Barefoot Books Gives New Books to Disadvantaged Children to Celebrate Bear's Birthday, Latest in Popular Children's Series

CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts and OXFORD, England, June 28, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

- Teams with Charities, Birthday Wishes and Refuge, to Brighten Children's Lives

To celebrate the publication of Bear's Birthday, eighth in the series of best-selling Bear books for children under five, Barefoot Books today announced a special charity campaign to help children in need. For every copy of Bear's Birthday sold between July 1 and July 31, 2011, Barefoot Books will donate a new book to Birthday Wishes in the US and Refuge in the UK, two charities chosen for their commitment to supporting children in difficult situations.

"When we started the Bear series in 1998 with Bear in a Square and Bear on a Bike, we heard from many families about how Bear brings fun and learning to storytime," said Nancy Traversy, Co-founder and CEO, Barefoot Books. "Since then, over a million families have enjoyed Bear. So, for us, a natural way to celebrate Bear's Birthday is to bring smiles to children in need by donating new copies of some of our most fun-loving titles. We are delighted to work with Birthday Wishes and Refuge, charities working so hard to help children through tremendous hardships in their young lives. We hope our books bring these children great comfort, and a love of learning."  

Giving back is a core value of Barefoot Books, and a critical part of its mission to spark the imaginations of children who come from all walks of life. Since the company started nearly twenty years ago, it has donated many tens of thousands of new books to a variety of charities, including First Book, BookAid, and Books for Africa.

"Children and their mothers who access Refuge's services often leave home with little or no notice. Many women and children arrive at the refuge in the middle of the night with nothing but the clothes they are wearing and if the child is lucky their favourite toy," explains Sandra Horley, CBE, chief executive of Refuge. "Books are a huge treat for children, and especially the children we work with who have been uprooted and who may be missing home comforts. We are very grateful to Barefoot Books for selecting Refuge as one of its charity partners and we are certain their wonderful books will delight the thousands of children we care for."

"We are proud and grateful to have been selected by Barefoot Books to receive their donation of beautiful books," said Lisa Vasiloff, Executive Director and Co-founder of Birthday Wishes. "Our mission is to bring birthday parties to homeless children, believing that all children, regardless of their living situation, should celebrate their birthdays joyfully, surrounded by family, friends and others who care. Including a wonderful book as one of the gifts we provide is something every child can treasure."

To purchase Bear's Birthday and other Barefoot Books order online at http://www.barefootbooks.com/shop, visit a Barefoot Books Studio, or contact your local Barefoot Books Ambassador.

About Barefoot Books

Barefoot Books is an independent publisher, with offices in Cambridge, USA and Oxford, UK, that specializes in carefully crafted books, gifts and digital content that help children on their journey to becoming happy, engaged members of the global community. Since 1992, Barefoot Books has published more than 500 titles that use timeless stories and captivating illustrations to tap into the wisdom of many cultures, while never forgetting that childhood is a time for fun. Barefoot Books are available online, through booksellers, its stores in Concord, Mass., and FAO Schwarz in New York City, and its community of Ambassadors. Fun, free content including a podcast, animated videos, and children's games and activities are available online. http://www.barefootbooks.com

About Birthday Wishes

Our mission is simple: To bring birthday parties to homeless children. Birthday Wishes recognizes the importance of a birthday in a child's life and believes that the gift of a birthday celebration provides normalcy, joy and hope in these children's otherwise unsettled lives. Our grassroots philosophy fosters the spirit of volunteerism and community service in the adults, children and families who donate their time and resources to our mission. http://www.birthdaywishes.org

About Refuge

Refuge has come a long way since it opened the world's first refuge in West London in 1971. What started off as a single house has grown into the country's largest single provider of specialist emergency accommodation and support to women and children escaping domestic violence. On any one day we support over 1,600 women and children through our refuges and community outreach schemes.  http://www.refuge.org.uk