Once upon a time, a soft spoken lady from England, Nancy Traversy in 1993 along with Tessa Strickland started a home business called "Barefoot Books". Hear their story:
Little Leap Forward
Written by: Guo Yue and Clare Farrow
Illustrated by: Helen Cann
As featured in the New York Times Sunday Book Review!
The first in Barefoot Books' Young Fiction line, this sensitively written, real-life story focuses on growing up in Beijing in the 1960s, at the time of the Cultural Revolution. Little Leap Forward offers children an intimate and immediate account of a child’s experiences as Mao Tse Tung’s Great Leap Forward policy tightens its grip on China.
Guo Yue's Story
Books let me know there's another world! There is an unprecedented interest in China right now with the Summer Olympic Games going on. Watch and listen to "Little Leap Forward" author Guo Yue share his story of growing up during China's cultural revolution.
An interesting tidbit about this video: Guo Yue provides the beautiful flute music that accompanies his spoken account.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guo_Yue_(musician)
Little Leap Forward is Barefoot Books' very first Young Adult novel! It is beautiful story of friendship found and lost. Set in the time just before and during the Cultural Revolution, the Revolution does not dominate the story, making this book a great choice for young readers. The illustrations are beautiful and the descriptions of life in the hutongs vividly convey family life in the unique Beijing neighborhoods.
The afterward by Guo Yue provides excellent historical context for teachers who want to use this book as part of a unit on modern China or the Cultural Revolution. A refreshing addition to young adult literature of the Cultural Revolution!
Recent praise:
“One of the many pleasures of this moving story…is its depiction of how a musical child experiences the world as a symphony of sounds. The warm wash of color and the textured detail in Helen Cann’s illustrations reinforce the novel’s pastiche of folk tale, parable and realism. Yue and Farrow… evoke how Little Leap Forward bears witness with the eye of a poet, the ear of a musician and the transformative imagination of a storyteller.” -The New York Times
"Little Leap Forward is a slim volume, handsomely illustrated and brimming with sensory details of a Beijing neighborhood in the summer of 1966, just as the Cultural Revolution was taking a violent turn... The authors gently contrast the children's appreciation of color and music and history with Mao's determined stance against individuality... Helen Cann's illustrations likewise are delicate and detailed, finding beauty in the deep blues of everyone's clothing, the converted old temples and the roof tiles shaped like waves. "
-The Washington Post
“Guo and his wife, Clare Farrow, write about the Cultural Revolution with poignant understatement, underscored by the book's unassuming design. Many charming color-plates add cultural detail and a sense of playfulness to the diminutive package.” -San Francisco Chronicle
“The simple prose is quiet and physical, especially the details about feeling the power of music and holding the fragile bird and feeling its beating heart. The beautifully detailed, clear illustrations in ink and brilliant watercolors combine realistic group scenes with spare individual portraits. Kids will appreciate the messages about freedom in the caged-bird metaphor, especially because it is not heavily spelled out.” -Booklist
“Written with a well-judged level of detail, Little Leap Forward’s first person narrative is authentic in its allegiance to a child’s point of view, conveying a world of family, a best friend, kite-flying, and an ultimately futile attempt to cage a bird and make it sing. While the coming of the Red Guards provides the book with its larger context, it’s done without sacrificing the easy, intimate perspective that has drawn the book in the first place. ” -The Horn Book
"Living in a courtyard community of old Beijing, just before and after the mid-1960s Cultural Revolution, Leap Forward is about 10 and still enjoying children's pleasures—kite flying, a pet—while the world around him is filling up with students shouting slogans. Leap Forward seems real, not a note card."
-Chicago Tribune
“This is a story that deepens with each rereading.”
-Shelf Awareness
"I love this book, because I asked the same question when I was a little girl, I was in tears for those birds who lost freedom and their mums."
-Xinran, best-selling author of The Good Women of China
Artist Information:
Guo Yue grew up in Beijing at the time of the Cultural Revolution. He later studied at the Guildhall School of Music in London and is now a renowned flautist and composer whose music is published by Peter Gabriel's Real World Label, Cultural Revolution. He is also an excellent cook and teaches at the renowned Divertimenti Cookery School in London.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/17/books/review/PosesorskiBox-t.html
Clare Farrow is a writer and journalist specializing in modern contemporary art. She has published interviews with Anish Kapoor and Annie Leibovitz.
http://www.barefoot-books.com/us/site/pages/authors.php?aid=294
Helen Cann enjoys using patterns in her artwork and she has a large collection of reference material from around the world, taken from textiles, ceramics,jewelry.
http://www.helencann.co.uk
I hope you enjoy both the video and the book! http://www.barefoot-books.com/us/site/pages/producttone.php?pid=2261=2261&user_name=LadyD&rep_code=US-1019232
Read Alone: Ages 8-14
Read Together: Ages 8-14
Hardcover; Full color illustrations
Fabrics Of Fairy Tale
Stories Spun from Far and Wide
This glorious and unusual collection brings together stories about many different fabrics, and features intricate, hand-sewn collage illustrations throughout. The book is a collection of seven folktales featuring different fabrics from all over the world including: Persian carpetweaving, fabrics of East Africa, silk, fabrics from the Pacific Islands, tapa cloth, flax, patchwork and quilting, and Indonesian batik. The origin and history of each fabric are introduced and then followed by a folktale with that fabric as a central theme. Illustrations are presented in a fabric collage style and portray textiles and motifs unique to the culture of each folktale. Suggested level: primary, intermediate, junior secondary.
The weaving of words and the weaving of fabrics come together in this exceptional gift book, which combines the talents of professional storyteller Tanya Batt and textile artist Rachel Griffin. The history and passage around the world of each of the fabrics, from wool to batik, from flax to silk, is fascinatingly described, and the fabrics themselves then become the central characters of stories from areas as diverse as Scandinavia, Hawaii, Indonesia, and East Africa. Exquisite illustrations and compelling stories make The Fabrics of Fairytale a book that will appeal to fabric-lovers of all ages.
Recent Reviews
"Stories illustrated with fabrics typical of their region, with information about the textiles used in each tale - an ingenious cultural exploration for the whole family" - NAPRA ReView
"Elaborate fabric collages dress up this collection of stories gathered from around the world...An intriguing way to introduce lesser known folktales and the cultures from which they derive" - Publishers Weekly
'The Fabrics of Fairytale is an enchanting tapestry of stunning illustrations and wonderful tales from all over the world. Tanya Robyn Batt is one of the world's few professional fairies who travels the world telling stories. The incredible artwork is produced using fabrics, beads, sequins, maps and handmade papers, crafted by Rachel Griffin. These two women have created a book which will delight all ages' -The Green Parent
'Featuring intricate handmade collages throughout, this exquisite book combines textiles techniques and traditional tales from around the world. Each story collage is created using a different method (for example batik for the Indonesian story, patchwork for the Jewish story, silk brocade for the Chinese story) and the history of each fabric is fascinatingly described, ensuring the fabrics themselves are central to the tale. A great book' - Junior Focus
My favorite story is 'Clever Anaeet'! K-Gr 5--In this captivating collection, Batt skillfully weaves together folktales from around the world with fascinating information about the various materials that play an important role in the stories. For example, "Clever Anaeet," a tale from Armenia in which a clever king saves his own life by weaving a secret message into a rug, is introduced by background about carpet weaving in the Caucasus and Persia. A description of textiles from the Pacific Islands precedes a ...
Tanya Robyn Batt
http://www.bookcouncil.or.nz/writers/battanya.html
has a lifelong love of fabrics and is fascinated by the ways in which they can change the way we perceive the world and are seen by others. In this captivating collection, she brings together her favorite stories about fabrics from all over the world and shows how storytelling itself is a magical weaving process.
The history and passage around the world of each of the fabrics, from wool to batik, from flax to silk, is fascinatingly described, and the fabrics themselves then become the central characters of stories from areas as diverse as Scandinavia, Hawaii, Indonesia, and East Africa. Audio Length: 1 hour and 39 min. Have a listen:
http://www.audible.com/adbl/store/CJProduct.jsp?productID=BK_BARE_000002
Upon listening to some excerpts from the book, take a look at this great Google visual of the book's layout:
http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&id=db_uh5b_-gcC&dq=Tanya+Robyn+Batt&printsec=frontcover&source=web&ots=bI09-lCLeg&sig=omfnNNWjM2dktm23KKTNDyOQF8A&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=7&ct=result#PPP1,M1
What hope have you of ever finding a husband? Skeins of flax are the only dowry we can offer.
? The Three Fayes (Swedish)
Order your book today! http://www.barefoot-books.com/us/site/pages/productone.php?pid=2128&user_name=LadyD&rep_code=US-1019232
Told from the viewpoint of a child whose Grandpa is a beekeeper, this rhyming text offers an accessible and engaging introduction to the behavior of bees, including: where they live, how honey is made, and what a beekeeper does. Children will love learning about the vital role of bees in the ecosystem, and will be delighted to find a delicious muffin recipe on the final page!
The book is written by Laurie Krebs
http://www.lauriekrebs.com She lives in Virginia and
her husband is a beekeeper. The Beeman is illustrated by
Valeria Cis who lives in Argentina and has immersed herself in the world of bees while working on The Beeman.
http://www.valeriacis.com.ar The book is full of fun, full color illustrations. While ages 6-10 can read the book alone, you'll find ages 4-8 reading it together.
Recent praise:
“This charming book is visually enticing and just plain fun to read... The text conveys facts, but at the same time captures a larger understanding of and appreciation for nature.”-School Library Journal
“This cozy intergenerational story will delight young readers as it educates them on these industrious insects.”-ForeWord Magazine
Discover the fascinating world of beekeeping in this playful introduction to the way bees live and work. I can tell you that once upon a time, my husband and I were beekeepers. And yes, the rewards were very sweet, indeed!
http://www.lauriekrebs.com/Pages/The%20Beeman.html
Did I mention that Grandma's Muffin Recipe is in the back of the book? Yes, but what kind of muffins? Read the book, read deeper about bee keeping and then search for the recipe. You'll be glad you did!
This item will be in stock 8/30th: http://www.barefoot-books.com/us/site/pages/productone.php?id=2188&user_name=LadyD&rep_code=US-1019232
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