In Turning a Memoir Into a Picture Book

Ryan Rae Harbuck’s award-winning debut memoir When I Grow Up I Want to Be a Chair offers a keen look into her life after a spinal cord injury in her teens made her a wheelchair user. She’s on a mission to change the narrative of disability, one word at a time. Her new picture book with the same name as her memoir, When I Grow Up I Want to be a Chair, follows Vo, a young girl figuring out who she wants to be.

“Let me know if you’d ever be up for writing a children’s book based off of your memoir!” A moment of pure happenstance from a senior editor at Barefoot stirred something inside of me.

It’s safe to say that I wrote it that very day.

But turning a memoir with themes of grief and overcoming trauma into a story meant for kids should be harder to write, right?

That’s just the thing, though, I think that story had been sitting in me, idly, waiting for the chance to come out. Waiting quietly for nearly 30 years.

Having been paralyzed by a car accident

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 planning to make the trip, receiving special gifts from those who return after Hajj. Over time, this shapes our understanding of worship, sacrifice, and the vast, tender embrace

Expanding Access to Inclusive, Bilingual Books: Our New Partnership with Reach Out and Read

We’re thrilled to share some exciting news! Barefoot Books has been named a preferred vendor for Reach Out and Read, a national nonprofit that’s redefining early childhood health and literacy by integrating reading into pediatric care.

For over 30 years, Reach Out and Read has partnered with pediatric clinicians to transform routine checkups into powerful opportunities for connection and learning. During well-child visits, doctors and nurses share books and guidance with families, helping them nurture early literacy skills and strong caregiver-child bonds from the very start.

Through this new partnership, Barefoot’s vibrant, culturally reflective, and bilingual books will reach millions of families across more than 6,500 Reach Out and Read clinics in all 50 states.

“At Barefoot, we believe that books have the power to change the world,” said Nancy Traversy, CEO and Co-Founder of Barefoot Books. “Every

Some Days I’m the Wind: My Illustration Process and the Concept Behind the Art

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

All Thanks to an Acorn

The Remembering Candle: Conjuring Delight

The Sleeping Bag Story and Fictionalizing Fragments of Memory

Kwesi and Nana Ruby Learn to Swim: From Water to Paper

How to Help Kids Navigate Strong Emotions with Art