Research, Reconcile, Repeat: When Sources Don’t Agree

Dr. Laura Gehl is the award-winning author of more than fifty books for young readers, including picture books, board books, lift-the-flap books, and early readers. Her new Barefoot titles Bunnies Know & Grow and Puppies Know & Grow launch the Baby Animals series and follow young animals as they develop.

Often, when I visit schools, kids ask me, “What was the hardest part of writing this book?” For some books, I don’t have a simple answer. But if kids ask me the hardest part of writing these little nonfiction board books about bunnies and puppies, I will know exactly what to tell them. The hardest part of writing these books was that my research sources often did not agree with one another!

For example: When I was researching Bunnies Know and Grow, I had one source that said newborn bunnies open their

Zamzam for Everyone – A Child’s Hajj, A Universal Muslim Story

Razeena Omar Gutta is an acclaimed children’s book author known for her bright and joyful picture books centering young Muslim characters. Her new picture book, Zamzam for Everyone, is her third picture book published with Barefoot Books, and follows a young girl as she experiences Hajj for the first time.

“To place this book in the hands of Muslim children across the world is to connect them with a heritage that spans centuries. And for non-Muslim readers this is a chance to glimpse the beauty and humanity of the sacred journey of Hajj.”

For many Muslims, Hajj is a story we hear about before we can fully comprehend it. It is a sacred journey woven into our earliest memories – watching Tawaaf around the Kaaba on TV or YouTube, visiting friends or family

Poetry, Picture Books, and the Power of Feelings: A Conversation with Rebecca Gardyn Levington

A New, Wide-Lens Look at Bird Migration