Matt Harvey: Official Poet in Residence of the 2010 Wimbledon Championships

Matt Harvey, author of Shopping with Dad, is the Official Poet in Residence of the 2010 Wimbledon Championships where he'll be writing about 'the grass, umpires, people having their first Wimbledon strawberries, line judges, day dreams, pressure, Fred Perry's statue, the roof, the falcon and the queue.' We love his poem 'Thwok' which captures tennis in all its onamatopoeic splendour!

Here is Poem: Thwok!

thwok
a game in the life

bounce bounce bounce bounce
thwackety wackety zingety ping
hittety backety pingety zang
wack, thwok, thwack, pok, ,
thwikety, thwekity, thwokity, thwakity
cover the court with alarming alacrity
smackety dink, smackety dink
boshety bashity crotchety crashety
up loops a lob with a teasing temerity
leaps in the air in defiance of gravity
puts it away with a savage severity
coupled with suavity
nice
15-love
(reaches for towel with a certain serenity)

bounce, bounce, bounce, bounce
thwack, thwok, plak, plok
come to the nettety
bit of a liberty
quickly regrettety
up goes a lobbity
hoppety skippety
awkwardly backwardly
slippety trippety
tumble & sprawl
audible gasps…
15-all
(opponent asks how is he?
courtesy, nice to see
getting up gingerly
brushity thighsity
all, if you’re asking me
bit big-girls-blousity)

bounce bounce bounce
whack, thwok, plik, plok
into the corner, then down the linety
chasety downity, whackety backety
all on the runnity, crossety courtety
dropety vollety – quality, quality…
… oh I say what impossible gettery
no, umpirical rulery – nottety uppity –
oooh – doesn’t look happety
back to the baseline
muttery muttery muttery muttery
30-15

bounce, bounce, bounce,
thwacketty OUT
bounce, bounce, bounce,
thwacketty BLEEP
2nd serve
bounce, bounce, bounce,
thwacketty – slappity
thwackety thumpity
dinkety-clinkety, gruntity-thumpity
clinkety
thump!
30-all
fistety pumpety, fistety pumpety COME ON!

quiet please
bounce, bounce, bounce,
thwacketty thwoketty
bashetty boshetty
clashety closhety
OUT!
what?
lookaty linety, lookaty line-judge
line judge nodity
wearily query
umpire upholdery, indicate inchery
insult to injury
give line-judge scrutiny
face full of mutiny,
40-30
back to the baseline
through gritted teethery
muttery mutiny mutiny muttery

bounce bounce bounce
thwak, thwok, thwak, plok
thwakety plik, thwoketty plak
to-ity fro-ity fro-ity to-ity
slowity quickety quickety slowity
turnety headety, headety turnity
leftety rightety leftety rightety
seems like we’ve been here a bloomin eternity
rightety leftety rightety leftety
topety spinnety, backhandy slicety
lookety watchety, scratchety bottity
fabulous forehand, backhandy slicety
furious forehand, savagely slicety
fearsome ferocity, vicious velocity
bilious backhand – blasted so blistery…
…half a mile out but that line judge is history
OOOWWWWWWWWT!

GAME
new balls please

Have you heard this poem before? Now you can listen to it at:
Poem

Read more of Matt Harvey!
http://www.wimbledon.org/en_GB/news/blogs/Wimblewords.html

Follow him on twitter @wimbledonpoet.

“You can’t get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me.” — C. S. Lewis

My Family from WiddlyTinks.com I Write For Fortitude! http://fo.rtitu.de/1014

Special Deal with All Orders of $35.00 - Free Shipping

Starting today, June 23 - June 27th Sunday night, your $35.00 order of Barefoot Books will have a free shipping offer for you just for the next few days. I hope you'll take advantage of this sweet sale from Barefoot Books! I plan to take advantage of this opportunity and just wanted to share the good news with you! There are new hardcover, paperback with story cd books on sale. You will want to take a look at the bunny and hedgehog puppets as well.

Happy Shopping!

Click on banner or visit my market place.

“You can’t get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me.” — C. S. Lewis

My Family from WiddlyTinks.com

Forest Friendly Books

Cover of "The Magic School Bus: Lost in t...

Cover via Amazon

I happened to come across an excellent article that I wanted to share with you!

"Just in time for summer reading, we have released a list of 25 children’s books that are “rainforest-safe.” All books are printed on post-consumer recycled, FSC certified or recycled paper, allowing parents the assurance of knowing that their childrens’ books are not contributing to the loss of Indonesia’s or other endangered rainforests. The ‘rainforest-safe’ books list demonstrates that the publishing industry can build on the environmental commitments and progress it has already made and ensure kid’s and all books are rainforest safe."

Rainforest-safe books are not only possible; they are already being produced.
Rainforest Safe Books

Title	Author	Paper Info
365 Ways to Live Green For Kids	Sheri Amsel	Printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper
The New 50 Simple Things Kids Can Do to Save the Earth	The EarthWorks Group	Printed on recycled paper with soy ink
The Lorax	Dr. Seuss	Printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper
Whole World Fun Eco Activities	Christopher Corr	Printed on 100% recycled paper
Bag in the Wind	Ted Kooser	Printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper
Earth Matters	David De Rothschild	Printed on FSC certified paper
The Day the Trash Came Out to Play	David M. Beadle	Printed on recycled, chlorine- and acid-free paper
An Environmental Guide from A to Z	Tim Magner	Printed on a mix of post-consumer recycled paper and FSC certified paper
The Earth Book	Todd Parr	Printed on recycled paper with soy ink
The Curious Garden	Peter Brown	Printed on recycled paper
It's Earth Day	Mercer Mayer	Printed on recycled content
Curious George Plants A Tree	H. A. Rey	Printed on FSC certified paper with soy ink
The Tree	Dana Lyons	Printed on recycled paper
Planting the Trees of Kenya: The Story of Wangari Maathai	Claire A. Nivola	Printed on recycled paper
I Love Animals Giant Activity Book	N/A	Printed on recycled paper with soy ink
Bunny's Garden (Pat the Bunny)	Golden Books	Printed using recycled materials and soy ink
Winston of Churchill: One Bear's Battle Against Global Warming	Jean Davies Okimoto	Printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper
Planet Earth: Up Close	Murrie, Steve, & Matt	Printed on recycled paper
The Magic School Bus and the Climate Challenge	Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen	Printed with 100% recovered fiber 50% of which is post-consumer
Trees for the Okapis	Jorge Aguirre	Printed on 100% post-consumer recycled paper with soy ink
SpongeBob to the Rescue!	Alison Inches	Printed on recycled Paper
Adventures of Riley: Tigers in Terai	Amanda Lumry	Printed on FSC certified paper
Nature Discovery in My Backyard	Rebecca Mattano	Printed on 100% post-consumer recycled, chlorine-free paper
Go Green With Me	Rebecca Mattano and Kristen Collier	Printed on 100% post-consumer recycled, chlorine-free paper
Woodland Counting Book	Claudia McGehee	Printed on recycled acid-free paper

“You can’t get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me.” — C. S. Lewis

My Family from WiddlyTinks.com

Make Money with Fortitude

Fortitude is a new online magazine that I have a good feeling about. I was impressed from the beginning and immediately signed up for a one year membership. Fortitude is very similar to Qondio in that you write articles and submit them for everyone to read, but what makes it different is that on Fortitude you get paid for what you write.

Now for every article that hits the front page, Fortitude will pay writers between $10 and $100 for articles/poems or essays that make their front page. Fortitude magazine offers quality content provided by its community of writers that is voted for by its community. Visit their site:
http://fo.rtitu.de
Writing is something I absolutely love to do and hope to get better at. I took the first step in trying to create “Front Page” quality articles and posted my submission. I was delighted to see that my article The Three R's of Singing was on the Front Page of Fortitude's "Launch Day", June 7th! Wow, right away I had made money back from my initial investment! It is definitely true! Fortitude is paying members for contributing content. My Front Page Article
So what will you write about? Any content can be submitted. It can be an article, a short story, an essay, or even a rant. Also any topic is acceptable as long as the content is original, written by you, and hasn't been published anywhere.
Besides publishing pieces, you are also getting paid for reviewing other members' works and pieces. The review process is simple and straight-forward. You read a member's submission and based on your own judgment, select a score of 1 - 10 and your review is completed. Each review you have completed will earn you $0.02.
Fortitude has an excellent Affiliate Program, too!
Signing up for a full account in Fortitude costs $1.99 per month but if you just want to take part in the affiliate program, you can just sign up for a Scout Account (affiliate account) completely free to promote Fortitude and earn commission.
Residual Rates
You will be paid $1 in instant cash for every piece published on the Front Page by any user you referred to Fortitude, for life.
This is a great home business opportunity. I hope you will join our active community of writers!
Learn More on How To Make Money with Fortitude
“You can’t get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me.” — C. S. Lewis

My Family from WiddlyTinks.com

Barefoot Books and Cultural Care: 455 Books to St. Mary's

Barefoot Books teamed up with Cultural Care to provide new books for St Mary's, after the school was devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

What happens when elementary children in New Orleans whose school was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, receive new Barefoot books? Take a look at this video and watch the excitement unfold! Through our partnership with Cultural Care Au Pair, hundreds of children received new Barefoot books for their school library. While the school has been rebuilt, there was very little money left over for new books. Now the shelves are stocked and the children and teachers are extremely grateful and are already enjoying some wonderful reads.

Cultural Care donates 455 books to St. Mary's Elementary School Library

Caitlin Corcoran, Director of Cultural Care's Au Pair Training School, visited St. Mary's school in New Orleans in May of 2010 to present the school librarian, Michelle Hudson, and some of St. Mary's first-graders with 16 sample books from Barefoot Books.

Applause, applause to Barefoot Books and Cultural Care for their wonderful donation of children's books to a very worthy cause!

“You can’t get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me.” — C. S. Lewis

My Family from WiddlyTinks.com

A Girl Goes Shopping with Dad

Share a Barefoot Book with Dad on Sunday, June 20th.

Shopping with Dad
Hardcover $16.99
Sale: $15.99
New Paperback Available-$7.99 I am so pleased this children's book is now soft cover.

Shopping with Dad

Venture to the grocery store with this father-daughter duo on a very lively shopping trip. As their cart swings down the aisles, the pair create minor calamity left and right. The rhyming, bouncy text teaches an important lesson about accidents and responsibility, all with a healthy dose of humor.

Ages 3 to 7 years
Written By: Matt Harvey
Illustrated By: Miriam Latimer

My Daddy is a Pretzel
Hardcover $16.99
Sale: $15.99

My Daddy is a Pretzel

Yoga for Parents and Kids

Twist your way into this story that introduces both yoga and professions. The nine yoga poses show how the practice of yoga relates to everyday life, and encourages readers to stretch both their bodies and their minds. There are tips about practice and preparation, yoga life, and having the right attitude.

For all ages
Written By: Baron Baptiste
Illustrated By: Sophie Fatus

I have found this children's book about yoga to be a favorite with the Wellness Spa!

Shrinking Sam
Hardcover $16.99
New Paperback available-$7.99 I am delighted to see this child's book available in soft cover, too.

Shrinking Sam

Find out what happens when Sam wakes up and finds that he's shrinking! No one will listen to him but his pencil is the size of a crocodile and one pea fills his whole tummy at dinner. This quirky story addresses the woes of a middle child, who is in need of a little attention.

Ages 3 to 7 years
Written By: Miriam Latimer

Bear's Busy Family
Board Book $6.99
Sale: $5.99

Bear's Busy Family

Meet the rest of Bear's family and learn about all of their busy activities. Smell, touch, taste and sound are all familiarized in this rhyming text, and there is a full spread family tree at the end.

Ages 2 to 6 years
Written By: Stella Blackstone
Illustrated By: Debbie Harter
Don't forget Father's Day! Find out what happens when a particularly lively little girl goes "Shopping with Dad".

You can catch the sale and order children's books online:
http://ladyd.barefootbooks.com

“You can’t get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me.” — C. S. Lewis

My Family from WiddlyTinks.com

Barefoot Books: Honors and Awards

Three Titles Recognized for Stimulating the Imagination and Promoting Positive Change

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., June 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Barefoot Books, the independent children's publisher, today announced that it has received gold medals from the Nautilus Book Awards and the IPPY Awards for outstanding children's books and activities. Gold Nautilus Book Awards were given to two Barefoot titles: Little Leap Forward: A Boy in Beijing by Guo Yue & Clare Farrow, and illustrated by Helen Cann; and The Barefoot Book of Earth Tales, by Dawn Casey, and illustrated by Anne Wilson. A gold IPPY Award was given to Kids' Garden: 40 Fun Indoor and Outdoor Activities and Games by Whitney Cohen, Life Lab Science Program, and illustrated by Roberta Arenson. The awards were announced at the BookExpo America trade show and conference last week in New York City.
The Nautilus Book Awards recognize titles that promote conscious living and positive social change, offering readers new possibilities for a better life and a better world. Earth Tales, honored for best children's picture book, helps children learn about the earth through engaging folk tales and related crafts from different cultures, including India and Nigeria. Little Leap Forward, which won in the Fiction Teen category, is a story of the author's childhood in Beijing that brings the Cultural Revolution alive in a way that is unforgettable for young readers.
The IPPY Awards, presented by IndependentPublisher.com, attracted nearly 900 entries this year. The Kids' Garden activity deck was selected to win in the Children's Interactive Category. The 40 laminated activity cards with colorful collage artwork provide easy and fun follow-along activities for gardening projects such as planting a pizza garden, collecting seeds in socks, and creating paper pots. The activities provide a great way for budding green-thumbed gardeners to plant, investigate, learn and experiment.
"We are excited and honored to have received these gold medal awards for three of our titles that teach children about the world through engaging stories and activities," said Barefoot Books Co-founder and Editor-in-Chief, Tessa Strickland. "We started Barefoot Books nearly twenty years ago to offer children books that would feed the imagination while instilling a respect for diversity and a love of the planet. We are so pleased to be recognized as a publisher that is providing timeless stories, captivating art and earth-friendly activities for our young audience."
More information about the awards can be found at:
http://www.nautilusbookawards.com/2010_GOLD_AWARD_WINNERS.html
http://www.independentpublisher.com/article.php?page=1362
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/barefoot-books-honored-with-awards-for-best-childrens-books-and-activities-95316679.html
About Barefoot Books
Barefoot Books is an independent publisher, with offices in Cambridge, USA and Bath, UK, that specializes in carefully crafted books, gifts and digital content that help children on their journey to becoming happy, engaged members of the global community. Since 1992, Barefoot Books has published more than 400 titles that use timeless stories and captivating illustrations to tap into the wisdom of many cultures, while never forgetting that childhood is a time for fun. Barefoot Books are available online, through booksellers, its retail stores in Concord, Massachusetts and FAO Schwarz in New York City, and its community of Ambassadors. For more information, including free digital content for families, visit:
http://ladyd.barefootbooks.com

Kids' Garden

40 fun outdoor activities and games

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
Written By: Whitney Cohen
Illustrated By: Roberta Arenson
$19.99

Little Leap Forward

A Boy In Beijing

Experience this coming-of-age tale that brings to life the time of the Cultural Revolution. A young boy growing up in the hutongs of China discovers the heartache of loving and having to let go when he captures a bird, only to discover that she will not sing in confinement. The first in Barefoot Books' Young Fiction line, this story also includes beautiful full-color illustrations.

Ages 8 and up
Written By: Guo Yue, Clare Farrow
Illustrated By: Helen Cann
$16.99

The Barefoot Book of Earth Tales

Learn how different cultures around the world set out to live in harmony with the natural world. The seven folk tales are each followed by a hands-on activity that promotes green living and reinforces the eco-messages of the stories.

Ages 5 to 11 years
Compiled By: Dawn Casey
Illustrated By: Anne Wilson
$19.99

These quality children's books and deck cards can be purchased online at:
http://ladyd.barefootbooks.com

Congratulations Barefoot Books with gold medals from Nautilus Book Awards and Ippy Awards!
~ LadyD
“You can’t get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me.” — C. S. Lewis

My Family from WiddlyTinks.com

Win a $100.00 Gift Certificate to Bella Luna Toys!

Sarah Baldwin has sponsored several giveaways on various other blogs in recent months. Now Bella Luna Toys is excited to be offering its first giveaway right here at home on Sarah's website:
http://blog.bellalunatoys.com/

I love Sarah Balwin's Moonchild Blog. You will find many educational and informative articles there. Plus you will want to spend some time viewing photos of Sarah's book store and toy store. Being a Barefoot Books Ambassador myself and a piano teacher here in California, I am passionate about children's literature and music education. I highly recommend Sarah Balwin's site to you and her quality products she has to offer with Bella Luna Toys.

Who is Sarah Baldwin?

She is a Waldorf early childhood teacher, mom to two boys, author, and owner of Bella Luna Toys. And she has written a great book!

Nurturing Children and Families: One Model of a Waldorf Parent/Child Program
by Sarah Baldwin (owner of Bella Luna Toys)

Before the publication of this volume, no books and very few printed resources existed for those seeking to start a Waldorf parent/child class or playgroup. This book describes a personal journey and serves as a practical guide for anyone wishing to start a such a group. It is full of details on "how to" and "how not to," while stressing that there is not one correct way of doing things. The extensive appendix includes resources such as stories appropriate for ages 1-3; snacktime recipes; and lists of helpful books and mail-order suppliers of all things Waldorf.
About The Giveaway!

Better yet, you can increase your odds of winning by submitting four or more entries!
For your first entry, visit Bella Luna Toys and take a look at our favorite classic toys, and our new products. Then leave a comment below telling us what you love most about Waldorf toys, wooden toys, or natural toys, and why you choose them for your children.
For a second entry, sign up for Bella Luna Toys email newsletter. Not only will you get an extra chance to win, but you will also receive advance notice of subscriber-only sales, discounts and new product announcements. Then return here and leave the comment “Subscribed to newsletter.”
For a third entry, subscribe to Moon Child to receive blog updates by email, and follow my musings on childhood, play and Waldorf education. Then leave the comment: “Subscribed to blog.”
For even more ways to enter, mention this giveaway on your own blog, tweet about it on Twitter, or become a new fan on Facebook. Get an extra entry for each of these activities. Leave a separate comment for each. Be sure to include a link to your blog post, your Twitter name, or a note saying “New Facebook Fan.”
The winner will be chosen randomly from all entries received on Monday, June 7 at 9:00 a.m. EST.

Here is an item that I would love to give to my grandsons! I guess I would need 3 of them!

Wooden Hybrid Car

Made of thick native Maine white pine and sanded to a satin smooth finish, that feels "soft" to the touch. With two-inch diameter hardwood wheels, this wooden toy car comes with two removable people.
Simple enough to encourage a child's imagination, but rugged enough provide years of use!
7" long. Ages 3 and up.
$13.25
A very special giveaway, indeed!
http://blog.bellalunatoys.com/
“You can’t get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me.” — C. S. Lewis

My Family from WiddlyTinks.com

Barefoot Books: Media Attention

Barefoot Books has been getting great attention from the media lately!

I just wanted to let the online community know about the exciting things that are happening with Barefoot Books.

In Concord, Barefoot Books brings color to Depot area

By Patrick Ball/Staff Writer

GateHouse News Service

Concord —

Sitting in her colorful, cartoon-like throne inside her new store on Thoreau Street, Concord resident Nancy Traversy feels like things are coming full circle for Barefoot Books, a publishing company that’s never done things by the book.
Industry insiders told her Barefoot Books’ artistic children’s books about Isis and Orpheus were too high-brow, and that successful publishing companies built brands around authors and titles, not themselves.
That was 18 years ago. These days, Traversy said, the stars have aligned for the publishing company she co-founded with Tessa Strickland in 1992 and ran out of her London flat.
“When I say we’re multicultural, people get it. When I say we’re a green publisher, they appreciate it. And I feel like people are going back to the simpler kind of family activities,” said Traversy, Barefoot’s CEO. “And I feel kind of vindicated. Now it’s all about the brand. You have to brand yourself because consumers call the shots. So if you don’t have a brand that says something, you’re stuck.”
When she says things have come full circle, Traversy means she’s bringing the brand back home. Only now she lives in Concord, not far from the flagship Barefoot Books store she just opened on Thoreau Street.
The brightly colored and richly decorated bookstore features Barefoot’s more than 400 titles, puppets, puzzles games and dress-ups. A storyteller’s throne is on one side of the register and a storyteller’s caravan is on the other. Through the caravan is the reading room, where brightly colored tables and chairs offer space for meetings, workshops, birthday parties, music and classes.
“I want it to be something where we can offer something back to the community, a place people can gather,” Traversy said of the 2,000 square-foot destination bookstore and community center. “They can grab coffee from Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts, and I don’t care if they bring it in my store, and they can sit and watch their kids come in and get lost in something magical.”

Being Barefoot
Barefoot Books is an independent children’s book publisher with offices in Bath, U.K., and Cambridge, where the flagship store used to be located. They also have a boutique at FAO Schwarz in Manhattan.
“I loved Cambridge,” Traversy said, “But it wasn’t my community, and it wasn’t enough space to do events properly. The parking was terrible, and the Cambridge demographic skews a little younger, and they move out to the suburbs and never really get Barefoot.”
Barefoot is about exploration, inclusion and authenticity. It’s about publishing books with layers and high-quality art to match. And it’s about connecting with the community instead of being corporate.
“We’re about inclusion and commonalities in different cultures,” said Traversy. “Authenticity is really important to us. We don’t want to dumb down to kids, but we don’t do any nonfiction. We believe in storytelling; Barefoot is really about imagination.”
They take one-offers about princesses and build them into anthologies. They tackle Arthurian tales and “Arabian Nights” and seek out experts so the illustrations are suited to the subject matter. But Barefoot’s bestseller remains “Animal Boogie,” a book that came out of a song Tarversy’s kids were singing one day.
The most radical thing about Barefoot is how they sell the books.
Years ago, Traversy pulled out of the big chain stores, and now they have an “Ambassador” program through which 4,000 individuals sign up and sell Barefoot books however they want — be it at farmers markets, house parties, book fairs or small stores.
“I got to the point with the chains that it was so stressful, and I’ve been doing this so long that I wanted to work with the people I liked and who appreciate what we do,” Traversy said. “And I know those people are out there. Ultimately, my goal is to bring any kind of retailer into this model, but it’s going to take time.”
Barefoot Books, at 89 Thoreau St., will hold its grand-opening celebration beginning Friday, June 4. Barefoot will donate a portion of the proceeds from the opening weekend to the Concord Education Fund.