The Boy Who Grew Flowers...

Rink's grandmother was raised by wolves, his Uncle Dud tames rattlesnakes, and Rink grows beautiful flowers all over his body when the moon is full. Townspeople just don't understand the Bowagons. But one day a new girl named Angelica arrives at Rink's school, and he soon discovers she has some unique qualities too. Using humor and metaphor to promote acceptance, this touching story shows us that what makes us different makes us beautiful.

The Boy Who Grew Flowers, written by Jen Wojtowicz and illustrated by Steve Adams, was a Book of the Year Award Finalist in 2005 by ForeWord Magazine.

Here are a few sneak peaks of the beautiful illustrations in the book:

The Bowagons were the only folks who lived on Lonesome Mountain. The townspeople argued as to whether it was because they were such strange folk that they lived there, or whether it was because they lived there that they were such strange folk.





You can purchase The Boy Who Grew Flowers here.

Learn more about Barefoot Books....

And purchase Barefoot Books here.

Why I Do What I Do...

A lot of people wonder why anyone would get a degree in Anthropology like I did. Let alone try to make a living at it. Well, this is Matt. He's a regular 31-year old guy... the same age as me. I remember sitting at home during my maternity leave and he showed up on the Today show. He somehow managed to take the most simple idea and made it a way of bringing people together all around the world, and proved we are not so different from each other after all. This is the new 2008 version of his video, which I highly recommend you view in HD here. YouTube doesn't give it justice.

This is why I believe in multiculturalism, and why I want to raise my daughter is world that understands that we have more in common than we have differences. The song in the video is Praan by Garry Schyman (sung by Palbasha Siddique), available as a 99 cent DRM-free MP3. It was adapted from Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore's poem Stream of Life:

"The same stream of life that runs through my veins night and day runs through the world and dances in rhythmic measures. It is the same life that shoots in joy through the dust of the earth in numberless blades of grass and breaks into tumultuous waves of leaves and flowers. It is the same life that is rocked in the ocean-cradle of birth and of death, in ebb and in flow. I feel my limbs are made glorious by the touch of this world of life. And my pride is from the life-throb of ages dancing in my blood this moment."

Even the outtakes are amazing....

If you are a museum freak like me...

... you are always looking for a new and exciting museum to explore, regardless of where it is in the country or the world.

I've recently come across a museum while online located Amherst, Massachusetts that has me ready to hop in my car and head north. The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art has developed a collection of artwork that really should receive more recognition than it usually does. If you've heard Eric Carle's name before it's probably because of his classic (and a Sadiebug favorite) The Very Hungry Caterpillar, first published in 1969. Since then he has published over 40 children's books that are currently in pring. The 40,000 square foot museum opened in 2002 and includes a library, art studio, exhibition space and an auditorium. The museum is very family friendly and definitely a great place to stop while on vacation in the Northeast.

The museum has highlighted artists such as the Spiderwick Chronicle's Tony DiTerlizzi (seen below) as well as family favorites Dr. Seuss, Mo Willems of Knuffle Bunny fame, and illustrator Dorothy Kunhardt who illustrated Pat the Bunny in 1940:

And you can also purchase exhibition catalogs and posters, as well as a multitude of other books, classroom supplies, and gifts. This is a great site to explore with their virtual tour and information for professional illustrators as well as visitors who just appreciate children's book art.

A fantastic story about adoption...

I don't know about you, but I know several people in my life who either adopted a child, were adopted or are thinking about adoption. This book called Motherbridge of Love tells the story of having two mothers, each special in her own way. You can watch and hear the whole poetic story narrated by Amy Tan by clicking here.

Here's what Time Magazine had to say about this book: "Got a girlfriend who just adopted a kid? You're going to want to get them this book, although the illustration is so gorgeous, you could give it to anyone. The text was submitted anonymously to the charity Mother Bridge of Love, which seeks to connect kids adopted from China with their homeland...it does explain quite lyrically how two mothers can each have a part in making one whole child"—Time Magazine.

The magazine also listed it as #3 of their list of Top 10 Books for Children for 2007.

You can also feel great about purchasing this book because the royalties from the sale of this Barefoot book will be donated to Mother Bridge of Love, a charity that reaches out to Chinese children all over the world in order to develop a connection between China and the West, and between adoptive culture and birth culture.



To purchase click here.

Welcome to my new blog...

Many of you are followers of my daughter's blog, "This, That and the Other Thing" by Sadie Angelica. It started out as a way for friends and family to watch Sadie grow and understand her view of the world from Day 1. She's had commentary on everything from taking her first steps, to the agonizing experience of teething, and most emphatically, her disgust of peas.

Since then, I've decided to branch out to discussing the many toys, products, and most importantly, books that I come across in my day to day life. Like any parent, I really look at these products and their long term effects on how my daughter thinks about herself and her world.

As an anthropologist and a former employee at the National Museum of the American Indian, I'm very aware of cultural and gender stereotypes in children's literature. I finally found books that agree with my line of thinking when I found Barefoot Books. Now I've become one of their stallholders, which means everytime you purchase a book from Barefoot Books, Sadie's college fund gets bigger.

In this blog, I plan to not only look at Barefoot Books a little closer, but also review some of Sadie's favorite products and funny stuff I come across by just being a parent. I hope to update often, so check back!