Children's Book of African Animals

A local art teacher has purchased this great paperback children's book, filled with wonderful illustrations of African animals, called African Animals ABC. As you can tell from the photos above, this book is an illustrators paradise! Whether you're researching African wild animals, African jungle animals or African safari animals, you'll find them in this book. If you're interested in African grassland or African savanna, and perhaps African wild animals, take a look inside.
Philippa-Alys Browne
Philippa-Alys Browne was born and lived in Zimbabwe for most of her life. She graduated in Fine Art in 1984 and has exhibited on a regular basis in Zimbabwe, the UK, and more recently the United States. She paints in Memphis, Tennessee where she lives with her husband and young daughter. She has illustrated African Animals ABC (1995), A Gaggle of Geese (1995), Kangaroos Have Joeys (1996), Elephants and Emus (1997), and The Legend of the Chinese Zodiac (1997) for Barefoot Books."

http://www.barefoot-books.com/us/site/pages/authors.php?aid=89
African Animals ABC
Written by: Philippa-Alys Browne
Illustrated by: Philippa-Alys Browne
"This animal ABC book feeds youngsters what they love; exuberant illustrations and a bouncy text that invites their participation." - Publishers Weekly
Antbear, Bushbaby, Crocodile ... this African alphabet brings together creatures of all shapes and sizes in a stunning series of illustrations. Each picture features the animal engaged in a typical activity, and a simple, rhyming text makes each page easy to memorize as well as wonderful to see. At the end of the book, the author's animal notes provide information for older children and adults on the habitat and behavior patterns of the animals.
Read Alone: Ages 6-10
Read Together: Ages 4-8
Paperback; Full-color illustrations;
Paperback $7.99
Click Here, African Animals ABC
Recent praise- Book Reviews for African Animals ABC
Here's what publisher's weekly children's bestseller list has to say:
"A simple, rhyming text takes young readers on an African tour of the alphabet, depicting such creatures as the xoona moth and the elephant, in a natural history alphabet book that also offers brief profiles of each creature." - Publishers Weekly
"A lovely rhyming alphabet book of African animals. Philippa-Alys Browne's distinctive illustrations burst onto the page in an array of colours and tribal patterns. The text's simple rhyming patterns can easily be memorised by infants, while introducing them to new vocabulary. As many of the animals featured are both unusual and endangered, older children and parents will find the factual notes section on behaviour and habitat informative." - Action Aid
"The strong stylised drawings are works of art as much as naturalistic interpretations. They convey the richness of the African scene and its changing patterns of season and weather. Altogether a distinguished book with a serious purpose and an independent viewpoint." - Junior Bookseller
Another great review given in praise of Philippa-Alys Browne given by The Times Educational Supplement:
"A stunning picture book for the under 5's to treasure" - The Times
"African Animals ABC by Philippa-Alys Browne is full of undeniably stunning watercolour illustrations, weaving richly coloured tribal patterns into the animal shapes and providing a useful glossary at the back with "Nature Notes' on less familiar beasts such as the xoona moth and the dassie" - Times Educational Supplement

An Island In The Sun- Nicoletta Ceccoli Illustrator and Stella Blackburn Author

Have a look at Nicoletta Ceccoli's Barefoot Book, An Island In The Sun. I love her stylized rich turquoise illustrations of a seascape. Reminds me of Greece and Italy!
Island In The Sun
Written by: Stella Blackstone
Illustrated by: Nicoletta Ceccoli
"What did I spy with my little eye? And shall we sail home now, just you and I?"
Out of Stock. Expected in
$15.99
Special Offer Price $9.99

Read Alone: Ages 4-7
Read Together: Ages 0-4
Hardcover; Full-color illustrations;
In a spectacular seascape, a young boy sails for a distant island where he finds a special friend waiting for him. Who could it be? Children will delight in pointing out the animals and objects that the little boy spies along his journey.
Award-winning artist Nicoletta Ceccoli's radiant illustrations spill off the pages with their dramatic ocean scenes and vibrant tropical hues.

Reviews:
Awards and Honors:
Book of the Year Award Finalist 2003, ForeWord Magazine
Order Book:
Click Here, An Island In The Sun
More information on Nicoletta Ceccoli

http://www.barefoot-books.com/us/site/pages/artists.php?aid=149

Fun First Steps for Small Children

Along the way, I have added cds and board books to my collection for my two Grandsons.
Animal Boogie, Winner of the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award, is a delight to listen to. Feel free to bounce up and down when you hear it! And if you're a nature lover, School Library Journal, loves The Elusive Moose. From cds, board books, hard cover and paperback, there's a sale going on right now for the small children in your life.


Fun First Steps
These books focus on playful, accessible topics
that small children love to learn!
* Animal Boogie (HC + CD)
$16.99
Special Offer Price $13.99
Click Here, Animal Boogie
Winner of the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Platinum Award!
"Filled with brilliant tropical colors... this book makes a great choice for storyhours." - School Library Journal
Shake, shimmy and boggie-woogie-oogie with the creatures of the Indian jungle! Enjoy a tale that is bright and fun, wacky and exotic!
* Dotty Spotty Doodles
22 Arty Activities for Creative Kids
Illustrated by: Barroux
The perfect way to fuel your child’s creativity!
Out of Stock. Expected in
$6.99
Special Offer Price $5.99
Click Here, Dotty Spotty Doodles


* Dragon on the Doorstep
Sung By: Fred Penner
Illustrated by: Debbie Harter
"Young readers will delight in the hide-and-seek illustrations"—Kirkus Reviews
$15.99 Hardcover
Special Offer Price $10.99
Click Here, Dragon on the Doorstep


What would you do if you found a dragon on your doorstep? Or a crocodile in your closet? In this playful hide-and-seek book that gently introduces children to the animals that often scare them, best-selling Barefoot author and artist team Stella Blackstone and Debbie Harter have created another humorous and highly entertaining story that kids will love.
* Elusive Moose (BoardBook)
Written by: Joan Gannij
Illustrated by: Clare Beaton
"A cozy fall-turns-to-winter story to share with budding nature lovers."—School Library Journal

$6.99
Special Offer Price $5.99
Click Here, Elusive Moose
* Farmyard Jamboree
(Formerly A Hen, A Chick and a String Guitar)
Written by: Margaret Read MacDonald
Illustrated by: Sophie Fatus
Cluck, quack, oink and dance to this quirky farmyard counting song! Now with singalong CD!
$6.99
Special Offer Price $4.99
Click Here, Farmyard Jamboree


* How Big Is A Pig?
Written by: Stella Blackstone
Illustrated by: Clare Beaton
"Beaton whips up bold, bright tableaux out of meticulously sewn felt.... A smiling pink piggy coaxes the audiences through a rhyming series about different kinds of opposites." - Publishers Weekly
$6.99
Special Offer Price $5.99
Click Here, How Big Is A Pig?

* Little Red Hen And The Ear Of Wheat
Written by: Mary Finch
Illustrated by: Elisabeth Bell
"A cheerful story, illustrated in bright primary colours.... An enjoyable tale for sharing and one that very young children will quickly try to read for themselves." - Carousel
$6.99
Special Offer Price $3.99
Click Here, Little Red Hen and The Ear of Wheat

Child's First Book of Philosophy

I had the wonderful opportunity to meet the author, A.B. Curtiss, at the Wild Animal Park
in San Diego. I was pleased that she signed her two books for me, In The Company of Bears and Legend of the Giant Panda.

* In The Company of Bears
Winner of a Benjamin Franklin Award and a perennial teacher's favorite, IN THE COMPANY OF BEARS has already won a place for itself in children's literature. Some have called it a child's first book of philosophy.
In this whimsical tale, wise and wonderful polar bears have discovered the secret of time, seeing all things exactly and precisely as they are:
"To a BEAR, a kettle's a kettle.
To a BEAR, a pot is a pot.
Bears never call anything something
That anything is not."
The bears remind us of the beauty of simplicity and unhurriedness and warn us that to reach any place worthwhile:
'You can't go by clock or by mile,
You have to go by heart.
And the path of the heart is the hardest to take
For the heart will not fool and the heart will not fake."

* Legend of the Giant Panda
How did the Giant Pandas get their black markings? Here is a story that tells you just how it happened. "Oh, it was a long and a dark day" when all the pandas, who were once completely white, fought a great fire dragon that tried to destroy their beloved bamboo forest.
This is also the story of a wise old gatekeeper who loved and protected the wilderness for his good friends the pandas. When the old wise man loses his life fighting the fire dragon, the pandas realize that there is no one left who will protect the forest for them. They learn at last who is the real keeper of their forest.
For more information on her other books, visit her site

http://www.abcurtiss.com/children_s_books.html

Mama Panya's Pancakes

Mama Panya's Pancakes - Hardcover
A Village Tale from Kenya

Come with Mama Panya and Adika for a market day in Kenya - and a pancake party in the evening!

On market day, Mama Panya's son Adika invites everyone he sees to a pancake dinner. How will Mama Panya ever feed them all? This clever and heartwarming story about Kenyan village life teaches the importance of sharing, even when you have little to give.

* Reviews:

Awards and Honors:

Winner of Notable Books for a Global Society 2005

Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Award 2006

2007 Storytelling World Honors

March 2007 Book of the Month from the Project on Economics and Children at Rutgers University

State of Maryland's Black-Eyed Susan Picture Book honor book for 2006-2007

"With their bold colors, vivid patterns, and lush scenery, the illustrations will transport readers into this country to walk alongside Mama Panya and Adika on their way to market. Details from animals to foliage are depicted clearly and provide more than just a backdrop to the story; they're a great introduction to the landscape and people of East Africa. A strong selection for a read-aloud or as a supplement to units on Africa, community, or generosity."
— School Library Journal

"There is a timeless quality to this contemporary story about a Kenyan boy and his mother stretching their food to feed all their friends ... The old tradition of sharing all one's food with others works again. With the repetition of the phrase 'a little bit and a little bit more,' the folkloric feeling intensifies…With a recipe for spicy pancakes, information about local animals and village life in Kenya, some general facts and a map, this story will be a welcome addition to a school unit as well as traditional storytime."—Kirkus Review

Product Details:

Written by: Mary and Rich Chamberlin
Illustrated by: Julia Cairns
Read Alone: Ages 6-10
Read Together: Ages 4-8
Hardcover; Jacketed; Full-color illustrations; 40pp;
10.25 x 10 inches

Was $16.99 Now $11.99

* To Order
Click Here, Mama Panya's Pancakes

Barefoot Books Gift Collection

Barefoot Books has recently added a new collection: The Gift Collection. Each of these collection contain the best of what the Barefoot Books has to offer.
These collections are perfect for your holiday gift-giving - for your baby, family, your child and everybody else!

* Barefoot Baby Collection - $125.00



Give the perfect gift to welcome a new baby into the world with the ‘Barefoot Baby’ gift collection, filled with first words, pictures, music and favorite nursery rhymes.

Packaged in a beautiful, colorful canvas tote bag with a gift tag to personalize, this enchanting collection features Baby’s First Book, Mother Goose Remembers with music CD, Mrs. Moon: Lullabies for Bedtime with music CD, Listen, Listen, Alligator Alphabet, Who are You, Baby Kangaroo?, Putumayo Dreamland CD, and an adorable Bo Peep Woolly Sheep puppet.

Click Here, Barefoot Baby Collection

* Barefoot Story Time Collection $100.00



Packaged in a beautiful, colorful canvas tote bag with a gift tag to personalize, this collection includes Storytime: First Tales for Sharing with story CD, The Story Tree: Tales to Read Aloud with story CD, The Gigantic Turnip, Jack and the Beanstalk, and The Prince’s Bedtime, all paired with a charming Prince puppet to help bring the stories to life!

Click Here, Barefoot Story Time Collection

* Barefoot Sing Along Collection - $100.00



Sing your way around the world with this lively ‘Barefoot Singalong’ collection. From the deck of a pirate ship to the depths of the jungle, these engaging and colorful books with music CDs will have youngsters and grownups singing and dancing along!

Presented in a beautiful, colorful canvas tote bag with a gift tag to personalize, this collection contains Barefoot favorites Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush, Port Side Pirates!, The Animal Boogie, Knick Knack Paddy Whack, We All Go Traveling By, and Whole World — all with singalong CDs!

Click Here, Barefoot Singalong Gift Collection

* The Best of Barefoot Books Collection - $150.00



Create your own Barefoot library with this ‘Best of Barefoot’ gift collection featuring some of our most beloved stories and timeless tales, all packaged in a beautiful, colorful canvas tote bag with a gift tag to personalize.

Best-selling books in this highly collectible selection include Mother Goose Remembers with music CD, I Took the Moon for a Walk, The Story Tree: Tales to Read Aloud, The Faerie’s Gift gift edition with story time CD, The Boy Who Grew Flowers, The Gigantic Turnip, The Barefoot Book of Classic Poems, and The Barefoot Book of Fairy Tales.


Click Here, Best of Barefoot Gift Collection

* Enchanted Tales Collection - $140.00



Let your imagination run wild with tales of princesses, ballerinas, fairies, magical horses and more in the ‘Barefoot Enchanted Tales’ collection. Featuring breathtaking illustrations paired with classic stories, this gorgeous selection of bestselling Barefoot Books comes in a beautiful, colorful canvas tote bag with a gift tag to personalize.

The collection includes The Barefoot Book of Princesses with story CD, Magic Hoofbeats: Fantastic Horse Tales with accompanying My Magic Diary, The Faerie’s Gift gift edition with story CD, The Princess and the White Bear King gift edition with story CD, The Barefoot Book of Fairy Tales, The Barefoot Book of Ballet Stories, and a Princesses 100-piece puzzle.


Click Here, Enchanted Tales Gift Collection

* Travel the World Collection - $100.00


Introduce your child to the countries and cultures of the wonderful world we live in with our ‘Travel the World’ gift collection, packaged in a beautiful, colorful canvas tote bag with a gift tag to personalize.

This fun and educational collection features We All Went on Safari: A Counting Journey through Tanzania, We’re Riding on a Caravan: An Adventure on the Silk Road, My Granny Went to Market: A Round the World Counting Rhyme, Off We Go to Mexico!: An Adventure in the Sun, We’re Sailing Down the Nile: A Journey through Egypt, and our colorful and interactive Landmarks of the World 63-piece puzzle!

Click Here, Travel the World Gift Collection

* Adventure Stories From Far and Wide Gift Collection $140.00




Step into the world of knights in shining armor, Trojan War heroes and swashbuckling pirates with the ‘Barefoot Adventure Stories from Far and Wide’ gift collection. Broaden your child’s horizons with exciting tales of adventure from all over the world, all packaged in a beautiful, colorful canvas tote bag with a gift tag to personalize.

The best-selling, classic collection includes Arthur of Albion, The Adventures of Odysseus, The Barefoot Book of Knights, The Barefoot Book of Pirates with story CD, The Genius of Leonardo, The Barefoot Book of Giants, Ghosts, and Goblins with two story CDs, and a Pirates 100-piece puzzle.

Click Here, Adventure Stories From Far and Wide Gift Collection

* One World, One Planet Gift Collection $100.00



Share the message of living in harmony and appreciating our fragile planet with the ‘One World, One Planet’ gift collection.

Packed in a beautiful, colorful canvas tote bag with a gift tag to personalize, this collection features Whole World with music CD, Herb, The Vegetarian Dragon, The Sun in Me: Poems about the Planet, A Forest of Stories: Magical Tree Tales from Around the World, Yoga Planet: 50 Activities for a Greener World (card deck), Around the World 100-piece puzzle, and a Putumayo World Playground CD!

Click Here, One World, One Planet Gift Collection

* Barefoot Books Red Totes

Children's Books and CPSIA- Save Handmade Toys from the CPSIA

As the Feb. 10 deadline approaches, libraries and schools - as well as parents - are left wondering whether children's books are included in the list of banned products.
"The issue:
In 2007, large toy manufacturers who outsource their production to China and other developing countries violated the public's trust. They were selling toys with dangerously high lead content, toys with unsafe small part, toys with improperly secured and easily swallowed small magnets, and toys made from chemicals that made kids sick. Almost every problem toy in 2007 was made in China.
The United States Congress rightly recognized that the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) lacked the authority and staffing to prevent dangerous toys from being imported into the US. So, they passed the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) in August, 2008. Among other things, the CPSIA bans lead and phthalates in toys, mandates third-party testing and certification for all toys and requires toy makers to permanently label each toy with a date and batch number.
All of these changes will be fairly easy for large, multinational toy manufacturers to comply with. Large manufacturers who make thousands of units of each toy have very little incremental cost to pay for testing and update their molds to include batch labels.
For small American, Canadian, and European toymakers and manufacturers of children's products, however, the costs of mandatory testing will likely drive them out of business.
* A toymaker, for example, who makes wooden cars in his garage in Maine to supplement his income cannot afford the $300 - $4,000 fee per toy that testing labs are charging to assure compliance with the CPSIA.
* A work at home mom in Minnesota who makes cloth diapers to sell online must choose either to violate the law or cease operations.
* A small toy retailer in Vermont who imports wooden toys from Europe, which has long had stringent toy safety standards, must now pay for testing on every toy they import.
* And even the handful of larger toy makers who still employ workers in the United States face increased costs to comply with the CPSIA, even though American-made toys had nothing to do with the toy safety problems of 2007.
The CPSIA simply forgot to exclude the class of children's goods that have earned and kept the public's trust: Toys, clothes, and accessories made in the US, Canada, and Europe. The result, unless the law is modified, is that handmade children's products will no longer be legal in the US.
If this law had been applied to the food industry, every farmers market in the country would be forced to close while Kraft and Dole prospered.
How You can Help:
Please write to your United States Congress Person and Senator to request changes in the CPSIA to save handmade toys and children's products. Use our sample letter or write your own. You can find your Congress Person here and Senator here."

http://www.handmadetoyalliance.org

At a cost of up to $1500 per item, lead testing would be cost prohibitive for most small-scale makers of handmade children's items. It would be devastating to work-at-home moms, craftspeople, and artisans in the US and around the world. Those who value handmade for your children and Grandchildren need to make your voices heard. Please do it -- for all of you who make, sell, and buy handmade!
Spread the word! To post the button on your blog or website, click here:

http://coolmompicks.com/spread.php

Barefoot Books Winter Sale- Save Up To 80%

Twice a year Barefoot Books has a huge sale on inventory and its that time! Save up to 80% on selected bestsellers and limited stock collectibles. The sale runs from December 29th to February 2nd. Books start at $1.99 and that's a great deal! Now is a great time to stock up on future gifts for the children in your lives or donate them to a local charity or hospital. Among the sale items you will find our new activity books, yoga decks, audio books, and great stories for all ages. This is a great time to build your home or school library, pick up books for donations and book drives, stock up on gifts, and introduce your friends to Barefoot Books. Just click on the banner below and it will take you directly to the sale section.

Children's Activity Books

Dotty Spotty Doodles

22 Arty Activities for Creative Kids
Illustrated by: Barroux
The perfect way to fuel your child’s creativity!
Every child who is free to play at drawing is preparing to learn how to read and write at the same time. So, encourage the children in your life to draw, paint, color in, copy and doodle, and you will help them to develop their literacy skills along the way. Dotty Spotty Doodles contains 22 activities for kids: mazes, coloring pages, seek-and-finds and more!





Book has 22 activities for kids: mazes, coloring pages,seek-and-finds and more!
Age Range: 3 - 6
children are encouraged to grab a pencil, crayon or paintbrush and create colorful doodles- great for preschools, at home or on the go.

Special Offer Price $5.99
Click Here To Order

http://www.barefoot-books.com/us/site/pages/browseandbuy.php?catid=261&subcatid=628

Also on sale, another activity book:
Zig Zag Zebra - Paperback
22 Arty Activities for Creative Kids
The perfect way to fuel your child’s creativity!

Every child who is free to play at drawing is preparing to learn how to read and write at the same time. So, encourage the children in your life to draw, paint, color in, copy and doodle, and you will help them to develop their literacy skills along the way. Zig Zag Zebra contains 22 activities for kids: mazes, coloring pages, seek-and-finds and more!











Special Offer Price $5.99
Click To order:

http://www.barefoot-books.com/us/site/pages/productone.php?pid=2280