Monday, September 26, 2011

New Releases!!

The Barefoot Books staff has been busy this month!  Here's a quick overview of the fantastic new products that were just released:

Ages 6+, Hardcover, $19.99
Meet Mulla Nasruddin, a legendary character whose adventures and misadventures are enjoyed across the Islamic world. This witty collection of stories portrays his eccentric, engaging and irreverent character. Nasruddin always has a twinkle in his eye, a sliver of wisdom in his ramblings and a few good surprises up his sleeve!


The Shipwreck
Ages 10+, Paperback Chapter Book, $12.99
When his father is murdered, a young viking boy named Leiv stows away on a ship bound for Greenland to avenge the death. But when the boat is wrecked in a storm, his search for revenge becomes a struggle for survival. Find out what happens when Leiv is saved by an Inuit brother and sister and slowly becomes aware of a way of life and value system which centers around peace rather than war, showing a profound respect for the natural world.


The Snow Queen
Ages 8+, Paperback Chapter Book, $9.99
In this exquisitely illustrated retelling of a classic story by Hans Christian Andersen, an evil troll creates a mirror which reflects the bad and ugly sides of people. When shards of its glass enter a young boy, he is forced to reject his loving family and best friend Gerda. Helped by kind strangers and guided by her warm heart, Gerda makes the perilous journey to rescue her friend from the icy palace of the Snow Queen.



The Feathered Ogre
Ages 6+, Paperback Chapter Book, $7.99
This Italian tale tells how PĂ­rolo, the king’s youngest gardener, sets out on an impossible quest which frightens even the bravest of the king’s knights. Can he steal a magic feather from the back of the terrifying Feathered Ogre who eats tasty boys and girls for his supper?


The Mother of Monsters
Ages 6+, Paperback Chapter Book, $7.99
Mischievous Ntombi, the chief’s daughter, isn’t at all afraid of the fearsome Ilunge River. But when she goes to swim there, she enrages the Mother of Monsters, with her gigantic head, bulging eyes and thick, slimy scales, causing more trouble than she could ever imagine!


The Abominable Snowman
Ages 6+, Paperback Chapter Book, $7.99
Ramay lives with his mother in the high mountains of the Himalayas. He is lazy, never helps at home and would rather spend his days dreaming. When his Mom is at her wit’s end, she tells Ramay to go away and he is not to come back until he has mended his ways. What will become of Ramay as he sets out, and whom will he encounter about this title: along the way?


The Terrible Chenoo
Ages 6+, Paperback Chapter Book, $7.99
Discover what happens when a brave woman and her husband are kind to a savage and terrible Chenoo. Instead of letting themselves be scared of this man-eating monster, they feed him caribou meat, provide him with clothes and make him snug and warm in their teepee. Can they melt his frozen heart?


Driving my Tractor Puzzle
Ages 3-6, $14.99
Two fun puzzles based on the popular singalong Driving my Tractor. The larger 12 piece puzzle shows a winter scene of the farmer picking up the animals in his tractor, while the smaller 24 piece puzzle shows a tractor scene in summer.
Portside Pirates! Puzzle
Ages 3-6, $14.99
Two enjoyable puzzles based on the popular singalong Portside Pirates! The larger 12 piece puzzle shows the pirates discovering treasure on a tropical island, while the smaller 24 piece puzzle shows the pirate crew on their ship with the Jolly Roger flying proudly.

Thursday, September 22, 2011

New Ambassador Starter Kit

If you've been considering becoming a Barefoot Books Ambassador, let me share a few thoughts to further entice you. 

First, we're heading into the holiday season, the busiest time of year for all Ambassadors.  Now is a great time to sign up and start scheduling home parties and community events while people are in the gift-buying mindset.  In my experience, you'll see you business grow immediately during this time of year!



Second, I'm thrilled to share that Barefoot Books has just launched a new Ambassador Starter Kit, filled with the most valuable tools to get your business off the ground quickly and smoothly.  It includes loads of marketing materials that you'll use to promote your Barefoot Books business, and several books and other products from each of the four Barefoot categories - Fun First Steps, Natural Child, Travel the World, and Tell Me a Story.  The retail value of the Ambassador Starter Kit is $300, but new Ambassadors purchase it when they register for only $139.99.  Although I've been an Ambassador for nearly a year, these kits are so great I'll be purchasing one for myself!

Interested in learning more about becoming a Barefoot Books Ambassador?  Contact me for answers to your questions.  Already convinced?  Sign up here!

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Seasons

It seems like fall arrived overnight last week!  Suddenly overnight and early morning temperatures are back in the 40s, and it's time to shift from summer to fall clothing. 

I lived in California for a while a few years ago, and one of the (many) things I missed about living in the Northeast was the change of the seasons.  Sure it was nice to live without ice storms and below freezing temperatures, but it felt very strange to not be able to mark the passage of time in a concrete and visible way.  As much as I dislike the winter, I don't think spring would be nearly as sweet without it.  The joy of seeing the first snowdrops and crocuses pop out of the ground and watching the snow and ice recede as temperatures slowly drift upward, is one of my most-treasured annual experiences.

Now that my daughter is just about to turn two, I'm trying to help her understand and appreciate the change of the seasons.  I'm using two great Barefoot Books to help her with this process - Listen, Listen, and Skip Through the Seasons.

Listen, Listen is one of my very favorite books.  My husband and I have read it to our daughter countless times, and I'm convinced that this is how she learned many of her first words.  It is a beautifully illustrated book, organized by the different seasons, and the text highlights the different sounds of each season - buzzing insects during the summer, crunching leaves in the fall, gliding along snow and ice in the winter, and chirping birds in the spring.

Available in both English and Spanish, Skip Through the Seasons is a great hide and seek book.  Organized by month, there are twelve words for readers to locate that relate to the month - hood and footprints in January, picnic blanket and butterfly in June, and presents and candy cane in December.  The paperback version also includes educational end notes that detail the origins of the names of the months, the days of the week in different languages, and more. 



I highly recommend both of these books for sharing the joy of the changing seasons with young children!!

Thursday, September 1, 2011

September Nonprofit of the Month

My September nonprofit of the month is an organization that's near and dear to me, WAMC Northeast Public Radio.  My parents have been listeners forever, so I've literally been listening to it for as long as I can remember. 

WAMC is a regional public radio station serving portions of seven northeastern states - NY, MA, PA, CT, VT, NH, and NJ.  It's a member of National Public Radio, and an affiliate of Public Radio International.  Financial support comes from listeners who contribute annually in fund drives and other appeals as well as from underwriting by businesses, grant support for WAMC's National Productions and governmental sources such as the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the New York State Education Department.

I love the original programming, coverage of local and regional news, NPR programming, and intelligent conversation about real issues.  My radio is permanently tuned to my local WAMC station, 90.3.

I'm donating 20% of my September online sales to this fantastic organization!