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"Barefoot Books was founded in 1992 by two young moms working from home with the dream of creating beautiful books that celebrate diversity, spark curiosity and capture children’s imaginations."
There's been an ongoing conversation about diversity in children's literature. What are your thoughts on the subject?
Children's publishers, and the media industry as a whole, have a huge responsibility to create diverse, inclusive content for kids. Barefoot Books has always been committed to celebrating diversity and inclusion; but our mission, and the task of nurturing empathy in our children, has never felt more urgent than it does today.
As our culture faces what President Obama has called an "empathy deficit," it's important for us to work hard to do better by our children. All children deserve to see themselves, their families and their experiences represented in the books they read. They also need to see and understand others, in order to develop empathy, and grow into compassionate, responsible global citizens, prepared to thrive and contribute in their communities and in professional and academic spheres in the 21st century.
Our children look up to us; they're listening to our conversations, soaking in and internalizing our attitudes and beliefs about ourselves and others. It is now more important than ever for parents, educators and caregivers to share diverse and inclusive books with the children in their lives and to start conversations about empathy and compassion.
How is Barefoot Books responding in terms of diverse representation on your list?
This month, we are particularly excited to be introducing what is perhaps our most meaningful, and certainly most timely, publication to date, The Barefoot Book of Children, which empowers caregivers and educators to start important conversations with children about diversity, inclusivity and acceptance.
We worked with a team of both U.K.- and U.S.-based diversity and inclusion experts to represent a wide range of children as accurately as possible; and the result, with meticulously researched hand-painted art by award-winning illustrator David Dean, is a playful, powerful and thought-provoking celebration of both the big ideas and everyday moments that reveal our common humanity and tie us all together.
At Barefoot, we've always been passionate about celebrating diversity of all kinds in our books: it's one of our core values and central to our mission as a company.
We began nearly 25 years ago by publishing myths, legends, folk and fairy tales from all over the world.
We started to introduce children to other cultures more overtly with our "Travel the World" series by author Laurie Krebs, which includes titles like We All Went on Safari, We're Sailing to Galapagos and Up and Down the Andes, all with fascinating additional information about people, cultures, history and more.
However, we aim to celebrate more than just cultural diversity. Many of our picture books - such as Mama Panya's Pancakes and The Girl with a Brave Heart - immerse readers in the experiences of children from around the world and also foster compassion for others.
From The Animal Boogie, which has sold well over two million copies, and our other other best-selling singalongs, to The Boy Who Grew Flowers, which was written by the author for her brother who has autism, our books strive to offer positive, strong, relatable characters to children who may feel different from others.
We also strive to introduce children to other faiths and religions with books like The Wise Fool, a light-hearted introduction to Islamic culture; and The Mountains of Tibet, a gentle story from the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.
A couple of years' ago, we published My Big Barefoot Book of Wonderful Words, which depicts a multi-racial family in a contemporary urban setting - "Richard Scarry for the 21st century". We worked with Beth Cox, founder of Inclusive Minds, to ensure that we accurately represented people of all races, cultures, abilities and lifestyles.
This book is now available in bilingual Spanish/English and French/English versions.
How about diverse voices (AKA authors) and visions (illustrators)? Do you have a message for those children's book creators?
Being inclusive means relating to each other in ways that give a voice to everyone - and that means publishing books not only for all children, but by a wide range of creators!
When introducing children to cultures from around the globe, it's vitally important to ensure that they're getting an accurate perspective from the authentic voice of a local creator.
From the very beginning, we've commissioned authors and illustrators from all over the world, including Tehran-born Israeli pop star Rita Jahanforuz, author of The Girl with a Brave Heart; Lebanon-born Wafa' Tarnowska, author of The Arabian Nights; and Mexico-born Caldecott Honor-winner Yuyi Morales, illustrator of Sand Sister.
We continually strive to find contributors who can provide that authentic voice and vision; it's a core part of our editorial conversation.
How are you doing outreach to Native children and children of color?
Barefoot is unique in the publishing industry because of our emphasis, not only on creating beautiful books, but also on growing a vibrant community of people who share our core values. We sell our books to schools, libraries and independent retailers as well as through our passionate network of home-based sellers called "Ambassadors" who are united by our mission to share diverse, inclusive and inspiring books.
Many of our Ambassadors use their businesses to give back and raise funds to promote causes that are important to them. Some are involved in promoting literacy in various underserved communities whose children have historically been underrepresented in children's books, including children of color. We are so proud of the incredible work our Ambassadors are doing to advance our mission to share stories, connect families and inspire children.
Is there anything you'd like to add?
For nearly a quarter of a century, Barefoot has been creating beautiful books for children that nurture creativity and compassion, and that celebrate diversity in all its forms. Discussions about race, diversity and inclusion are happening everywhere - in homes, in our children's schools, even in their playgrounds.
Books offer an essential and accessible resource for parents and educators to kickstart crucial conversations about these important topics with our children.
Since our founding in 1992, Barefoot has put nearly 20 million books into the hands of children and we would love to make that 100 million!
We believe the time is ripe to build some real momentum and create a movement of people who want to change the conversation and start to create a more accepting, inclusive world for our children.
We recently picked up a wonderful book from the Blount County library, this wonderful Kenyan Tale called, Mama Panya’s Pancakes: A Village Tale from Kenya by Mary and Rich Chamberlin, Illustrated by Julia Cairns.
This beautiful heart warming story shares the great message of “give and you shall receive.“ As Mama Panya and her young son Adika walk to the market, Adika invites every friend he meets to come and eat pancakes with him and his mother.
Having barely enough money to feed herself and her son, how will Mama Panya ever cook enough pancakes for everyone? Luckily, all the guests arrive with food gifts to further extend the feast.
The illustrations captivated my children with their bold colors, vivid patterns, and lush Kenyan scenery. It’s as if we were walking along with Mama Panya and Adika to market.
We thoroughly enjoyed this book and read it several times. We also enjoyed the recipe for Mama Panya’s pancakes. In the back of the book there is a map of Kenya, details of daily life, and facts about the Kenyan language called Kiswahili and general facts about Kenya.
Mama Panya’s Pancakes makes for a fantastic read aloud. The text is written in little boxes making it easy for young readers to follow along or take a turn reading out loud themselves.
Somethings To Do
Make a batch of Mama Panya’s Pancakes
Ingredients
1 1/4 cups flour
2 cups of cold water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp crushed red chili pepper flakes
Instructions
In a bowl, mix all the ingredients with a fork.
Preheat a nonstick pan at a medium to low setting.
Ladle 1/4 cup of batter into the center of the pan. Tilt the pan to spread the batter to about the size of a grapefruit.
Cook until you see tiny bubbles in the pancake, then gently flip it over.
When the second side begins to pop up from the heat, the pancake is ready.
Serving Suggestions
You can fill your pancake with jam, tuna or chicken salad, seasoned hamburger or roasted nuts. Anything at all will do. Place your filling on one half and then roll it up and eat it.
Kenyan Animal and Tree Guessing Game
In the back of the book there is a section called Walking to Market. We photocopied both pages from the book, cut out the animal or tree, glued it to an index card. On the other side of the index card we wrote the African name. Turn the cards with the African name facing you and try and guess what it means.
Learn Kiswahili Greetings
Excerpt from Mama Panya’s Pancakes: “Kenyans speak many languages, but the main ones are Kiswahili and English………Kiswahili means “speaking the language of the coast people.” Kiswahili is a mixture of Bantu, a native African language, and Arabic, a Middle Eastern language.”
It isn’t uncommon for people like Adika and the people living in his village to speak three languages. Greetings are expected when you meet someone. Otherwise you will be considered rude. A simple hello is said like this in Kiswahili, “Jambo”. There are many more greetings at the back of the book. Take some time to enjoy saying them. The pronunciations are all there to make things easy for you.
This simple and engaging story leads to many days of fun activities as we explore Kenya.
Looking for better guide for successful homeschooling? The Waldorf Homeschool Handbook is a simple step-by-step guide to creating and understanding a Waldorf inspired homeschool plan. Within the pages of this comprehensive homeschooling guide, parents will find information, lesson plans, curriculum, helpful hints, behind the scenes reasons why, rhythm, rituals, helping you fit homeschooling into your life. Discover how to educate your children in a nurturing and creative environment.
Grab your copy HERE: The Waldorf Homeschool Handbook: The Simple Step-by-Step guide to creating a Waldorf-inspired homeschool. http://amzn.to/1OhTfoT
To give the Chinese proverb in its entirety, ‘Keep a green tree in your heart and perhaps a singing bird will come’ – and to extend the metaphor (or revert it … Continue reading ... →
The Adventures pf Achilles is another wonderful book from the Barefoot Books line-up. The Adventures of Achilles tells the mythical story behind this amazing warrior’s history and of the fall of the great walled city of Troy. The story is told beautifully, but I do not recommend this for young children. Some battle parts might be a little hard to read for children under the age of ten. However, this is a great book—your child will be extremely prepared for high school English. Carole Henaff’s illustrations are beautiful and truly represent the Greek culture.
Long long ago lived the immortal, all-powerful Greek gods and goddesses.
One day, the king of all the Gods, Zeus, fell in love with a water nymph named Thetis. However, he heard a prophecy that her son would one day become greater than his father. Of course, that would never do for the King of the skies. So he decided to find a mortal husband for her—Peleus, the great warrior king. Peleus instantly fell in love with her beauty, and Zeus led him to her beach. When she arrived, riding a dolphin like a horse, he proposed, but she only consented to marriage if he could catch her. After many days of trying, he succeeded and, they were married immediately.
Thetis soon bore a son destined for greatness, but also destined for a short life. She took Achilles as a boy and dipped his body in the river Styx so that he would be immortal—all except for his heel, where she held him. Achilles grew into a powerful, feared warrior who commanded greatness and would one day be needed for a great war.
Years later, Paris, a prince of Troy with a face like a god, was walking when Zeus saw him. Many years ago, the goddess Eris had thrown an apple of discord to choose who—Hera, Athena, or Aphrodite—was the most beautiful goddess. They were still arguing about it. Hermes brought the apple to Paris and gave him his mission. Only after much consideration and after the goddess of love offered him the most beautiful woman in the world, did he choose Aphrodite. Soon after Paris was sent to the Greek palace of Menelaus, where in the night, he and Helen, Menelaus’s wife, snuck away. Infuriated by this betrayal, Agamemnon went to his brother, Agamemnon—high king of the Greeks—and convinced him to rally an army against the Trojans. The young king Odysseus was sent to find Achilles since Agamemnon was told that he would not win the war without him.
For years the Greeks and Trojans fought, and whenever they saw Achilles fought, Trojans were struck with fear. But the Trojans still had Prince Hector, their equivalent to Achilles. Soon both sides grew weary of the war, and the Trojans formulated the plan to stay inside their fortified, strong city walls and just wait until the Greeks gave up. This went on for many years, and Achilles was sent away to destroy allies of Troy. When he returned, he offered Agamemnon spoils, including a daughter of a priest from the temple of Apollo. Achilles kept a slave girl for himself. However, Apollo was not happy with this, so he sent a colony of infested rats into the Greek camp, which infected dogs, horses, and then men. To get rid of the plague, Agamemnon was forced to release the priestess, and in exchange, he took Achilles’ slave girl. This infuriated the warrior, and from that moment on, he vowed not to fight in the war.
Inspired by Zeus months later, Hector lept from bed and led his army against the Greeks, and at this time, they gained a victory. However, Patroclus, Achilles’ closest friend, took Achilles’ armor to strike fear in Trojan hearts, but he was doomed to die. When he went up against Hector, he was dead in a matter of minutes. Achilles’ swore to avenge Patroclus’s death by killing Hector. He leapt onto his chariot, chased Hector to the walls of Troy, and killed him, with the help of Athena.
After Patroclus’s body was burned on a funeral pyre, late that night, King Prium of Troy and his youngest daughter drove through the Greek camp to retrieve his son’s body. Achilles’ took pity on the old king, who reminded him of his own father who he would never see again. He allowed them to take Hector’s body and promised that he would hold off the Greek army while they grieved. While this was taking place, Achilles was falling in love with Prium’s daughter.
Once Hector’s funeral was over, the fighting resumed. During the day Achilles would fight. At night, he would meet Prium’s daughter. One night, Apollo whispered in Paris’s ear about his sister’s relationship and to follow her with a bow and arrow. When Paris followed them, Achilles revealed that his only vulnerable spot is his heel. At that moment, Paris loosed his arrow and Apollo stabbed it into Achilles heel. He died immediately.
With their best warrior dead, Odysseus decided to build a great wooden horse where Greeks hid and burned the Greek camp. The trojans brought the horse into their city, and after they had all gone to bed, the Greek soldiers climbed out of the camp and burned the city of Troy to the ground.
Another Barefoot Books beautiful stories! The Adventures of Achilles tells the mythical story behind this amazing warrior’s history and of the fall of the great walled city of Troy. The story is told beautifully, but I do not recommend this for young children. Some battle parts might be a little hard to read for children under the age of ten. However, this is a great book—your child will be extremely prepared for high school English. Carole Henaff’s illustrations are beautiful and truly represent the Greek culture.
1. Acquire a plain white ceramic mug from dollar tree or another dollar store.
2. Collect colorful sharpies, or you may just want to use black.
3. According to how you imagine The Three Fates, draw them with the sharpies onto your mug.
“The first, who spins out the thread of a life.
The second, who measures out its length.
And the third, who cuts the thread and ends the life.”
4. Preheat your oven to 350 and let the mugs bake for 20 minutes—this helps the ink to set. Let cool completely.
*These are not dishwasher safe.
Born in the hills of Louisiana and raised in the mountains of Tennessee, Hannah Rials is a eighteen year-old aspiring author and editor. She’s been writing short stories since she was a little girl, but for the past several years, she has been writing, editing, and reediting a novel of her own that she hopes to publish in the near future. Hannah has always loved reading and the world of books. With a librarian grandmother who can tell the most magical stories, how could she not fall in love with the written word. Her library collection and love for books grows every day.
Lin Yi’s Lantern: A Moon Festival Tale from Barefoot Books is a heartwarming story shows the rewards of putting others first, and includes educational notes at the end about the Chinese moon festival, life in rural China, and the legend of the moon fairy.
Lin Yi has a list of groceries that he absolutely must buy in the market for the Moon Festival tonight. He can repeats his list over and over again on his fingers, just so he won’t forget. More than anything, Lin Yi wants to buy a Red Rabbit Lantern to light at the festival. He is a good haggler and knows that he will have to get good deals on the rest of his grocery list in order purchase a lantern.
Upon arriving at the market, Lin Yi is tempted with all the other treats that he could spend his mother’s money on, but he is strong and only buys what is on his list. Then he spots the lantern booth. He still has two more items on his list, but he is terribly afraid that when he returns for his lantern, they will all be gone. But that’s not his real problem. Even though he haggled very well and received great deals, he still did not have enough money for a lantern, all thanks to Uncle Hui’s peanuts. So Lin Yi biked home empty handed and very disappointed. However, the magic of the Moon Festival was working in Lin Yi’s favor. When he returned home, handing Uncle Hui his peanuts, Uncle Hui surprised him with his very own, beautiful, red rabbit lantern. Together, boy and aging man, the two walked up the mountain with the festival, peanuts crunching and the lantern glowing brightly in the dark sky.
Barefoot Books has done it again! Brenda Williams and Benjamin Lacombe have created a beautiful story about sacrifice and reward. They educate on the magic of the Chinese culture and society. Lin Yi’s sacrifice does not go unnoticed by the Moon Fairy, and he is rewarded. The illustrations are beautiful and captivating! And be sure to check out the back of the book, where step-by-step instructions are given on how to make a Chinese lantern, Uncle Hui’s version of the Moon Fairy myth, and a description of the Chinese market! Order your copy of Lin Yi’s Lantern and view other Barefoot Books HERE.
Something To Do:
I followed the instructions in the back of the book and made my own paper lantern. Typically, butterflies, rabbits, and lobsters are drawn, but there is nothing wrong with making your lantern your own!
Today we’re honored once again to have Hannah Rials guest blog posting for us.
As a family we love the Greek myths but we especially love this edition of Odysseus. The story is written in a way that my family of varying ages can grasp it and the illustrations are simply stunning and brilliantly colorful.
Here’s a look at Hannah’s journey into “The Odyssey” :
This is the tale of the wise, brave Odysseus, king of Ithaca, who nineteen long years ago went to fight in the Trojan War for ten years. These past nine years have been his attempt to return to his home, his wife, Penelope, and his son, Telemachus, who was just a baby when he left.
He washes up on the shore of King Alcinous. His daughter, Princess Nausicaa finds Odysseus and brings him back to her father. From here he tells the court of his difficult journey from Troy. He blinded the enormous cyclops Polyphemus, son of Poseidon, angering the God of the seas. He then lands on the island of circe, where all of his men are turned into pigs, showing their true nature, but thanks to Hermes, Odysseus is immune to her power. After staying on her island for a year, Circe sends the men off with plentiful provisions and a plan for Odysseus to travel into the Underworld to visit the blind poet Tiresias. Here, he learns what he must do to earn Poseidon’s forgiveness. He must listen to the sirens’ song as his men row the boat past them.
Next they come to Scylla’s domain, and Odysseus and his men watch helplessly as six men are devoured to save the rest of the crew. They are left to mourn their fellow crewman shipwrecked on Hyperion’s island, home to his sacred animals. The number one rule: do not touch the animals. What do his men do? Roast two animals. So their fates are cursed. They sail off into Chrybdis, and everyone except Odysseus dies. He washes up on the shore of the nymph Calypso, who holds him hostage on her island for seven years.
Eventually at the bidding of Athena, Calypso allows him to build a raft, but Poseidon’s waves destroy his raft and this is when he ends up on Alcinous’s island. The king then provides Odysseus with new clothes, treasure and a ship to see him home. When he gets to his home in Ithaca, the goddess Athena appears to him and turns him into an old beggar man, because a happy welcome does not await him. Suitors have ravaged his home for these long years in hopes that Penelope will pick them as a new home. Telemachus has been gone searching for news of his father, and he arrives just as Odysseus does. They are both told to go to the herdsman Eumaeus, where they are reunited at last.
After they arrive back at their home, Penelope has been discovered unweaving the shawl that she is making for Odysseus’s father, so now she must pick a husband. She decides that the man that can string Odysseus’s bow and shoot it through twelve axes will be her new husband. They all try and they all fail, until Odysseus, still disguised as the beggar, succeeds, and he and Telemachus kill all the greedy suitors. After a test that only Odysseus would know the answer to, Penelope welcomes him with open arms and his family is reunited once more.
I loved this retelling of this classic tale. It is much easier to comprehend than the high school’s copy! The illustrations are beautiful and really remind me of Greek art! Including two complete discs, this is a must read for the family. I can picture reading this in sections, that way the next night, you will have to recap everything you read the night before until you know the entire story by heart!
Grab your copy of The Adventures of Odysseus and other amazing Barefoot Book titles HERE.
Something To Do:
How funny is this!? Cyclops Polyphemus TP Roll Craft from DLTK Kids:
Born in the hills of Louisiana and raised in the mountains of Tennessee, Hannah Rials is a seventeen year old aspiring author and editor. She’s been writing short stories since she was a little girl, but for the past several years, she has been writing, editing, and reediting a novel of her own that she hopes to publish in the near future. Hannah will be attending college in the fall 2014 as an English major with the hopes of becoming an editor, but for now, she is enjoying her time at Jump Into a Book as a columnist and intern!
Tenzin’s Deer by Barbara Soros has been laying on my “to read pile” for quite awhile now. What a gem of a little book this is.
“A story about the power of compassion,
the guidance of dreams, the gift of healing and the
ability to love deeply and to let go. “
Tenzin, a young, loving boy who cares for all of earth’s creatures, one day finds a wounded Musk Deer with an arrow in its side. With his compassionate heart, he cannot simply leave this innocent deer to die, but he does not know how to help her.
The deer, who he soon names Jamba, speaks to him saying that the answer will come to him in a dream. And so all the answers he needs to heal Jamba completely come to him in a dream. He heals her everyday during the Tibetan people’s prayer time, praying too for his new friend. As Jamba grows stronger, she and Tenzin form a bond and become the best of friends.
They are seen everywhere together, until one night in a dream, Jamba tells Tenzin that it is time for her to go back to the wild. This breaks Tenzin’s heart, the thought of losing his best friend. But he knows she is right. The next day, Tenzin releases Jamba to her natural environment to be free like she was meant to be. But they never forgot each other, and Jamba still visits Tenzin in his dreams, praying, “May no harm come to you. May you be at peace. And may your eyes be deep like the sea, your heart be solid like a mountain and your mind be free like the sky.”
This endearing story like prayer in motion. From the beautiful illustrations to the very well written words, Tenzin’s Deer takes us on a journey of compassion, loving kindness, and healing. The stunning illustrations were done by Danuta Mayer who herself is a great animal lover and has shown much compassion by having an animal refuge in her home. Her illustrations to this book have a level of storytelling which grabs the heart. We just stared at every little detail in her paintings. Each time we find something new that we hadn’t seen before.
As with all Barefoot Books, the tale of Tenzin’s Deer is absolutely beautiful with an educational undertone. Tenzin’s compassion displays an excellent example for children, and his selflessness teaches a wonderful lesson. But this story also teaches us about the beautiful Tibetan culture, everything from its meaningful prayers to its healing ways. Paired with beautiful, boldly colored illustrations, Tenzin’s Deer is a story to share with everyone.
Because of their scent glands that give many of our colognes and perfumes their musky smell, Musk Deer are poached and becoming close to being endangered. How can you help? Well, we can’t exactly go over to Asia and stop the poaching ourselves, now can we? So here is the alternative…stop buying musky perfumes. Tell mom or dad that they are hurting innocent, wild animals. This is an easy way to help these animals from your own home! Learn more HERE.
Magical creatures of the Himalaya’s coloring pages and story:
I just lost myself on Britta Teckentrup’s portfolio. Entirely charmed and swept away by every single piece. She’s new to me, and I’m happy to have flailed around in her brain for a bit. And it looks like I have a lot to catch up on!
I have an unusual affinity or board books. Proof: here and here and here. And that’s just a select smattering! But everything that is perfect about a picture book is even more so in a board book.
Smushier, sweeter, chewier.
And these are especially delicious.Fast and Slowshows those opposites side by side. Directly in contrast, varying by speed. The comparison is limited to that spread only, which is a detail that I love. One of the later spreads shows a train and a bus, which of course is double decker and European and fancy. But isn’t a bus faster than even that motorbike up above? Sure, but one spread isn’t competing with others. Little brains noodling that out? Smart.
And speaking of the motorbike page – total favorite. That scarf!The colors are saturated and leap into your eyes.
The type! It’s that perfect teacher-handwritten-style.
But it’s the texture that I love the most. Clean shapes, easy lines, and the slightest bit of grit. Smooth, flat color might have been an easy choice to match those shapes and lines. But in a book about contrast, splashing in some texture is smart.
And it looks awesome.Big and Small’s pairs are tightly knitted. Inside a giant apple is an itty-bitty seed. On top of a vast mountain are individual snowflakes. Those connections are beautiful, and the cat-lion standoff might be my very favorite spread.A perfect addition to your baby-shower rotation, your art class, your tiny one’s library, or just the ever-growing stack surrounding you.
Forget all blog-related "schedules". I will post what I want when I want. This week's KBWT is KBWThursday. (I was off doing something else on Tuesday.)
Barefoot Books has been one of my favorite publishers since they arrived on the scene. Their folklore anthologies are attractive and fun to read. Barefoot Books is committed to providing colorful books that provide children with access to diverse cultures and activities.
Visit their Kids page to download craft activities, watch videos and listen to stories.
0 Comments on Barefoot Books as of 5/23/2013 10:09:00 AM
Robin Hood has, for years now, been the bane of my existence. And yes, I’m well aware that this statement makes me sound like nothing so much as the Sheriff of Nottingham. That doesn’t make it any less true. There I’d be, sitting merrily at my reference desk in the children’s room of the library when someone, adult or child, would wander up and ask “Where’s your Robin Hood?”. Then I’d be stuck. Stuck explaining that unless you wanted some long extended version by Howard Pyle you were pretty much up a tree. Robin Hood related picture books, easy readers, or early chapter books are, were, and evermore shall be in short supply. Into this gaping lack comes one of the finest editions ever to grace a library’s shelves. With slam bang writing, all the Robin Hood related hits (The Friar! Maid Marian! Little John!) are included and I think it safe to say that any library or literary collection worth its salt would be well advised to grab this ultimate Robin Hood tome forthwith if not sooner. At long last we’ve a RH we can all enjoy.
You say you think you know the story of Robin Hood? Sure you may have some vague particulars in mind, but sit ye back and hear the tale of a man who fought the odds. Targeted by the Sheriff of Nottingham’s corrupt foresters, the bloke known as Robin Hood quickly became an outlaw, living in the woods, recruiting like-minded fellows to be part of his band. Chapter by chapter we learn of his adventures with Little John, Friar Tuck, Alan-a-Dale, and even Maid Marian. Tales like “Robin and the Widow” and “The Golden Arrow” lead to a climax with the King’s men. Robin and friends escape but “Robin’s Last Battle” shows how the hero of the woodland met his final end. Backmatter includes a note on research and a complete Bibliography with many useful websites.
As I mentioned earlier, for all his cultural cache why is the man in green as elusive in children’s literature as, say, King Arthur (a different rant for a different day)? The trick may lie in the source material. Which is to say, there isn’t any. When parents would ask me for “the original Robin Hood” book for their kids, I am without resources. The closest thing I can come up with would be an edition illustrated by N.C. Wyeth. Part of the problem lies in the story itself. To make an ultimate Robin Hood book you’d have to do a crazy amount of research into old sources. That’s where Calcutt really shines. Explaining that the first Robin Hood ballads weren’t even collected until the 19th century, Calcutt explains in the Research and Bibliography section of the book that his stories come from an amalgamation of several sources. Combining them expertly alongside ballads translated into modern English the final product feels like a Robin Hood designed to please purists and those of us raised on Hollywood’s vision of the man alike.
That’s the upside. There is a downside to faithful renditions, though. After all, it’s not as if the original stories were written or told with young readers in mind. As such there are some distinctly amoral moments here and there in old Robin Hood’s wanderings. The book itself begins with a story called “Robin Hood Becomes an Outlaw” where Robin’s surefire shooting skills systematically pick off and kill a whole slew of men from a tree. Similarly later in the book we learn that the Merry Men are in trouble with the law because they found some dozing members of the king’s guard and kinda sorta slaughtered them in their sleep to get their clothes. There’s something oddly refreshing about a story for kids that isn’t sanitized within an inch of its life, but readers would be well-advised to know beforehand that there’s a fair share of corpses strewn about the pages before you get to the end. I had the distinct impression as I read this book that Calcutt was doing his darndest to play it both ways too. For example, a storyline where Robin and his men decide to rob an abbot on some pretty shaky grounds is quickly justified by going into the abbot’s head and showing that he’s a greedy guts who has it coming. Parents may raise an eyebrow on some of the morality here but kids won’t notice a thing.
Granted the book is not a picture book, so itty bitties trying to get their Robin Hood fixes may be out of luck. On the other hand, it’s not as if this edition lacks for illustrations. Artist Grahame Baker-Smith’s style incorporates a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Says the book, “The artwork was painted in acrylic, painted in watercolor, and drawn in pen and ink, then combined, blended and composed in Photoshop.”. The end result is a book with art on almost every page. It’s full and lush and green with the occasional double page spread for a big scene, like the fight between Robin and Little John. There is a mild CGI flavor to the proceedings but it doesn’t overwhelm the senses.
If it’s any additional incentive, it can’t hurt matters any that the World Wide Robin Hood Society placed their own seal of approval on this book saying, “A twenty-first-century classic where author and artist have woven their individual magic to breathe new life into the popular story of the world’s most famous outlaw.” Interestingly, though the king is mentioned in the book we never hear his name. So while this is undoubtedly the most complete Robin Hood you’ll encounter, there will still be the occasional naysayer. Fortunately for all of us they’ll be few and far between. Calcutt and Baker-Smith have met a need and a gap in library collections nation, nay, worldwide. A lovely object, a rip-roaring adventure tale, and fun to its core. A necessary purchase.
On shelves October 1st.
Source: Advanced readers galley sent from publisher for review.
Barefoot Books celebrate the publication of TV presenter Nick Crane’s new children’s Atlas with an online competition to win an iPad2 and an afternoon of events at the Barefoot Studio in Oxford on Saturday 12 November 2011.
TV presenter and Earth enthusiast Nick Crane will take families on a mind-expanding journey around the globe in this presentation to mark the publication of his Barefoot Book World Atlas for children, beautifully illustrated by artist David Dean.
Nick will tell stories of his own journeys around the world, talk about how he fell in love with cartography as a child, exploring the Norfolk countryside armed with a bicycle and a map, and look at some of the challenges which face us all in creating a sustainable future.
Nick Crane comments: “To share the excitement, the wonder, the complexity of life on an orbiting planet, you need an atlas. This book opens the window on a great, big geographical adventure. It is an atlas for the next generation of discoverers.”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Nick Crane is a cartographer, explorer, writer and well-loved television presenter. As a child, Nick explored the Norfolk countryside armed with a bicycle and a map; ever since, he has been journeying the world. In 1992–3, he walked 10,000 kilometers across Europe, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Black Sea. Since 2004, he has written and presented four popular television series for BBC Two: Coast, Great British Journeys, Map Man and Town.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
David Dean is a full-time illustrator who travels the world from the comfort of his own studio. He paints in a room surrounded by books from many different cultures, which inspire his exotic and colourful work. In his spare time, David enjoys walking and taking photographs of the countryside near his house in Cheshire.
Event details for Saturday 12 November 2011
Art Fun: Atlas Antics, 1-2pm Ages 6-11 Free Creative kids can try their hands at different art forms from around the globe
Nick Crane presents the Barefoot Books World Atlas, 2.30 pm Free Nick will tell stories of his own journeys around the world, talk about how he fell in love with cartography as a child, exploring the Norfolk countryside armed with a bicycle and a map, and look at some of the challenges which face us all in creating a sustainable future.
The Atlas Discovery Workshop, 3.30-4.30 pm Ages 6+ Cost: £8 Children with a sense of curiosity learn how to magnetise needles and make their own compass, then set off with a Barefoot Books passport to visit the different cultures of the world
Yesterday marked the one-year anniversary of my blog, and I'm so happy to have made it to this important milestone. It's been difficult at times keeping up with the blog, but it looks like Picture Books & Pirouettes is here to stay!
To celebrate, I'm featuring a lovely picture book to be published by Barefoot Books in October 2011. It's called Lola's Fandango, written by Anna Witte and illustrated by Micha Archer. It has quite a celebratory cover, don't you think? Many thanks go out to Barefoot Books for sending me an advance review copy of the book.
Lola's Fandango is a story about a little girl named Lola who is jealous of her older sister Clementina--of how pretty her name is, how long and beautiful her hair is, how talented she is at painting. Feeling sad and alone, Lola seeks refuge in her parents' closet, where she finds a stack of old boxes.
Inside one of the boxes is a pair of black shoes with high heels and little red polka dots. Lola soon finds out from her father (Papi) that her mother (Mami) used to be a very good flamenco dancer. Papi shows Lola an old photograph of Mami wearing the shoes and wearing a special dress with ruffles and polka dots. He also promises to secretly teach Lola how to dance a traditional flamenco dance called the fandango.
First, Papi teaches Lola the rhythm of the dance. Then how to stomp her feet. And finally, how to move her arms and hands. Lola practices all year long, gaining confidence and developing the spirit and attitude needed to be a great fl
6 Comments on Celebration and Surprise in Lola's Fandango, last added: 8/9/2011
Another adorable read! Oh how you make me wish I had a young girl in my life to share these books (and a passion for dance) with. My boys just don't get it.
Awww. Maybe one day those boys of yours will have some little girls for you to share them with :) There are some "boy" dance books out there, though, so maybe I can find one to write about soon...
Oh wow, another beautiful review from you!! Such a pleasure to visit you for Book Talk Tuesday - I really love the way that you entice your readers into knowing more about the book. Nicely done. Thanks for sharing this one. I have a feeling I would love Lola. =)
Hi, Myra. That's so sweet of you. Thank you! I hope you'll stop by later in the month for a chance to win a copy of Lola. I'll probably run the giveaway for a few weeks :)
In my children’s room at the library the requests I receive at the reference desk from kids and their parents vary widely. On the subject of dance there’s a lot of variety. If kids want a picture book about dancing, they usually know what kind of dance they have in mind. Ballet. Tap. That sort of thing. However, since the rise of family friendly dance-related television shows like So You Think You Can Dance? kids are now discovering that there’s a whole world of dances out there that they might never have known about. It gives a gal hope, particularly when I get to see books like Lola’s Fandango. Here you have a great story with an abundance of Spanish words and great art that makes you sit up and take notice. If you’re looking for a book that’s a little bit different, this one’s got your number.
Things are rough for Lola. Her older sister Clementina has everything better. First, there’s her awesome name. Then there’s her ability to draw. On top of that is her great hair, her friends, her room, the list goes on and on. Lola would love to have at least one thing to make her special . . . and then she finds her mother’s flamenco shoes. Instantly Lola is intrigued. Her mother doesn’t dance anymore, of course, but her father used to and he’s willing to teach her. In secret then Lola learns to dance, and when her mother’s birthday arrives, Lola may have the perfect gift. But will she have the guts to perform in front of a crowd? The book comes with an audio CD of the text.
When you write a picture book it tends to be good to have more than one idea floating about your story. Which is to say, if you’re writing a tale like this one and you want to make it about a little girl who learns a new dance, I would highly recommend doing what author Anna Witte does here. Which is to say, add in the jealous younger sister element. Because Lola is envious of her older sister’s life and accomplishments (typical stuff like wanting to draw as well, have as nice a head of hair, have friends over, etc.) she has the impetus to want to distinguish herself in some way. If the book were merely a story about a girl who wants to learn to dance and chooses this kind, it wouldn’t really carry the same oomph, so to speak.
One element of the book that was interesting to me was Lola’s desire for a polka dot dress to dance in. It’s important to me that Lola accept that she will dance for her mother, stage fright fears or no and then receive the polka dot dress as a present. If the dress came too soon then the point of the book might be taken as “you can do anything your heart desires . . . as long as you sport the right clothes”. Some kids will take away that message anyway, but at least it can be easily corrected by simply pointing out to them that Lola agrees to dance before finding out that there’s a present in the offering.
I was rather taken with Witte’s writing in this book too. As a German raised in Spain who has lived in the States for at least eighteen years, she has a good ear for the picture book format. The book reads slightly longer than the younger fare out there. Think Patricia Polacco rather than
Established in 1992 by Nancy Traversy and Tessa Strickland, Barefoot Books is a children’s book publisher based in Bath, UK and Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. It publishes multicultural books that, in addition to providing high-quality content, pay great attention to art and design. One of the company’s core values is to use art and stories “to create deep and lasting connections—whether it’s a child and parent connecting over a book; a child connecting to the universal wisdom of other cultures; or a broad network of people connecting through shared values and the desire to help children become happy, engaged members of a global community.”
PT: How did Little Leap Forward: A Boy in Beijing come about as a project for Barefoot Books?
TS: This project came about in quite a circuitous way. First, I was contacted by Clare Farrow, who wanted to know if I was interested in having her retell any traditional Chinese tales. In the course of our conversation, I learnt that she and her husband, Guo Yue, had just completed a manuscript about his life, Music, Food and Love. It so happened that this telephone conversation came about just as I was starting to cast around for stories for older readers, and I was fascinated by what Clare told me about Yue’s childhood in Beijing. So, I asked to read a copy of the manuscript.
PT: When you acquired the manuscript, did you know from the get go that you would published it as an illustrated middle grade book, or was the decision regarding full plate illustrations made later in the process?
TS: When I read Music, Food and Love (Piatkus, 2006), I thought that the best way to tell Yue’s story to children would be to focus on the summer of 1966. The manuscript went through about four drafts and was a close collaboration between Yue and Clare, me, and an excellent editor, Anne Finnis. The decision to make full-plate illustrations was made once we had a manuscript that everyone was happy with.
PT: What can you tell us about the pairing of Guo Yue and Clare Farrow’s text with Helen Cann’s art?
TS: We have done a number of books with Helen Cann; I knew that she would be a delight to work with. Not only is she very talented, she is also extremely interested in developing her own style and in working
collaboratively. She had some very fruitful meetings and discussions with Clare and Yue, who were both extremely happy with her illustrations.
PT: How do you think the public’s attitude toward multicultural books for children has changed since Barefoot Books was founded, in 1992? Are there any major differences between the US and the UK markets in that regard?
TS: As Barefoot has always focused on multicultural books, it is hard to say with very m
0 Comments on Q&A with Barefoot Books, publisher of “Little Leap Forward: A Boy in Beijing” as of 3/3/2010 4:47:00 AM
Today I'm pleased to announce the winners of America's White Table by Margot Raven, illustrated by Mike Benny. I'm also pleased to announce another free book giveaway as well.
Our first winner is Marcia from North Carolina, who responded:
I'm so excited! I teach on a military base and many of my students' parents are deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. I see the strength and determination of these wonderful families on a daily basis. My students understand, first hand, the sacrifices that are being made to protect our country. I am sure they will enjoy this book and the tribute it pays to all of their families. Thanks so much!
Our second winner is Judi from Colorado, who writes:
I'm so happy to win the book. Thank you. I teach 8th graders, and we are currently doing a unit on the 1940's in my Language Arts class. I read aloud picture books at the start of class many times to provide background knowledge for the students. This book will create a lot of discussion about how families are affected by war, especially if a family member is in the armed services. Thank you again.
And our last lucky reader, Mary Ann from Iowa:
Last year during Catholic Schools Week, one of the themes for a day was Salute to our Nation. We had about 40 local veterans come in and have coffee and doughnuts after a school-wide assembly. The assembly was centered around the flag and how the flag should be honored. The kids learned flag etiquette and why we honor the flag and veterans. We sang patriotic songs and Taps was played and explained why it was played. After the refreshments the vets went into individual classrooms if they wanted to and visited the students, answered questions, and shared stories. It was the best day and so moving. We had many in tears, And the veterans were so impressed and grateful. I hope to repeat it again this year and I'd like to do something a little different. That's where the book comes in. Not sure just how yet! Thank you again!
We saw an overwhelming response for this book! I suppose its theme and artistry really spoke to many of us.
So keeping in the "holiday" spirit, I'm pleased to offer another giveaway, this time two copies of A Calendar Of Festivals: Celebrations From Around The World. This terrific collection from Barefoot Books features eight stories from different cultures, including information about each holiday's origin. A nice reference throughout the year. (The paperback edition varies slightly in its cover from the edition shown here).
To enter, simply email me with Festivals in the subject line. Those who were entered into the drawing for
Created by Kid’s Kitchen author, Fiona Bird, Barefoot Books have some Halloween recipes available to download - from Slimy Green Gloop to Icy Hand Snatchers, “these hauntingly healthy recipes might be creepy, but they’re also tasty” - so time to get cooking!
0 Comments on Spooky Recipes from Barefoot Books as of 10/22/2009 5:15:00 AM
Last night we all jumped in the car after school and raced to Leeds to go and watch the beautifully crafted staging of Little Leap Forward. Adapted from the book, by Guo Yue and Clare Farrow, illustrated by Helen Cann and published by Barefoot Books, it tells the story of events from Yue’s own childhood set against Mao’s Cultural Revolution in China.
A powerful combination of masked actors, puppets and shadow-box/animation, not to mention an atmospheric score and cleverly versatile set, the story is told “only” through mime. We followed Little Leap Forward’s dawning awareness of the importance of freedom, both through the political events unfolding around him and through his love for a songbird captured for him by his best friend. No matter how much Little Leap Forward coaxes and bribes with seeds, the bird cannot sing from within the confines of a cage. A “scary” dream sequence that had Little Brother on the edge of his seat alerts Little Leap Forward to what he has to do and he sets the bird free.
I have to say that this particular performance will be looked back on by us - and probably by the cast - with very mixed feelings. There was a group of children in the audience from a local School for the Deaf, who were entranced - picking up enough of the vibrations of the music to get a feel for it, and able to particpate fully in the action on stage. Wonderful. However, the first three rows were taken up by a youth-group outing and it very soon became evident that the children did not know how to behave in a public, live performance. All the more credit to the production, then, that in the scene when Red Guards arrest Little Leap Forward’s mother (an event related in Guo Yue and Clare Farrow’s book for adults, Music, Food and Love), there was not a sound from the auditorium.
Afterwards, the four actors/puppeteers gave a short talk to these children (which we gate-crashed!) and again, they captivated their audience. I couldn’t help thinking what a pity it was that the children had obviously not had any sort of introduction to what they were going to see… I wonder how many would have liked to turn the clock back and engage with it more fully, once they’d had a chance to find out a bit more about it?
Little Leap Forward is on tour in England until 17 July - for further details, look here. In the meantime, watch this short video
and read the production blog. If you haven’t come across the book yet, watch this very moving introduction, narrated by Yue and featuring his magical flute-playing; and read our review, here on PaperTigers.
Little Leap Forward was definitely a production not to be missed: a big thank you to Nicky Fearn, Frances Merriman, Jonny Quick and Mark Whitaker, the faces behind the masks; and to Gemma Bonham of The Carriageworks, for an empathetic discussion afterwards.
Downtown Fort Myers came to life yesterday at the Reading Festival! There were thousands of visitors, and the Badilly family got to speak to hundreds of children and their parents and grandparents and sell books. There were authors, illustrators, entertainers, crafts, food and more. And the event was held along the beautiful waterfront downtown. We had a great time! Every city in America, big or small, should have a reading festival every year!
Check out the photos from the event.
A gorgeous day & great event along the waterfront in downtown Ft. Myers.
Setting up our booth
Our booth attracted a lot of local teachers
Grandpa Willy and Lilly
The Lee County state-of-the-art BookMobile - Incredible!
Inside the BookMobile 4,000 titles, including Lilly Badilly!
British poet, Judith Nicholls, has compiled a wonderful book of poems for children called Someone I Like: Poems About People(illustrated by Giovanni Manna.) I discovered Nicholls work through The Children’s Poetry Archive , a wonderful website chock-a-block with recommendations for poetry for children. In Someone I Like, Nicholls has assembled poems by various authors that look at human relationships in ways that children can identify with. There are poems about friendship and about one’s parents. There are poems about siblings, and about aunties and grandmothers. What I liked about the poems were how emotionally frank many of them were. In “Urgent Note to My Parents,” the child speaker says:
Don’t ask me to do what I can’t do
Only ask me to do what I can
Don’t ask me to be what I can’t be
Only ask me to be what I am
The accompanying illustration of a fed-up looking girl in overalls with a pencil in one hand and a sheet of paper in the other is very fitting! In reading this book to my daughter, we were able to explore terrains of emotion that were new and sometimes surprising. Poems, for example, about broken friendships and about a girl who tells her granny “you’ll have to be dying soon” were arresting and provocative. Such poems engage the reader and require a response, and that is what good poetry should do for parent and child alike. Compiler Nicholl understands this notion deeply and brings her experience as a poet, parent and grandparent to bear on her lively selections.
Someone I Like is published by an innovative press called Barefoot Books. Their vision is to produce books that “celebrate the world’s diversity, encourage children’s independent spirits, and build their enthusiasm for reading, creativity and discovery.” Someone I Like certainly fulfills that vision!
Poetry Friday this week is hosted here by Anastasia Suen.
0 Comments on Poetry Friday: Poems about People as of 3/6/2009 1:11:00 AM
Multi-cultural children’s book publisher Barefoot Books and non-profit Books For Africa (BFA) are embarking on an innovative partnership to bring Barefoot Books into the hands of children in classrooms and libraries across Africa. Since 1988, BFA has shipped more than 20 million books to 44 African countries and, with growing awareness of their organization and cause, plans to ship millions more in the coming years. To help BFA achieve their goal this holiday season, Barefoot is offering its community the opportunity to purchase an African-themed title online at a dramatically reduced price which will be sent to a child in Africa. Six titles are available, including We All Went on Safari: A Counting Journey Through Tanzania and Mama Panya’s Pancakes: A Village Tale from Kenya. Additionally, Barefoot is calling on their grassroots network of home-sellers to support BFA’s mission, by selling beautiful African bookmarks for $1 a piece, with proceeds going towards shipping costs for the books.
Barefoot Books CEO Nancy Traversy says, “Barefoot is always looking to find like-minded partners who are making a difference in the lives of children all over the world. We are so excited to be working with Books for Africa and the entire Barefoot community to help bring books to the African children who so need them.”
“The beautiful books provided by Barefoot Books, which feature African themes, will be very exciting for our recipients in Africa to read,” says Books For Africa Executive Director Patrick Plonski. “We really appreciate this partnership with Barefoot Books which will provide high-quality books for us to send to children in Africa, and will also provide funds to help ship these books.”
Barefoot Books is launching the Books for Africa campaign this holiday season and promoting it through 2009.
About Barefoot Books Barefoot Books is an international children's publisher dedicated to creating award-winning, beautiful books which celebrate imagination, diversity and creativity. Our pioneering and innovative business model wholeheartedly embraces today's social networking opportunities and focuses on establishing grassroots, viral communities with a global reach. Our audience is central to our business philosophy as is our willingness to redefine and reinvent the way in which stories and children come together. Find out more at http://www.barefootbooks.com/.
About Books for Africa Books For Africa collects, sorts, ships and distributes books to children in Africa. Our goal: to end the book famine in Africa. Books donated by publishers, schools, libraries, individuals and organizations are sorted and packed by volunteers who carefully choose books that are age and subject appropriate. They are shipped in containers paid for by contributions from people like you. They are on once-empty library shelves, in classrooms in rural schools, and in the hands of children who have never held a book before. Each book will be read over and over and over again. When the books arrive, they go to those who need them most: children who are hungry to read, hungry to learn, hungry to explore the world in ways that only books make possible. Find out more at http://www.booksforafrica.org/
CONTACT: Patrick Plonski, Executive Director, [email protected]; phone: 651-291-2713
by Laurie Krebs
illustrations by Valeria Cis
Barefoot Books 2008
This is a neat little picture book introduction to the art of beekeeping. Told in gently rhymed text (that didn't annoy the way a lot of rhymed text does these days) the story follows a boy and his grandfather the bee man as they dress, build a colony, study, care for, and harvest honey from man-made hives. Instead of the usual
0 Comments on The Beeman as of 5/16/2008 8:49:00 AM
Barefoot Books made Inc. Magazine's list of the top 5,000 fastest-growing private businesses last year, and it looks as though their success continues. In an article in Publisher's Weekly, it's stated that Barefoot Books has reached an agreement with FAO Schwarz to create a dedicated Barefoot Books boutique in FAO's flagship store on Fifth Avenue in New York City. It will be the only bookstore within the mega-toystore that sees four million visitors a year!
Established in 1992 by Nancy Traversy and Tessa Strickland, Barefoot Books is a children’s book publisher based in Bath, UK and Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA. It publishes multicultural books that, in addition to providing high-quality content, pay great attention to art and design. One of the company’s .jpeg?picon=3220)
by Margot Raven, illustrated by Mike Benny. I'm also pleased to announce another free book giveaway as well.
. This terrific collection from 
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Another adorable read! Oh how you make me wish I had a young girl in my life to share these books (and a passion for dance) with. My boys just don't get it.
Awww. Maybe one day those boys of yours will have some little girls for you to share them with :) There are some "boy" dance books out there, though, so maybe I can find one to write about soon...
Thank you for the great review Kerry, I am glad you liked the book!
Micha
Hi, Micha. Thanks so much for dropping by. It really is a beautiful book. Congratulations!
Oh wow, another beautiful review from you!! Such a pleasure to visit you for Book Talk Tuesday - I really love the way that you entice your readers into knowing more about the book. Nicely done. Thanks for sharing this one. I have a feeling I would love Lola. =)
Hi, Myra. That's so sweet of you. Thank you! I hope you'll stop by later in the month for a chance to win a copy of Lola. I'll probably run the giveaway for a few weeks :)