When we were sent a selection of books from Barefoot Books I knew my children would be really pleased as they both love reading and are constantly bringing a pile of books to my lap saying “Please read some books mummy”.  The first thing that stood out about the books were the brightly coloured covers along with the high quality shiny pages.  These books definitely looked inviting so I couldn’t wait to take a look inside.  The three large picture story books are a lovely size with lots of bright, detailed illustrations throughout with the added bonus that they each include a CD tucked into a little pocket at the back of the book.

The first book we read was Little Red Riding Hood, the classic tale we all know and love from our childhood.  Miss M loved this story and it is a firm favourite that she has selected each night for her bedtime stories.  It’s easy to read, she roughly knew the story anyway but it is story that never fails to please.  We then listened to the CD which retells the story from the book.  This has proved really successful with Miss M who loves to listen to the CD when I’ve finished reading to help her drift off to sleep.

The Kite Princess is a story about Princess Cinnamon Stitch, a tomboy who doesn’t enjoy sewing and all the other usual ladylike princess activities.  Instead she would rather be outdoors cart wheeling in the puddles and running around in the fresh air.  But eventually she puts the sewing skills she has learnt to use and sews together lots of fabric to create a kite and goes flying off freely outside the castle.  She is so happy.  The story reminds me of my daughter Miss M who isn’t as girly as I thought she would be and would much prefer to be scooting down the street with the boys!!  She really enjoyed reading and looking through the pictures of Princess Cinnamon.  She also liked the instructions to make a kite at the end of the book and I have promised that it will be a future craft project one weekend.  The CD went down very well with Miss M and this also has made it’s way to the bedtime CD pile.

Driving My Tractor immediately caught the eye of Mister B – with his love of all things on wheels, a transport theme to this book was sure to be a hit.  With it’s brightly coloured pages and lots of farm animals in the pictures, it has been great to read and spot things in the pictures.  Again the CD has been a hit and has been happily playing on short car journeys around town for the last few weeks.  Mister B loves jigging away in his car seat to the tunes and has enjoyed reading the book when being at home.

We have all really enjoyed the selection of books we received from Barefoot Books, they are all made to a high standard and look like good quality books. The added bonus of a CD in the picture story books adds great value to the stories and takes them from just being a story book to something a child can enjoy independently.  The CD’s will also be great in the car for both long and short journeys to keep the children entertained.  These books would make lovely gifts for children and I know my two will enjoy the books they received for a long time yet.

All reviews are my own and my family’s opinions. We are not paid for reviews although we do receive the product to try out and enable us to write the review.