My Barefoot Boys at Gilson Beach - Wilmette, IL

OK, we've got the cheesy and predictable Boys of Summer look going, but I hope you will agree that it is a nice sequence of semi-candids.

It was a perfect sunny 80 degree day so I decided to take the boys down to Gilson Park. We avoided the big crowds at the swimming beach and hit the area to the South where they could run through the tall grasses and play that they were "On Safari", with Maxwell as their guide.

After escaping the "lions" of the "savannah", they discovered the "ocean" and took off for the waters edge to "go surfing". Maxwell is bold and so grown up now, he could splash forever in the waves. Beckham's confidence was boosted by watching his big brother and Ryker is fearlessly game for anything that his brothers are doing.

45 minutes later, they were soaked, covered in sand, and happy as can be. We dried and brushed off the sand by the car and went home naked (except for me).

Introducing Barefoot Book's Young Fiction! Little Leap Forward

from Barefoot Books:

“Wouldn’t you rather be free, just for a day,
than spend a lifetime in a cage?”

It’s the summer of 1966 and Mao Zedong’s communist regime is about to move to a new level. Little Leap Forward lives in Beijing, with his mother, brother, and four older sisters. When he is not running errands or attending school, he loves to play the flute and to fly kites. One day, Little Leap Forward and his best friend capture a small yellow bird. Little Leap Forward wants her to accompany him on his flute – but behind the bars of her bamboo cage, she is not happy. What will he do – persist with his experiment or set her free?

In a year when China is banning the sale of wild songbirds, ending a 2,000 year history of selling and trading caged thrushes, this story of a young boy learning about freedom of spirit is all the more timely. Little Leap Forward’s touching story is based on author Guo Yue’s boyhood experiences of the Cultural Revolution in China. Sensitive, authoritative and deceptively simple, it offers young readers many intimate and powerful insights into one child’s life and dreams as the Cultural Revolution tightens its grip. As China modernizes and prepares to host the 2008 Olympic Games, interest in this superpower and in the rapidly changing lives of its people is escalating. The games in Beijing this August will bring half a million international and 2.5 million domestic spectators to a newly sanitized city.

THE STORY:

• Video-based e-campaign; national media campaign; author tour timed to coincide with the Beijing Summer Olympics 2008.
• Launch title for Barefoot Books’ new Young Fiction list, perfect for young readers ages 9 -12.
• Looks at close friendship and at the conflict between political change and personal freedom.
• Afterword offers simple historical notes on the Cultural Revolution and talks about what it meant for the author, his family and the Chinese people.
• Gorgeous full color illustrations throughout.

THE CREATORS:

GUO YUE is well known in the music world for the soaring beauty of his bamboo flute playing and compositions. He has performed and recorded worldwide, creating sounds which, in the words of one film director, ‘haunt the soul’. Yue and his wife, Clare Farrow, are also the authors of an adult memoir, Music, Food and Love.

CLARE FARROW is a writer and journalist specializing in modern contemporary art. She and Yue have two young children and live in Richmond, London.

HELEN CANN enjoys using patterns in her artwork and she has a large collection of reference material from around the world, taken from textiles, ceramics, furniture, jewelry— even body paint.

Little Leap Forward is scheduled to release in mid-July!
ShopBarefootBooks.com

Beating the Gas Crisis

My Husband had the answer last summer. He started putting all the kids on the bike. Yup, all three; two in the Burley and one on the Co-Pilot. Everyone congratulated his strength and courage. It looked way too hard for lil' ol' me. But I shouldn't underestimate myself.

Summer Camp started last week and after 2 days of idling my car in the pick-up line for 20 min at about $4.20/gallon, I'd had enough. Frustrating, expensive, and bad for the environment. So, with a little bit of coaching and practice close to home, I was soon comfortable enough with the weight and stability issues of pulling about 135/140 extra pounds (kids+seat+trailer) on George's mountain bike.

I feel like a rickshaw driver, but perhaps this is an important concept to keep in mind... Cycle rickshaws are used throughout the world; from developing countries that have used human powered vehicles for hundreds of years, to major European cities with an eye on global conservation. Most Americans have come to think that we "need" our SUV's and minivans; but in this new economic era with poor environmental health, it is critical that we re-think this habit.

The other added benefit of biking the kids around, is that it has become my new fitness program. We get out the door early and head up the shaded Green Bay Trail to North Shore Country Day School Camp. I work pretty hard those first 20 minutes and my boys support the effort by chanting "Go Mommy, Go!" when I climb the steep overpass over the railroad tracks. On Monday, Wednesday and Friday, after Max is dropped off, we head out around the back of the school and through the roads that circle the Indian Hills Golf Course until we arrive another 15 minutes later at Harper School for Beckham's Tiny Tots program with the Wilmette Park District. Then I head back home (a 10 min cool down period) with Ryker. A pretty decent workout, efficiently packaged with kid-schlepping duties.

On Tuesday and Thursday, when Beck doesn't have camp, I take the two little guys a few blocks past Max's camp to play at Lisa and Bonnie's wonderful Free-to-Be-Kids babysitting center at the Winnetka Community House, so that I can get into the gym and supplement the bike workout a little bit.

But my biking hasn't stopped there. Since I can't bear sitting in that camp line, I load everyone up again for Max's 3:30 pick-up. I have also been using the bike for all the usual errands and excursions (grocery store, post office, bank, pool, beach...) There is little reason to go too far these "lazy" summer days, I prefer shopping local, and with construction on the Edens Expressway and Sheridan Road, traffic is simply a nightmare best avoided.

To be honest, I'm not sure how this will go when things really heat up in July and August. But my hope is that the inertia of my fitness routine and my commitment to greener living practices will override the fear of a little discomfort in the heat. I cringe to think of the way I used to run my car for a solid 5 min to get the A/C going before I would drive anywhere last summer. It seems an unthinkable strain on the environment now. I'd much prefer to avoid that issue altogether. With proper hydration and plenty of sunscreen, we should all be fine.

Summer is the Time for Reading!

I feel it is so important to engage our kids with great literature while school is out. Try an outdoor storytime in your yard or at the beach, enjoy books with story CD's in the car on your road trip, break from the hours of fun in the sun with a quiet few minutes indoors or in the shade. My boys, who never run short on energy, love the sing-a-long books/CD's when we get stuck inside on a rainy day. We can dance, act and use the art as inspiration for our own creations! Happy Summer!

Below are some great tips for successful reading with a child, provided by Barefoot Books...

TEN TIPS FOR READING WITH A CHILD

Learning to read is the cornerstone of every child’s education. By reading aloud and teaching your child in a way that is a pleasure for both of you, you will be sharing one of life’s most valuable gifts and open all kinds of doors for the future. Here are some tips on making the most of reading with your child:

1. Choose a time and a place where you can be quiet and give your child lots of attention. Make the occasion a special one.

2. Turn off any distractions such as televisions, radios, and computers.

3. When you are reading aloud, show that you are enjoying yourself.

4. Involve your child. Let yourself be interrupted with questions; talk about what you think of the story and the pictures.

5. When your child has started learning to read, follow the text and help your child point to the words as you go along.

6. Establish a routine. Try to devote some time every day to reading.

7. Take your child to your local library and involve him or her in choosing books.

8. Notice what kinds of stories your child enjoys and look out for ones with similar themes.

9. When you are reading aloud, praise your child for listening well and sitting still.
When your child is learning to read for you, give praise and encouragement too, but be sure gently to correct your child when he or she makes mistakes.

10. Help build your child’s vocabulary and memory skills by supplementing reading sessions with audio books on car journeys and after meals or at bedtime. Audio books are especially helpful in building memory skills and supporting the learning of dyslexic and autistic children.

Sharing your child’s journey into reading can be one of the most rewarding experiences of parenthood. You owe it to your child, and to yourself, to make it a priority in your daily life.