"I never thought I would sell anything but felt compelled to introduce these books to as many children as I could," says Megan Salyer Freund of Barefoot Books.

One of the greatest ways I have seen my child grow and develop is through reading with her. I have seen her vocabulary skills soar and her conceptualization about certain things really take off. My grandmother is a retired librarian, so we have more books than we can hold in the book shelves we have, but many of them were given to us as a part of a bundle. The books that we actually buy come at a much more deliberate price. I do not want to spend our money on something that is going to never be read or that she will outgrow in a few months.

So what about the choices we make in what books we read to our children?

Barefoot Books is an option to consider. These books not only give parents the opportunity to sit down with their children and engage in the essential action of reading together, but they also offer opportunities for diversity and learning on an even deeper level. Below is in interview with stallholder, Megan Salyer Freund. Read how she is seeking to make the world a better place through the books we read to our children.

Interview with Megan Salyer Freund

What lead you to get involved with Bare Foot Books?
I was just looking for children's books online when I came across Barefoot Books. At first I thought they were too good to be true. I couldn't believe that a company was actually making beautiful books with multicultural messages. We were living in Central Texas at the time and I drove down to Austin to meet with a stallholder there and look at her books. I was so impressed by every book I picked up. The artwork in all of them was outstanding and I was pleased by the thoughtful messages they conveyed. I never thought I would sell anything but felt compelled to introduce these books to as many children as I could. I decided to become a stallholder and think of it more as a hobby than a job.

Can you tell us a little more about Bare Foot Books? Started by two working mothers in 1992, Barefoot Books are published by a small independent children's book publisher based in Cambridge, MA. Barefoot Books brings authors and illustrators together to produce high quality children's literature which feature rich language and beautiful art that engage a child's imagination. Multicultural stories introduce children to cultures around the world, create a sense of global community, and convey universal messages. They offer books for babies on up to young adults. And, adults can be assured that they are exposing children to the very best when they share Barefoot Books.

How do you balance working with having a toddler?
The thing I love about Barefoot is you can do as much or as little as you want. There are no quotas to meet. I spend a little time each day, usually during nap, working on my Barefoot business. My daughter has always been my priority and Barefoot is just something I do for fun. I have a website and lots of my sales are generated there. For now, I've scheduled my events when my husband is available to watch my daughter. Now that she is getting older, I've considered attending a few book fairs because she is comfortable with a babysitter.

What is your favorite part about working with this organization?
There is an amazing stallholder community and the messages in the books are carried over into the community. There is a real feeling of cooperation in the company and we all share stories and ideas to help one another. I have never felt any sort of competition from another stallholder. There is a real feeling that we all just want to get the books out there.

Have you and your child found a favorite book yet?
It is hard for me to say which is my favorite because I am impressed by all of them. My daughter really enjoys the "Bear" books in the "Fun First Steps" category. She loves tracing Bear's steps in the map in the back of "Bear About Town."

Story Tree is one of her favorites from the "Tell Me a Story" category. We just moved cross country and enjoyed listening to the stories on the accompanying CD. In fact, she insisted on them for nap time. She fell asleep everyday and I was happy with that!

From the "One World, One Planet" category she especially likes Elephant Dance. It is the story of a Indian grandfather visiting his grandchildren, who don't live in India, and telling them all about his home country. In the back is lots of information about India for older children, something Barefoot does in many of their books. It pleases me that my little one is already learning about different places in the world.

If other people want to get involved with Bare Foot Books, how would they do that?
Please visit my website and see what you think. I'd be happy to answer any questions about the books or about the opportunity of becoming a stallholder.

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