by Guest Blogger, Maytal Wichman
Reading to my children is one of my favorite activities to do with them. I love it when they’re in my lap, their eyes wide open and they’re taking in every word, every picture, and envisioning an entire world, all of their own. Unfortunately, between daycare and school, chores and everything else going on in our lives, the time to read together gets shorter and shorter. That is why I encourage my kids to pick out books that are going to give them the most out of our time together.
Barefoot Books is an independent children’s publishing company with which I am familiar with: I own Baby’s First Book by Claire Beaton – an adorable picture book that introduces a baby to basic words and concepts via rhymes and words and using pictures that are sewn with colorful fabrics, threads and buttons. My 3-year-old son received it as a gift and is still in love with it!
Needless to say, when I received books to review from Barefoot Books I was thrilled! Secret Seahorse, written by Stella Blackstone and illustrated by Claire Beaton, is appropriate for ages 1-7, so I read it to both my son and 5-year-old daughter. The gorgeous fabric collages add a lot to the relatively short, rhyming verse and expose children to a world of mermaids, shipwrecks and a cute little seahorse that hides on every page (my kids love looking for it every single time I read this book to them). The back section of the book contains a lot of information about sea horses, coral reefs and many other sea creatures and my daughter was fascinated to learn all about them. Our little story hour turned into a discussion about sea horses and other types of animals that live in the ocean.
The Faerie’s Gift, written by Tanya Robin Batt and illustrated by Nicoletta Ceccoli, is another stunningly visual book and is appropriate for ages 4-9. Both my children enjoyed it as well – the story was very easy to understand and the message was very clear. I was also happy to find a CD in the back of the book, with the beautiful narration of Niamh Cusack – perfect for when Mommy needs a little break. The story is about a poor woodcutter who saves a fairy and is thus granted one wish – but only one. He must therefore make a decision that will ultimately change his life, as well as his loved ones’.
My children and I found the books simply enchanting and they have quickly become favorites in our household. Story time with my kids has gotten just a little bit sweeter…
You can purchase Baby’s First Book for $19.99; Secret Seahorse for $6.99; The Faerie’s Gift for $17.99.
I was not paid for this post. I did receive the two aforementioned books for review.
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Guest Blogger Maytal Wichman is the owner of Mama’s Healthy Bites and also writes for Long Island Mamas. Maytal has been living in New York City for eleven years. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature as well as a Law Degree, but writing about nutrition and helping families eat better is her true passion. She grew up in both California and Israel, which explains her love for California cuisine (fresh, local ingredients), as well as Mediterranean food (flavorful, heart-healthy ingredients). Maytal is a stay-at-home mom to two kids (ages 5 & 3) and works hard to ensure they eat healthy, unprocessed food, while trying to make it as delicious as possible. Married to a vegetarian and being a pescetarian herself, this can be quite a challenge. On an ordinary night at her dinner table, you can hear things like “More cauliflower, please!”, “How come I didn’t get a lot of tomato?” and “Fish oil! Yaaaay!”.
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