Heidi Payne, Community Bookseller

Hi Everyone!

Welcome to my Marketplace - My Moose's Bookshelf, Barefoot Books. 

I LOVE books...I am a book fiend!  I was introduced to Barefoot Books a few years ago at the ECE Resource Centre where I worked at the time.  I loved them, they are some of the most beautiful children's books I have ever seen.  I thought they were great, loved the stories, the illustrations were beautiful, I enjoyed them.  Fast forward a few years and I discovered I could become a Barefoot Books Ambassador...I could operate my own business, and share these gorgeous books with other moms & educators.  Double bonus!
 
One of my earliest memories is of my mom reading to me every night before bed ... That memory is very special to me - that was our nightly routine, a constant as I grew up, one that   instilled in me, my love of reading.  As I grew older, I remember gauging the quality of the book by how big it was…the bigger the better.  I’m a bit more selective now.  I thank my mom for making the time to spend with me & sharing her love of books with me. I will be forever grateful for that time ... My mom gave me the gift of loving to read and the need to continually seek out knowledge and learning opportunities.  This is what I strive to pass onto my son.  At almost six years of age, he is well on his way to finding the adventure in the books he picks up.  I love the ebb and flow of reading stories and getting information from a book, while balancing it with exploring the world around us.  Music was also a constant as I grew up, and continues to be in my family's daily life...all types, signing and dancing.  I love how music intertwines so easily with stories, and makes early literacy concepts that much easier to soak up.

My educational background is Early Childhood Education, Developmental Services Work and Childhood & Family Relations ... Because of this; I fell in love with Barefoot instantly.  I believe that children learn about the world around them by exploring and actively interacting with their surroundings through day to day activities.  Barefoot Books opens up a child's world for them even more.  Inclusion, diversity, empathy and resilience are concepts that have been constant themes throughout my career.  Barefoot books have these concepts woven through their stories seamlessly. It is so refreshing to look through the pages, and see a child who uses a wheelchair pictured as a character in a book, without the book being about the fact that that child uses a wheelchair.  Simply amazing; a conversation opener; a teachable moment; beautiful.

I was immediately drawn to the cultural diversity shown in the books.  My husband and I have built our family through adoption.  Our hearts are forever connected to South Africa through our son.  Our lives have been changed forever – we have learned and grown in ways we could never imagine when we started the journey.  I like that these books highlight African culture as well as so many others.  I LOVE that when my son and I sit down to read a book, he is going to see characters who has beautiful brown skin like he does, and curly, curly dark hair.  That is important for us as parents, but even more important for him.  We have become very familiar with the African philosophy of UBUNTU ~ People are People through other People…this has been proven to us over and over again over the last few years.  We have met so many amazing people – our initial intention when deciding to adopt a child was to grow our family by 1, in actuality, we have grown it by at least 101!  This has even happened since I decided to become an Ambassador.  The connections and similarities I discovered I had with people I have met along the way - It makes me want to explore and expand this more.

For a while now, I've been working at making some changes in my career.  It is very important to me to make my own schedule and be available for my family.  My husband and I waited a long time to welcome a child into our lives, and I want to be available as much as possible to watch our son discover the world around him.  Becoming a Barefoot Books Ambassador is allowing me to do that.  I will have the flexibility to work at my business when it fits around the needs of my family.  I can make my own hours and if we have a family event to attend, I can work around that ... It's giving me the flexibility that works for my family.  I want my business to be a family operation.  The plan is to involve everyone in the day to day operations...help out unpacking, organizing orders, keeping me company at shows, and most importantly...my book reviewers!  I'm starting my business on a small scale, but I am getting more and more excited and motivated to share my Barefoot story.

Imagine, Explore, Create, Connect and Give Back…
As I become more familiar with this amazing company, I see how the Core Concepts of Barefoot Books reflect those of my own family and life. 

Thanks for visiting, I hope we can connect.  Please let me know if you have any questions.  I’d be happy to talk to anyone, anytime about these beautiful Barefoot books, Early Learning,   Adoption, Africa … well honestly … almost anything!

Heidi