In 1992, two young moms with four children between them were looking for a creative career that would be inspiring to others, while keeping their children at the center of their lives. And so Barefoot Books was born. “We wanted bright, colorful books with wonderful art and captivating stories we could share as a family. We wanted rhyming rhymes, sing-along songs, and dance-along dances. We wanted tales that celebrated exotic places, magical creatures, and the wisdom of other traditions. Most of all, we wanted beautiful books that would capture the imagination, spark curiosity, inspire creativity, and instill a respect for the diversity of the planet and for the earth itself.”
Green Child Magazine recently spoke with co-founder and CEO of Barefoot Books, Nancy Traversy
GCM: Nancy, hi, I am not even sure where to begin! It is all so exciting! How about with your beginning. I always enjoy a great, “corporate mom turned entrepreneur to follow her dream of raising her family while fostering a career that has benefits”! I hope other moms find inspiration in you, as you went from working in the banking division of Price Waterhouse to becoming a children’s book publisher! Tell me what motivated you to go beyond dreaming to actually doing? Nancy: Tessa Strickland and I started Barefoot Books
Celebrating Art, Sharing Stories, Living Barefoot in 1992 when my oldest child was just a few weeks old. We wanted books that would feed our children’s imaginations and help instill in them a respect for diversity and a love of the planet. We had a hard time finding books which had beautiful artwork and engaging stories from far off lands and which shared the wisdom of different cultures and didn’t talk down to children. So we started out on our journey to create them ourselves! Our biggest motivation was, and still is, our own children.
Nancy Traversy and Tessa Strickland, Barefoot Books founders
As a new mom and an avid explorer of world cultures, I was immediately captivated by the idea of creating books for children that celebrated diversity and imagination. So Barefoot Books began and we have been living and growing Barefoot for nearly two decades, always staying true to the core values and 11