National Storytelling Week

We have had such a busy weekend of telling stories and holding book club sessions and have not had a chance to post about National Storytelling Week. We hope you have been sharing lots of great stories over the weekend and you little ones have been introduced to a new book or two. National Storytelling Week is organised by The Society of Storytelling. They say "National Storytelling Week is about giving out to all cultures, tales that give a twinkle to the eye, that raise a question in the mind and stories that have survived the brightness and the shadow of man’s imagination ". 

There is sure to be lots of events and storytelling sessions in your local areas, so check out the Society of Storytelling website to see what takes your fancy. If you cannot make it to an organised event, simply pick up a book and share it with others. Maybe take a seat in a homemade storytelling den or take a book for a walk to the park for some outdoors reading. 

We will be out and about hosting storytelling sessions and parties for the rest of the week and will be sharing some of our favourite books with you. Keep you eyes open for a run down of our best read aloud books, help with bedtime stories and our weekly story time blog. To give you a little reading inspiration, we have a copy of ' Storytime: First Tales for Sharing ' to give-away this week. Simply head over to ' Like 'our Facebook page and leave a comment, telling us what your favourite read aloud story is. 

Winner will be announced on Facebook on Monday 10th February. Please note that this competition is open to UK residents only and is in no way associated with Facebook.

Earth Day Giveaway

Earth Day 2013 is this coming Monday and here at Little Scribbles we have lots of Barefoot fun for you to celebrate, including the chance to win a copy of the award winning Barefoot Book of Earth Tales. The focus for this years Earth Day is climate change, for more information take a look at the  Earth Day website in which we can here how:

 ' Climate change can seem like a remote problem for our leaders, but the fact is that it's already impacting real people, animals, and beloved places. These Faces of Climate Change are multiplying every day. Fortunately, other Faces of Climate Change are multiplying too: those stepping up to do something about it.  ' 

It is true that, at times, we can often think that we are a small fish in a big pond when it comes to climate change but the small things really do add up and together we can make a big impact on our environment. One of the reasons that I became an ambassador for Barefoot Books was due to their strong stance on sustainability. With ethical sourcing of paper and manufacturing, awareness of carbon footprint when shipping, recycling of paper for our books and vegetable based ink, Barefoot lead the way when it comes to green business. Through our natural child and world culture books, we help spread the message about creating a happy planet. One of my favourite books is The Barefoot Book of Earth Tales

In The Barefoot Book of Earth Tales we Learn how different cultures around the world set out to live in harmony with the natural world in this popular anthology. The seven folk tales are each followed by a hands-on activity that promotes green living and reinforces the eco messages of the stories. Whilst the book is aimed at 5-11 year olds, I think it is a book that is fun for all the family, so make sure you enter the competition at the bottom of the page to be in with a chance of winning you own hardback copy.

If you want to delve deeper into the book the take a look at our book club discussion guide

You can also check out our great Earth Tale inspired craft: Bring the messages of the stories home and keep the birds in your garden happy and healthy with this easy to make Environmentally friendly pine cone bird feeder.

To be in with a chance of winning a copy of The Barefoot Book of Earth Tales, simply follow the details on the Rafflecopter below and let me know your eco-friendly tips

If you don't win, don't worry, you can get 20% of a copy of this fab book here 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Girl with a Brave Heart

I have been very excited to tell everybody about our new book ' The  Girl with a Brave Heart ' and it seems that lots of you are quickly falling in love with little Shiraz. Throughout the past few weeks I have read many great reviews, including this one from the NewYork Times, all of delight in the celebration of girl power. 

The book tells the tale of Shiraz, a kindhearted young girl growing up in Tehran, has a miserable life at home with her stepmother and stepsister, who treat her like a servant. When the wind blows Shiraz’s ball of wool into the garden next door, she spends the day helping and caring for the old lady who lives there, with miraculous results. Then her stepmother sends her own daughter off on the same mission . . . but will the results be the same? Originally written in Hebrew this book is a re-working of the Brothers Grimm story 'Mother Holle '. With amazingly warm illustrations by Vali Mintzi, The Girl with a Brave Heart is fast becoming my favourite Barefoot book, it truly is beautiful. Aimed at 4-10 year old, this book is too advanced for my 18 month old but as with a lot of Barefoot Books, you can simply share the vibrant images with children who are younger and move on to telling the story as the child grows. 

To enhance the story, there is a craft activity based on the story, for children and carers to make together and have a bit of fun. The Activity encourages you to be creative and make your own Middle Eastern mosaic tile and can be downloaded from here . I made a few tile with my daughter yesterday and we both had lots of fun sticking bit and pieces here and there

If you would like to buy a copy of the book then make sure you use discount code FIRST2014 in order to get 20% off. 

Children's Book Week

This week is Children's Book Week , an annual celebration of reading for pleasure for children of primary school age that has been running for the past 80 years. During Children’s Book Week, schools, libraries and other venues all over the UK hold events and activities aimed at encouraging children to enjoy reading for pleasure, explore libraries and bookshops, and even start writing themselves. Each year Booktrust ' makes available a range of resources available to teachers and librarians, including fun activity ideas and book recommendations, to help schools and libraries to plan their own celebrations of reading for pleasure.'

'Booktrust is an independent reading and writing charity that makes a nationwide impact on individuals, families and communities, and culture in the UK. They make a significant positive contribution to the educational outcomes of children from the earliest age.The work supports children and young people, parents and carers and indeed anyone who would benefit from the positive impact that books, reading and writing can have on their lives'. Reading is a huge passion of mine, a passion that I have had for as long as I can remember. Getting lost in a book and dreaming of plots and characters takes me to all kinds of wonderful places, where I think everybody should visit. As a new mummy I want my daughter to share in my passion and hope that I can help other children learn to love books through the wonderful world of Barefoot Books. As a lover of books, reading and education I have made a pledge to support book trust by reading, recommending and discussing at least 20 children's books. Take a look at the booktrust site and make your pledge too.

Children's book week is a great way to you start your pledge, either by reading a book with your little one, taking them along to story time and meeting with friends to share favourite stories. To help in your reading fun there are lots activities  for parents, teachers and parents that you can download from the book trust site. You can also find great craft and educational activities on the ' our story ' section of  Barefoot. The theme for this years book week is Heroes and Heroines, so there is plenty of fun to be had dressing up and exploring those imaginative little brains.

For any of you who buy a book from my Barefoot site this week, don't forget that if you are new to Barefoot enter TWENTY12 at the checkout to get 20% off your purchase.