Barefoot Books review and giveaway

Mr Coffee and I love classic myths, and have always wanted to pass on that love to the Lattes. A while ago we began the search for a good book of Greek myths to share with the children.  Eventually, on a trip to Seven Stories in Newcastle last year, Mr Coffee got lost in the bookshop there and emerged some time later clutching a copy The Adventures of Odysseus, published by Barefoot Books.

The authors' names were a guarantee of quality in themselves - Hugh Lupton and Daniel Morden, two of the country's best performance storytellers. Last year we heard their performance telling of the myths, Metamorphoses, which was commissioned by the Hay Festival, and we were utterly spellbound. If we couldn't get them to personally tell these tales to our children, then this was the next best thing. The language of the book is astonishing - it treats children with the respect they deserve.

And on top of that, the book is utterly beautiful. With illustrations by Christina Ballit, every page is a joy.

So when Barefoot Books asked me if I wanted to review some books, I was already firmly in their camp. I dropped a heavy hint about Yoga Pretzels, a series of yoga activities on cards to share with your children. We'd used them at a children's yoga class the Lattes attended a while ago, and they're lovely - attractive to hold, and beautifully drawn, and a great way to very simply introduce a bit of yoga into a stressful day. My hinting paid off - and I soon had this gorgeous box in my possession.

I can't recommend this highly enough. With games, postures, breathing exercises and activities to do with a partner, it's a great introduction to yoga for children. As summer approaches - and you know how stressful our holidays get - I shall be clinging to this box like a life-raft.

Their catalogue reads like a cruel exercise in self-control. So many beautiful things available to buy! Barefoot also sent me The Snow Queen and the amazing Barefoot World Atlas -just look at it.

In the Coffee House, children's books usually live on a bookcase in the girls' bedroom. These books, however, have never made it upstairs. They float around the living room, being picked up and put down - to read aloud to Littlest, to read to myself in a stolen moment. They might claim to be children's books but, seriously, ALL books should aspire to be this good.

The other weekend, by coincidence, I met a lady selling their books. She told me she'd signed up to become a Barefoot Books ambassador just so she could get her hands on more of them. There's information on their ambassador scheme on their website. You can also read about how the company started.

It's worth having a poke around their website, which has a podcast section for listening to stories, and some fun videos. There are activities and crafts to download for free.

As luck would have it, my parcel of review books contained the book we already had, The Adventures of Odysseus. So I asked Barefoot Books if I could give it away, and I shall - just leave a comment and I'll throw you all into the Random Number Generator. Just UK entries please! I'll draw the winner sometime after 5pm BST on Saturday July 21.