is all about living your life in a way that embraces family values, moral ethics, diversity, and global community and responsibility. These are the core values Nancy Traversy, CEO of Barefoot Books, incorporates into both her personal and business life.

To make Barefoot books better known, more accessible and more usable, this blog was born. As I continue to live Barefoot, I will share my personal Barefoot journey with librarians, educators and parents. I will help educators utilize Barefoot books to enrich their curriculum. I will suggest how Barefoot books can be used to creatively teach units and themes for preschool, elementary and middle school classes. I will include educational activities and guides that can be used with Barefoot Books titles. I will give you read-aloud tips. I will show you how to make the most of the educational values of Barefoot books. I will point out how sharing Barefoot books will act as natural spring boards to important discussions with the children in your lives. To enrich your Barefoot Books experience, I will give you ideas for projects and activities to go along with our books.

As a librarian I believe the key to every child’s success are books. And Barefoot books combine inspiring art and rich language to tell stories that introduce children to many cultures, create a sense of global community and convey universal messages. These books stimulate creativity, engage the imagination and encourage the curiosity of children. It is my mission to get as many Barefoot books into the hands of as many children as I possible can, one book at a time. I truly believe the world would be a better place if every child could grow up Barefoot.

So join me here as embark upon my Barefoot quest get the word out about Barefoot Books!