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Barefoot

Barefoot
View Larger Barefoot
Stefi Weisburd
ILLUSTRATED BY
Lori McElrath-Eslick
In Poetry
Ages: 5–9
Pages: 32
List Price: $16.95
Cover: Hardcover
Published: 2/1/2008
ISBN: 1-59078-306-9
ISBN-13: 978-1-59078-306-1
Think of a world without problems, without cares, without . . . well . . . shoes! Have you ever stomped through leftover paper like a monster or plunged your feet into a chilly sleeping bag while camping? Maybe you’ve put your soles up against a Jacuzzi jet or found funny marks when you pulled off your socks. If so, you’ll find company in this collection of musings about the beauties of being barefoot. In twenty-six poems, Stefi Weisburd explores where we go, what we feel, and what shouldn’t be underfoot when our feet are at their freest. Lori McElrath-Eslick adds sparkle to these contemplations with lively watercolor illustrations.

Reviews

"This pleasant collection of diverse verse celebrates the feats our feet help us complete and the joys of going shoeless."
     —Kirkus Reviews

"This quirky collection of 32 poems, all loosely connected by the theme of feet, shows a poet exercising her craft and unique perspectives on familiar experiences. Whether rhymed and metered or free verse, the language pleases the ear. ...[T]his is an appealing book with enough variety to speak to many readers."
     —Library Media Connection

"The light, breezy watercolor illustrations lend an impressionistic tone and are thoughtful accompaniments to the sunny poems. This collection is ideal for sharing between morning romps in the dewy grass and afternoon strolls on the beach."
     —School Library Journal

Reviewer Hazel Rochman reviews Barefoot: Poems for Naked Feet in the February 15, 2008 issue of Booklist:

"The leap to metaphor imagines what feet feel like on an elephant, a butterfly, or a fly with a Velcro grip on the ceiling. Far from overwhelming the poetry, the watercolor illustrations extend the words and help explain them. Even some older grade-schoolers will enjoy this; it may get them to do some writing in the classroom and on their own."

The April/May 2008 issue of Library Media Connection features a review of Stefi Weisburd's Barefoot: Poems for Naked Feet:

"This quirky collection of 32 poems, all loosely connected by the theme of feet, shows a poet exercising her craft and unique perspectives on familiar experiences. Whether rhymed and metered or free verse, the language pleases the ear. ...[T]his is an appealing book with enough variety to speak to many readers. Recommended."