Meet the Publisher – Barefoot Books

One way to find books for your kids is to love is to learn about the various companies who publish and curate children’s books.

Not All Publishers are the Same

Each publisher is slightly unique – in their organization or the types of books they choose to publish. It’s part of what creates the wonderfully diverse world of books.

Some of these publishers publish children’s books exclusively. Some are imprints of larger publishing companies, with the imprint division focusing on children’s books or even a specific genre within children’s books. Some children’s books are published by large publishing companies, without specifically delineated children’s book divisions. And some publish their own books while also curating books from other publishers – helping to connect children with great books (Scholastic is the best example here).

That’s just a snippet about the book publishing world. There’s much more to learn. It can feel a bit dull at first, but start by noticing the publishers of the books your kids love. Chances are your kids will love other books from the same publisher.

To that point I want to share with you one of the publishers that I have found to publish books kids just love. Not just my child, but also many children and children’s professionals that I meet.

About Barefoot Books

Barefoot Books is a small independent children’s book publisher producing beautiful books that introduce children to amazing new stories. At Barefoot Books, you will find books that celebrate stories and art from all over the world. Their books are also fantastic quality which means your child can love them for years, and the books will still be in great shape to pass along to another child. The company is ranked as one of the top small businesses in America by Forbes.

• Woman-owned, award-winning, small independent book publisher
• Forbes listed Barefoot Books as “the standard in children’s publishing” in 2017.
• Founded in 1992
• Created to meet several needs that the founders identified for children’s literature – more diversity in stories and a greater emphasis on art in children’s books
• Of note, at times Barefoot Books has functioned with a direct sales component. They ended that approach at the end of 2018.

Count on Barefoot Books for books that:

• Are diverse – Children can see themselves in the pages. Families of color consistently share feedback about how much they value books from Barefoot Books because the books show a much more balanced view of the real world, including families like their own.
• Open the world for your child – taking them to new places and giving them stories that break away from the “typical template” (yes, a “typical” template does exist in much of children’s literature).
• Have lots of rich, vibrant, fun and beautiful pictures – research shows that children value those pictures. As kids become more advanced readers the pictures tend to disappear from the books they are reading. Children miss those pictures – with Barefoot Books, you’ll find pictures all the way up to the advanced reading levels.
• Are of superb quality with gorgeous paper that is durable, feels good to the fingers (this is important for sensory input), and will not fade or yellow with age – you’ll pay a little more for this quality but let me tell you, it is worth every penny – just wait till you hold a Barefoot Books book in your hands!
• Introduce other languages – Many of the books from this publisher are available in Spanish and French, as well as bilingual Spanish/English and French/English.

Browse, Shop and Buy

Barefoot Books can be purchased directly from their website. You’ll also find them available from a network of independent book stores and book sellers. Please support independent book sellers when you can! It helps keep diversity in the world of children’s publishing! These lovely books also turn up in subscription services like Little Passports and Literati.

Be sure to check out all the free activities and resources on the Barefoot Books websites. My favorite is the library of sing-along animated videos (that go with their one-of-a-kind sing-along books)!