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Barefoot Shoes

What Should I Put on My Feet to Go Run?

If you’ve got kids, you’re familiar with bedtime routines. Part of our nightly bedtime routine is reading books. My almost-four-year-old Avi gets to pick out a couple of books before it’s lights out.

So I was excited when author John McClung reached…

If you’ve got kids, you’re familiar with bedtime routines. Part of our nightly bedtime routine is reading books. My almost-four-year-old Avi gets to pick out a couple of books before it’s lights out.

So I was excited when author John McClung reached out to let me know about his latest children’s book What Should I Put on My Feet to Go Run?. John sent me a copy of his book a few months back and Avi and I have been enjoying it every now and again ever since.

What follows is a quick review of the book! And if reading kid’s book reviews isn’t something you find necessary to drop $10 on some nighttime reading that supports your own views on shoes, well, do yourself a favor and head over to Amazon and support McClung’s work now.

Otherwise, more after the jump!

The book!

What Should I Put on My Feet to Go Run? is the story of a bear cub wondering aloud about the necessity of shoes. Do you need them to go outside? Here’s how the book starts:

One bright summer morning, sunlight tiptoed through the door
Of a dark, cozy cave, where it heard two bears snore.

Ignoring the big bear, whom it skipped with a hop,
It tackled the little one with a sunshiny flop.

Waking, the little bear burst from his place
And took off for the door at a tail-singeing pace.

That sounds a lot like how things go down in my house. Why can’t the sun “skip” my daughters from time to time?

The story proceeds to follow the little bear as he quizzes Momma Bear about what he should wear while playing outside to which Momma yawns and says, “You just need your feet to go run around.” Not satisfied, the cub asks his mother about all different types of shoes, to which Momma replies, “Getting out the door shouldn’t take such awhile. And a bear’s foot should be barefoot; that’s the best way / For a bear to run around on a honey-sunny day.”

There’s not a ton more to say (it’s just a children’s book!) other than to point out that Laura Hollingsworth put lovely illustrations to McClung’s words. And perhaps most importantly, my daughter likes the book!

And as a parent, it’s not only a fun read because it supports a barefoot-mindset, but also because it supports a questioning mind and an alternative view to the mainstream opinion. If that sounds like your bag of tea (and a much better read than, oh, say The Pokey Little Puppy), you know what to do. It’s only about $10 from Amazon, so grab a copy and encourage your little cubs to stay young (and barefooted!).

Doesn’t this smile say it all?

By Justin

Justin Owings is a deadlifting dad of three, working from Atlanta. When he's not chasing his three kids around, you'll find him trying to understand systems, risk, and human behavior.

One reply on “What Should I Put on My Feet to Go Run?”

That sounds like a great idea for a book. My daughter is only 8 months but I think this might be worth a purchase !

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