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Living Barefoot Blog

  1. How her own struggle with anxiety inspired Rebecca Gardyn Levington’s book ‘Whatever Comes Tomorrow’

    Rebecca Gardyn Levington is a children’s book author, poet and journalist with a particular penchant for penning both playful and poignant picture books and poems – primarily in rhyme. Rebecca’s award-winning poems and articles have appeared in numerous anthologies, newspapers and magazines. Her new picture book, Whatever Comes Tomorrow is about learning how to deal with worries, no matter what tomorrow brings, and is based on her own struggle with anxiety.

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  2. Wishing you a wonderful new year!

    The Barefoot Home Office Team Holiday Photo

    Dear Friends,

    As another year comes to a close, I am immensely grateful to reflect on the 30th anniversary of Barefoot Books. Reaching this milestone is especially meaningful as an independent, women-run company that has had its fair share of ups and downs, but has always come out stronger on the other side.

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  3. 10 Kids’ Books for World Kindness Day

    Two kids lay on the floor looking at a book

    Celebrate kindness in all its forms!

    These top ten titles inspire children to be kind to themselves, to others and to our planet.

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  4. Gratitude Activity for Kids: Make an Ubuntu Collage

    Kids and an adult holding raised hands in a circle

    This empathy-building activity is from the Global Kids activity deck, written by Homa Sabet Tavangar and illustrated by Sophie Fatus.

    Ubuntu is an important idea in South Africa. The word comes from the Zulu language and refers to the bond that connects all people.

    It is often translated as, “I am because we are.” The practice of Ubuntu means caring about the needs of others by being kind, helpful and generous. Ubuntu reminds us that we are all connected!

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  5. The true story behind Sheetal Sheth’s book ‘Making Happy’

    Community Booksellers standing with Barefoot CEO Nancy

    Sheetal Sheth is an award-winning actress, author, producer and activist. She focuses on traditionally marginalized communities in all of her work and is a fierce advocate for thoughtful representation. Her picture book Making Happy is based on her experience battling cancer as the parent of young children. We asked her to share the true story behind this hopeful and heartwarming book.

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  6. 2022 Barefoot Retreat: Book fair games, author signings, yoga and more!

    Community Booksellers standing with Barefoot CEO Nancy

    After two long years, we were finally able to gather with our Community Booksellers for the 2022 Barefoot Retreat!

    We had a lot of fun, and we were so grateful to connect with this community in-person again. The weekend was full of engaging activities and sessions, meaningful discussions and lots of community connection. Keep reading to see some of the highlights!

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  7. Teacher’s Pick: How Stephanie from PA used ‘The Book Tree’ in her classroom

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    Below is a blog post created from a submission sent in by Stephanie Conrad, a Montessori Teacher and Summer Program Director from Pennsylvania who created a book festival at her school based on The Book Tree, written by Paul Czajak and illustrated by Rashin Kheiriyeh.

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  8. 8 Best books about father figure relationships

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    From a father and son who cross the Mexico-US border to a haiku story told by a father-son duo, our top picks celebrate father figures and other valuable family relationships.

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  9. Meet our author Wafa' Tarnowska on her book tour

    Meet our award-winning author Wafa' Tarnowska!

    Next week, Nour’s Secret Library author Wafa’ Tarnowska will join us from the United Kingdom for her US book tour! We’re so excited to have such a talented and experienced author visiting some of our favorite independent bookstores and public libraries on this side of the pond. We hope that you can all come out, say hi and learn more about Nour’s Secret Library and Wafa’ herself.

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  10. Preventing summer learning loss is easier than you think

    You’ve probably heard that summer reading is important, but you might be surprised to learn just how much of an impact it has.

    Studies tell us that school-age children lose an average of one month of school learning over the summer, with some children losing up to three months of school learning. Why? The simple answer: they don’t read enough.

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