Celebrating Irish Heritage

As the snow comes down yet again, it seems difficult to believe that March is right around the corner.  For many people, St. Patrick's Day is the highlight of the month of March.  I'm not Irish, so I've always felt like a bit of an outsider on St. Patrick's Day.  I want my daughter, who is also not Irish, to be able to share and enjoy this holiday, though.  Here are some wonderful Barefoot Books products that will help her learn about Irish history and traditions.

Do You Like Free Books?

Two cool blogs - Mountaintop Tribe and Life Simply Sweet - reviewed some Barefoot Books products this month, and both are giving away a $25 Barefoot Books gift certificate.  The entry period for both giveaways ends tomorrow, so be sure to check them out and enter right away!

National Tell a Fairy Tale Day is Just Around the Corner!

I remember parts of the classic fairy tales from my childhood, but I'm a little rusty on details like which mythical characters belong with which hero or fairy princess.  With National Tell a Fairy Tale Day coming up on Saturday, February 26, though, there's no better time to relearn these classic stories and legends so I can share them with my daughter.

Although some of the stories seem outdated and politically incorrect, many education experts believe they teach important lessons about triumphing over adversity and other values.  They also provide a wonderful avenue for children's imaginary play.

Do you know a major fairy tale fan?  The Barefoot Books Fairy Magic Gift Set is a perfect gift to indulge their passion and imagination!

Going Green

One of the things I love most about Barefoot Books is their commitment to eco-awareness and stewardship.  To that end, all of the books are printed on ancient forest friendly paper.  Sounds great, right, but what does that actually mean?  Straight from the home office:

"As the name suggests, this means that we only use paper provided by responsible suppliers running well managed forests who do not destroy ancient trees in the process of making paper. Further, the felled timber is not replaced with an inappropriate fast-growing species (such as pine, which is unsuitable for high quality paper production on reaching maturity) but with a similar species which is given time to mature before being felled for further paper production."

The eco-awareness and earth stewardship themes can be found in many Barefoot Books products, but two that really bring them front and center are the Yoga Planet card deck, and the Whole World Fun Eco Activities book.

This fun and interactive card deck includes 50 yoga poses and games to help you feel connected to the Earth's elements: air, earth, fire, water, and space.  The cards were written by YogaEd.

This earth-friendly activity book was printed on 100% recycled paper, and includes games, puzzles, art activities, and quizzes.  Check out this review of the book from our friends at Mountaintop Tribe!  And while you're there, be sure to enter their giveaway for a $25 Barefoot Books gift certificate, and check out their cool store, Natural Family Supplies.



February Sale Items

Each month, Barefoot Books discounts a variety of their products.  This month's sale items include bestsellers like "The Boy Who Grew Flowers", a lovely story about accepting differences, and embracing people as they are.  It was a finalist for the Foreword Magazine Book of the Year Award in 2005. 


Buy "The Boy Who Grew Flowers"

One of my personal favorites and another bestseller, "The Barefoot Book of Faeries", is also included in the February sale.  It's a sweet collection of stories, legends, and poems about the faerie realm, and includes a narrated storytime CD.



Buy "The Barefoot Book of Faeries"

Project: Cameron's Story

I recently learned about Project: Cameron's Story, and I haven't been able to get it out of my mind.

Cameron was born in Albany in February, 2009, 16 weeks premature. As you can imagine, he suffered a myriad of complications as a result of his prematurity and size. He overcame many challenges, and finally joined his family at home after 213 days in the NICU at Albany Medical Center. Tragically, he succumbed to an infection and passed away on October 20, 2009. I'm moved by Cameron's story for many reasons, but the one I keep coming back to is that my daughter was born in the same hospital, just eight days after Cameron passed away.

While Cameron was in the NICU, his mother read to him as a way of bonding with him, even when she couldn't hold him. This experience had such a profound impact on their relationship, she started Project: Cameron's Story to enable other families have the same experience of bonding with their babies while they're in the NICU. The organization's mission is " to place a brand new, quality, children's book in the hands of every parent of a premature baby upon admission to the NICU at Albany Medical Center, New York."


This month, Project: Cameron's Story is doing a "bookraiser" to collect books for donation. Several bookstores in the Saratoga-Glens Falls area are participating, as am I with my Barefoot Books business. There's a list of participating bookstores on the website, and if you would like to purchase a Barefoot Books book for the Project, there are two ways to do so:

• Go to http://www.amym.barefootbooks.com/ to select and purchase your donation(s). Enter the code AMBTWY at check-out to save 20% on your purchase. If you are outside the Saratoga-Glens Falls area, you can have your donation shipped to Project: Cameron's Story; 7 Faxon Street; Glens Falls, NY 12801.
• If you prefer not to purchase your donation online, just let me know which book(s) you'd like to donate, and I'll order and deliver it for you. (The same 20% discount will apply.)

The Project offers these guidelines for selecting appropriate books: "For parents who are trying to connect with their premature babies through oral communication, the suggestion is for the books to be 'picture storybooks.' It would be helpful if the books were of medium to large size, with lots of pictures, and a long storyline (i.e. lots of words!)." Here are some appropriate options from Barefoot Books:

Herb, the Vegetarian Dragon
The Boy Who Grew Flowers
The Barefoot Book of Earth Tales
Storytime First Tales for Sharing
Ruby's School Walk
Shrinking Sam
Shopping with Dad
Emily's Tiger
The Tear Thief
Jack in the Beanstalk
The Gigantic Turnip
The Prince's Bedtime

I hope you'll consider participating in the bookraiser for Project: Cameron's Story and supporting this wonderful organization. If you have any questions, please let me know.  Thanks for your support!!

Blogging about Barefoot Books

One of the things I've really enjoyed about my Barefoot Books business, is researching appropriate marketing ideas and venues.  I've come across quite a few neat blogs in the process, and several of them have been willing to collaborate with me. 

Until very recently, I wasn't familiar with the blog giveaway.  Basically, the blogger reviews a product, posts the review, and also posts a giveaway contest for a free item from the same company.  To enter the giveaway, readers have to "like" the company's FB page, visit the website and comment on their favorite product, link to the review and giveaway in their own blog, etc.  Ideally, it introduces the company's products to a new audience and gets them spreading the word, too.

I've jumped on the giveaway bandwagon with my Barefoot Books business, and the current review and giveaway is available here.  Katie reviews the "Animal Boogie" singalong and "Thesaurus Rex", and you can enter to win a $25 Barefoot Books gift certificate.   Good luck!!