Thursday, March 22, 2012

March Sale!

Have you checked out the current sale over at the Barefoot Books website yet?  You've got about one more week (until March 31st) to get some great deals on these amazing books and other products:



Kids' Garden card deck: Get outside and grow with some child-friendly fun with gardening! Kids’ Garden includes forty activities and games and an eight-page booklet that contains information on gardening tools, year-round plant care and garden safety. These step-by-step instructions are enhanced by colorful collage artwork on each double-sided card and they create a fun and easy way for budding green-thumbs to plant, investigate, learn and experiment.  Ages 8 and up.  On sale for $14.99




The BeemanFind out where honey comes from as Grandpa the Beeman teaches the basics of beekeeping to his young grandson. This rhyming story includes endnotes full of essential facts about bees, beekeeping, honey, and the vital part that bees play in the natural world. Ages 5 to 9.  Hardcover on sale for $11.99




Up, Up, Up!   This airborne adventure takes readers ballooning over lands near and far, all the way to the stars. The charming singalong song on the accompanying CD keeps spirits high, while the rhyming and playful text introduces all sorts of settings and vocabulary-building words.  Ages 3 to 7.  Hardcover on sale for $11.99



 The Sounds Around Town:  Follow a baby throughout the day, listening to all the sounds of life in the city. The colorful spreads are adorned with sound words to try out, and the rhyming text uses repetition for easy learning.  Ages 1 to 7.  Large Format Board Book on sale for $10.99



 Skip through the SeasonsJump into January and dance all throughout the rest of the year. This rhyming, seek-and-find book of months features plenty of seasonal objects on each page for readers to point out. Educational endnotes include facts about different calendars, seasons and days of the week.  Ages 1 to 7.  Large Format Board Book on sale for $10.99


There are a few more books on sale, go over and see the full list for yourself!





Remember that there is free shipping for orders over $60, and you can get 20% off your order if you enter TWENTY12 in the Special Offer box during checkout.


Sunday, March 18, 2012

Barefoot Books World Atlas



Embark on a mind-expanding journey across the planet. Your guide is earth enthusiast and TV presenter Nick Crane. Your map-maker is artist David Dean. Divided by geographical region, the Barefoot Books World Atlas looks at the way in which communities and cultures across the world have been shaped by their natural environment, and at the ideas and initiatives which are shaping the future. An atlas for the twenty-first century, it shows how all parts of the planet are interconnected and looks at the challenges which face us all in creating a sustainable future.


The Barefoot Books World Atlas has been my hottest seller since before the holidays - at an event just last weekend I sold every copy I had with me!  I wasn't going to get one for our own bookshelf just yet, because I thought my not-quite-five-year-old would be too young for it, but then I got a copy for free from Barefoot for winning a sales challenge at the end of the year.

I was so, so wrong about how much my daughter could get out of this book!




The World Atlas is full of gorgeous artwork - what else would you expect from a Barefoot book, right?  When we first got our copy, we just sat on the couch and devoured the pictures.  Now my daughter will sit by herself and leaf through the book, examining each page in detail, and asking me questions about anything that catches her eye.



There is plenty of information in print as well, and they managed to pack even more into the book by making several pages that fold out and lots of flaps that open to reveal facts about some of the icons on each page.  




The Atlas starts with "The Story of Our Planet" - from the solar system to the first signs of life, and on to the human species.  Then there is the story of map-making and information about the atlas itself, followed by a map of the entire world.  The main part of the Atlas is divided into sections, starting with the oceans of the world and then moving on to each continent.  There is also a large map poster in a pocket at the back of the book, which would make a fantastic resource for a classroom.

What I love about The Barefoot Books World Atlas is what I love about most books from Barefoot - the illustrations are engaging enough to hold the interest of a younger child, but there is enough information packed into the book to make it useful for an older child or even an adult.  If you are interested in raising a child who is interested and informed about the world around her, this is the book for your family!

Now, hold on to your socks and be prepared for them to be blown clean off!



Nick Crane explores the Barefoot World Atlas app for the iPad - click through to see the video.





Children react to the Barefoot World Atlas app for the iPad - click through to see the video.

These videos make me want to go out and get an iPad just so I can get this app!

You can purchase the app from iTunes by going through the World Atlas page on the Barefoot Books website - if you buy either the book or the app - or both - please do let me know what you think!




Thursday, March 8, 2012

March Sale - Tales from Old Ireland



Barefoot has several books on sale for the month of March, you should definitely go over and check it out.  If you're looking for a book to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, Tales from Old Ireland is perfect and the hardcover is on sale for $14.99 - it's usually $21.99, so this is a great bargain!





I gave Tales from Old Ireland to my nephew for Christmas, and his mother - my sister - reports that he loves it!  They listen to the CD every night at bedtime, and my nephew says the storyteller sounds like his Irish cousins (the stories are narrated on two CDs by singer Maura O'Connell).  



There are seven stories in the collection; my nephew's favorites are Lusmore and the Fairies and The Soul Cages.  Tales from Old Ireland is recommended for children six and up, but my nephew is not quite five years old and is enchanted by the book. 

Order Tales from Old Ireland today so you will have it in time for St. Patrick's Day!  Order a few more books from the March sale so you can get free shipping on orders of $60 or more.  And remember that you will receive 20% off your order if you enter the code TWENTY12 in the Special Offer/Voucher Code box at check-out.




Sunday, March 4, 2012

Children of the World Memory Game



Barefoot's Children of the World Memory Game is my daughter's new favorite game!  A few days ago, she and I ate dinner on the living room floor while playing this game together - I am sure my own mother would be appalled if she knew, but playing together like this has been a fantastic bonding exercise for us. 

The memory game is based on the book If You're Happy and You Know It! and features children from all around the world.  The object is to match the boy and girl pairs on the cards - each card features the name of the child, while the girl cards tell you which country they are from and the boy cards tell you the language they speak and how to say "hello" in that language.  I love that the cards include countries and languages that are truly diverse, including Native American languages and different languages from the same country such as both Mandarin and Cantonese from China.  The children on the cards are wearing traditional outfits from their cultures, and they are all simply adorable!

I know I have said this many times before about books from Barefoot, but this memory game is another example of how we can enjoy Barefoot books (and other products) for years and years.  Right now my 4-year-old is building her memory and matching skills by focusing on the colors of the cards; eventually she'll be learning to recognize countries and languages, and when she can read the cards herself she'll be learning even more.  The game is recommended for ages four to seven, and I am positive that we will still be playing this game more than three years from now!

The Children of the World Memory Game is $15.99.  Remember that you can get free shipping for ordering at least $60, and if you use the code TWENTY12 in the Special Offer/Voucher Code box, you will receive 20% off your order!