This month sees Barefoot Books teaming up with two charities, all in the hope of brightening up children’s lives. For every copy of Bear’s Birthday sold between July 1 and July 31st, 2011, Barefoot Books will donate a new book to Refuge in the UK and Birthday Wishes in the U.S.

It’s Bear’s Birthday and we get to share his special day in the eighth in the series of best-selling Bear books. Designed for children under five, the series has become a firm favourite in the nursery.

“When we started the Bear series in 1998 with Bear in the Square and Bear on a Bike, we heard from many families about how Bear brings fun and learning to story time,” 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 all 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.”

With a mission to spark the imaginations of children across the world and with ‘giving back’ a core value of the company, Barefoot Books has donated tens of thousands of books to a variety of charities over the twenty years since it was founded.

“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 a child can treasure.”

Bear's Birthday