Why Are You Barefoot?
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“One day I was in a very poor country, and I saw many children living in a garbage dump with no shoes. After seeing these children who were all barefoot, I wondered; ‘What would it be like to live barefoot every day?’ That night, I took off my shoes and socks, and I have been barefoot ever since. Do I like being barefoot? NO! Living in the mountains of Colorado, it can get very COLD in the winter! Being barefoot reminds me that there are desperate children, and it helps me show others that there are children who are forced to be slaves all over the world. These children need our help. They need someone to rescue them.”
“Every child deserves to have hope for the future and a life filled with true joy. Every child should have a chance to be happy and safe, just like you.”
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About the Book
Emma is very interested when she learns that their speaker in school today will be a man who has not worn shoes or socks in years. She wonders why he would do that—and whether he goes barefoot even in the winter! This is how she gets to meet Dr. Jeff Brodsky.
When he was asked to speak to elementary students about the tragedy of child trafficking in the world today, Brodsky was unsure how to share in a way that would help the students get a sincere understanding of this sensitive subject. He decided to tell the incredible true story of why he has been barefoot since July 2010 in solidarity with trafficked children. In doing so, he hoped to help his audience understand how, even today, children are forced into modern-day slavery.
This children’s book presents the true story of author Jeff Brodsky as he talks to a group of young students about present-day child slavery.
About the Author
Dr. Jeff Brodsky is the founder of JOY International, an organization devoted to the rescue of children forced into slavery around the world. Dr. Jeff has been barefoot since July 19, 2010, in solidarity with trafficked and impoverished children. He resides with his wife of forty-four years, Gail, in Colorado.
Ellie Sullivan is a self-taught artist who has loved to draw since she was four years old. Hers has been a long journey from “I like to draw” to “I do arts and crafts” and to finally come into her own and say “I am an artist.”