I stumbled across my first Barefoot Book while browsing at a children’s store in the Ghent neighborhood of Norfolk, Virginia. Ghent has some of my favorite places on earth, including Dumar’s Drive-In where fresh made waffle cones are baked and rolled on the same machine invented and built by Abe Doumar in 1905. They are delicious! I love to get the sundaes that have crushed cones as a topping!
My son was just a little one when I was wandering through The White Rabbit. I’ve always got an eye out for dragons. I love dragons. My son loves dragons. One of my besties loves dragons. So when I caught sight of Herb, The Vegetarian Dragon displayed on a shelf, I bee lined it right over.
The bold yet whimsical innocent style perfectly complimented the story of a peace-loving vegetarian dragon who stands up for what he believes in and stays true to his values, even in the stickiest of situations. The story and art already had me hooked, but then I found Sir Paul McCartney quoted on the back cover. My favorite Beatle! Sir Paul thinks Herb is "A magical read for all new thinkers young and old." He says, "Herb's story tells the tale of the future."
Sir Paul knows his stories like he knows his music. Every single Barefoot Books story my son and me have read has been magical. I love the way a Barefoot Books story sets your imagination on fire and brings you back to read again and again.
My favorite Barefoot Book, The Boy Who Grew Flowers, was often my son's bedtime story choice when he was younger. I never tired of reading it aloud. As my son grew older, he still selected this book from time to time to read together. The words and art always lift my spirits and make me smile.
My son recently turned 18. He has been reading on an adult level for several years now, but he still finds magic is his favorite stories from his childhood. He once told me one of the most important things about Barefoot Books was how they helped him learn to read. When he was first learning to read independently, he enjoyed returning to favorites he had as a toddler and challenging himself to read the actual words. What a pleasure it was see him discovering new stories, sharing his love of written language and hearing the joy in his voice as he read aloud! He also loves how almost every story either teaches an important lesson, offers a pathway to a difficult conversation, or simply brings you joy and happiness to read it.
Times are long past when my son would snuggle up with me and read books, but I still love all the stories and resources I gathered before he was born and during his childhood and I have never parted with them. The truth is I can’t stop myself from adding more resources to My Little Library that is already bursting at the seams with Books, Games, Puppets, Toys, Arts & Crafts, and who knows what else because I am still in the process of cataloging all of it!
I’ve even received donations of Barefoot Books and other educational resources to My Little Library which now lives (for the most part) at The Healing Arts Center of the Eastern Shore in Berlin, Maryland. Join me there, here online, or at my next pop-up library experience! I have infinite more stories to share and enjoy!
