Barefoot Books: Make Story Time More Meaningful!

One of the best times I have with my kids is when I read to them. I love it when they’re in my lap, their eyes wide open and they’re taking in every word, every picture, and envisioning an entire world, all of their own. Unfortunately, between daycare and school, chores and everything else going on in our lives, the time to read together gets shorter and shorter. That is why I encourage my kids to pick out books that are going to give them the most out of our time together.

Barefoot Books is an independent children’s publishing company with which I am familiar with: I own Baby’s First Book by Claire Beaton – an adorable picture book that introduces a baby to basic words and concepts via rhymes and words and using pictures that are sewn with colorful fabrics, threads and buttons. My 3-year-old son received it as a gift and is still in love with it!

Needless to say, when I received books to review from Barefoot Books I was thrilled! Secret Seahorse, written by Stella Blackstone and illustrated by Claire Beaton, is appropriate for ages 1-7, so I read it to both my son and 5-year-old daughter. The gorgeous fabric collages add a lot to the relatively short, rhyming verse and expose children to a world of mermaids, shipwrecks and a cute little seahorse that hides on every page (my kids love looking for it every single time I read this book to them). The back section of the book contains a lot of information about sea horses, coral reefs and many other sea creatures and my daughter was fascinated to learn all about them. Our little story hour turned into a discussion about sea horses and other types of animals that live in the ocean.

The Faerie’s Gift, written by Tanya Robin Batt and illustrated by Nicoletta Ceccoli, is another stunningly visual book and is appropriate for ages 4-9. Both my children enjoyed it as well – the story was very easy to understand and the message was very clear. I was also happy to find a CD in the back of the book, with the beautiful narration of Niamh Cusack – perfect for when Mommy needs a little break. The story is about a poor woodcutter who saves a fairy and is thus granted one wish – but only one. He must therefore make a decision that will ultimately change his life, as well as his loved ones’.

My children and I found the books simply enchanting and they have quickly become favorites in our household. Story time with my kids has gotten just a little bit sweeter…

You can purchase Baby’s First Book for $19.99; Secret Seahorse for $6.99; The Faerie’s Gift for $17.99.

I was not compensated for this post. I received the two aforementioned books for review.

Dinosaur Train Books Encourage Kids To Learn!

My 5-year-old daughter is obsessed with ballerinas, fairies and princesses. She loves playing with her 3-year-old brother but naturally, she’s just not as into trains and cars as much as he is. She loves animals and I’m trying to teach her about dinosaurs, which is not as easy as teaching about animals that she can see live at the zoo. Dinosaur Train is an animated series on PBS from the Jim Henson Company and created by Craig Bartlett. The show uses computer-generated images and features stories about a family of dinosaurs that takes a train to go on all kinds of adventures and meets other types of dinosaurs. Although my kids are not familiar with the show, they were both excited when we received in the mail two Dinosaur Train books for review. It turns out that not only they loved the books, but also learned a thing or two about dinosaurs which made them even more curious to learn. Here are the books we received for review.

Dinosaur Campout

In this book a dinosaur family is going on a campout for the first time and one of the little ones is a bit scared. Throughout the story the reader learns all types of little factoids about dinosaurs and other animals, such as where they live and what they eat.

The book is available here for $3.99

Ride With Buddy – Penguin Young Readers, Level 2

This is a little story about Buddy, the T-Rex. There isn’t much plot in here, it’s more about getting kids to read and includes a lot of repetition. The book does, however, contain some description and facts about dinosaurs.

The book is available here for $3.99

The dinosaurs in the drawings are very cute and colorful and the stories are kid-appropriate and kid-friendly. My kids were happy reading (or being read to) and learning about dinosaurs and I was happy to watch them learn and see my daughter enjoy something that is not pink with wings, a tutu or a crown.

I was not compensated for this post. I received the two aforementioned books for review purposes.