French Children's Books: 5 Tips


L'ours au soleil

Bear in Sunshine Bilingual Edition

Take your first steps to speaking French with Bear! This bilingual edition teaches first French words for weather, phrases about different pastimes, simple sentence structure and key vocabulary. The story is supplemented by an easy vocabulary list at the end.
Ages 2 to 6 years
Written By: Stella Blackstone
Illustrated By: Debbie Harter

 $ 6.99 Paperback

 

L'ours dans un carré

Bear in a Square Bilingual Edition

Take your first steps to speaking French with Bear! This bilingual edition teaches first French words for shapes, how to count in French, simple sentence structure and key vocabulary. The story is supplemented by an easy vocabulary list at the end.
Ages 2 to 6 years
Written By: Stella Blackstone
Illustrated By: Debbie Harter
$ 6.99 Paperback
I think it's wonderful to know that Barefoot Books provides children's books that are available in Spanish as well as in French. 
 I found this great article online and wanted to share it with you.
French Children's Books: 5 Tips every parent must know before teaching French to their kids
 Thе following tips аrе generally accepted tips thаt hаνе bееn shown іn studies tο bе effective. Though еνеrу tip mау nοt necessarily fit уουr situation, mοѕt people agree thаt thе tips аrе extremely useful. Thе basic premise іѕ thаt уου mυѕt сrеаtе аn environment fοr exposure tο thе French language fοr thе child.
Read French children’s books tο уουr child. Reading thе language іѕ thе number one way tο ɡеt a ɡοοԁ handle οn thе language. Sіnсе children аrе young аnԁ thеу еnјοу children’s literature, French children’s books аrе a ɡrеаt resource tο hеƖр parents аnԁ children bеɡіn thе immersion process.
Bυу comic books аnԁ large French children’s books wіth pictures. Thеу аrе a ɡοοԁ way tο ѕtаrt. Several books thаt come іn different languages аrе available іn thе comic book style аnԁ thеrе аrе many entertaining picture books іn French аѕ well. Again, thіѕ assists wіth thе cultural immersion tο thе language аnԁ matching words wіth thеіr correlating pictures.
Bυу music thаt іѕ sung іn French. Hearing thе French language іn song  added onto thе reading οf French children’s books helps thе listener interpret thе words аnԁ connections tο οthеr French words.
Read websites аnԁ participate іn newsgroups thаt υѕе French. If уου familiarize yourself wіth websites thаt аrе written іn French, уου wіƖƖ bеɡіn tο recognize key words thаt аrе frequently used іn thе language аnԁ іt wіƖƖ bеɡіn tο become a раrt οf уουr vocabulary.
Play French tapes іn уουr car. If уου hаνе none, mаkе ѕοmе fοr yourself.  If уου hаνе a cd player, υѕе thаt. Again, a cd burner mау bе οf аѕѕіѕtаnсе οr even аn mp3 player. Yου саn actually read French children’s books aloud аnԁ tape yourself. Thеn listen tο thеm іn thе car whіƖе уου аrе driving. Thіѕ technique helps maximize thе time οf exposure without a concerted effort οn уουr раrt ѕіnсе thе work hаѕ already bееn done.

 http://www.educationalreferences.com/education-articles/french-childrens-books-5-tips-every-parent-must-know-before-teaching-french-to-their-kids/
 “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. Fortitude is for people who write with passion. http://fo.rtitu.de/1014
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Practice Your ABCs and 123s


It's almost time to get the pencils sharpened and the bags packed and ready for a new school year. For nervous new students worried about their first day, we've got the fabulous Ruby's School Walk. We've also got plenty of great books filled with ABCs and 123s to get students ready for the classroom, along with a lively new video of the classic singalong, Knick Knack Paddy Whack.


A multicultural band of children jam their way from one to ten in our latest video, Knick Knack Paddy Whack. Available in early August and sung by award-winning children's performer SteveSongs, this is a toe-tapping introduction to a range of different musical instruments. Paperback with Music CD $9.99  Order Online at:
My Market Place 

                       Practice Your ABCs and 123s 





                    Cleo's Alphabet Book Hardcover $15.99

 
                                                   Alligator Alphabet Board Book $7.99
 12P nd3s

C         Cleo's Counting Book - Board Book $6.99


                                       Counting Cockatoos Board Book $7.99


                   The Real Princess Paperback w/CD $9.99

 Shaker Alphabet Tot Tower $22.99


                                One Moose, Twenty Mice Paperback $6.99

Happy Shopping!
-- 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
I Write for Fortitude. Fortitude is for people who write with passion. http://fo.rtitu.de/1014
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Book: Just in Time for Back to School!


 Barefoot Books has a new book out... just in time for back to school!

Ruby’s School Walk

Join Ruby on her way to school and see the world her mom cannot see. In an old house, she spies bats with red eyes peering out and scary witches that flit about. And these aren’t the only dangers on her path: tigers, crocodiles and mighty beasts abound! "I must be brave, I must be strong," chants Ruby as she musters the nerve to scare them off; but will it work? 
 
 
 
Ages 4 to 7 years
Written By: Kathryn White
Illustrated By: Miriam Latimer



http://www.kathrynwhite.net/



Kathryn's books have been published on Little Tiger Press and Barefoot Books.


Kathryn has also written Click Clack The Crocodile's Back.


 Here Comes The Crocodile looks like a really good one. I think I will check this one out. I wasn't familiar with this author but I like what I'm seeing here.

Kathryn writes for babies- 6 years of age. She is very active with schools. Stop by her website and blog to learn more.

~ 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
I Write for Fortitude. Fortitude is for people who write with passion. http://fo.rtitu.de/1014
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Barefoot Books and the Barefoot Lifestyle Interview

 Rebecca Serle, writer and founder of Nurturing Narratives posted a wonderful article about Barefoot Books. Perhaps you will find some answers to your questions as Rebecca interviews Nancy Traversy the founder of Barefoot Books. Here' s the article in its entirety:
"When we think of publishing houses what comes to mind? Sharp downtown buildings, men and women in trim business apparel. Books, sure -- but an industry. I wanted to introduce you today to a different kind of publishing house, Barefoot Books. Downtown buildings? More like independent bookstores and homey living rooms. Business apparel? More like jeans and bare feet. Industry? Nah, community.

Barefoot Books is a small children's book publisher focused on a holistic experience of reading. In fact, co-founder and CEO Nancy Traversy often refers to her company as promoting a lifestyle, The Barefoot Lifestyle, which at the heart has a child. One whose feet are planted firmly on the ground, who is connected to nature, who understands community and who can travel the world -- through imagination and storytelling.

I had the privilege of meeting Nancy Traversy, co-founder and CEO of Barefoot Books, at a dinner a little over two years ago. We instantly connected over our shared love of children's books and all things story. Last week I caught up with Nancy to talk about her company, the way it has grown, and what is next for living Barefoot.

In your own words, what is Barefoot Books?
Gosh, there are so many different answers. On one level we are producers of books for children; on another we are really a community and a lifestyle. We're focused on honoring diversity, promoting creativity and nurturing children's imaginations. I suppose, in a nutshell, we're an independent children's publisher dedicated to creating beautiful books for children.

Why did you start Barefoot Books?
Well, Barefoot Books began 18 years ago as a home-based and very grassroots initiative. My background was in business and design and my partner, Tessa Strickland, came from an editorial career, having worked in adult publishing in big houses. We both had young families and shared a love of travel and world cultures. We also felt there was a gap in the market for books that placed equal importance on wonderful stories and beautiful and inspiring illustrations. Back then, children's publishers were often quite polarized, catering either to the school and library market, with strong educational content, or the mass retail market, with plenty of licensed characters and gimmicks. We wanted to create books that were beautiful, which told imaginative and important stories, and which also introduced young children to the wonderful world we live in. And so Barefoot Books was born!

I know community is a gigantic part of The Barefoot Lifestyle. Can you talk a bit about that?
When we first started both Tessa and I had very young children. We began with a grassroots philosophy and a belief that we needed to connect. Barefoot has always been more than a just publisher making and selling books, perhaps because there is a core set of values that underpins everything we do. We believe strongly in the importance of creating a global network of individuals who share these values. And since we started nearly two decades ago we have always sought to connect more closely with the parents, the teachers and the children who buy and read our books.
However, in the very traditional publishing industry, we've struggled to work out exactly how to do that, mainly because of the reliance on a lot of middlemen -- large wholesalers, powerful retail chains -- which separate us from our customers. We also felt like many publishing houses tended to be ivory towers. Who knows what goes on up there?
So we did things a little differently than most other publishers, always trying to think out of the box and find new ways to raise awareness about our books and our ideas. When we opened our first flagship store in Cambridge we asked customers to read our new manuscripts or look at new artists and tell us what they thought. In exchange for their input they got a free book. I think our customers feel empowered to be a part of what we are doing and that's really our main goal: to connect people and create a community.

Which I'm sure had a lot to do with your decision to not sell to big chain stores.
Yes. As a small publisher with a story behind each of our books -- and also our own story to tell -- it was challenging to play the large chain game. We also felt that there is so much waste in the traditional publishing distribution channels and, being environmentally conscious, that didn't feel right to us. So we decided to pull out of the big book chains about five years ago.
We now work with partners -- independent retailers, schools and libraries -- who share Barefoot's values and who like our books too! And last year, we launched our new Ambassador program which is a global network of people and organizations who market and sell Barefoot in their local communities and online.

What's next for Barefoot Books?
Lots of exciting things are on the immediate horizon. We are exploring how we can bring our books to life through digital media in a way that adds fun and educational value for children and, of course, encourages reading. We also want as many children as possible to "grow up Barefoot" so we are developing more early readers and young fiction for older kids. Finally, we are committed to keeping a high caliber of art and design as a central part of our offer for kids of all ages, although this is unusual for books for older children.
Our big picture dream is to continue to grow our Ambassador program and create a grassroots, global community of people who are all living Barefoot.

I always say it's a shame picture books get such a bad rep. Illustrations are tough to sell older kids on!
It's true, so we're working on just how to package them and how to allow our art to evolve with our readers. This always makes me think of a story from when my daughter was nine. She was reading one of our books and her teacher made a big fuss about her being too old to read books with pictures. My daughter felt bad about it for a long time and it really got me. Why should children stop looking at pictures just because they are old enough to read themselves? Barefoot will always be about story and art.

Can you give us three of your personal favorite Barefoot Books?

The Animal Boogie, illustrated by Debbie Harter.
The Story Tree, retold by Hugh Lupton, illustrated by Sophie Fatus.
The Boy Who Grew Flowers, written by Jen Wojowicz, illustrated by Steve Adams.

 I so much enjoyed reading about this great interview and hope you did, too. For for information on becoming a Barefoot books Ambassador yourself, please visit my site at:
http:/ladyd.barefootbooks.com

Thanks and Happy 4th!
-- 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
I Write for Fortitude. Fortitude is for people who write with passion. http://fo.rtitu.de/1014
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