Here are answers to thequestions that are frequently asked
about our website, which sells fun, colorful children's clothing
and baby clothes, such as baby creepers, T-shirts and kids'
sweatshirts, plus matching adult-sized clothing so that families
can have fun dressing in sets, and cheerful gift items such as
throw pillows, Teddy bears, mugs and tote bags. We also create
our own fully illustrated animated and still picture children's
stories in the form of fun, family friendly CDs and downloads.
Lastly, we have a special shop for our bird and animal fine art
prints.
The questions have been divided by topic so that, if you wish,
you can click directly on the topic of your choice.
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ABOUT THE CLOTHING, UNIQUE GIFTS
AND CHILDREN'S STORIES WE SELL
Does your site include anything that is not suitable
for children ?
Our site is 100% childsafe. Parents may comfortably allow children
to view our site and all of our material is suitable for kids. Please see
our home page for seals of approval.
What sorts of pictures do you put on the clothing and
gift items that you sell, and can you personalize products
for individuals ?
We have all sorts of designs in our shops, from animals, to clowns,
to fairy tale and Mother Goose characters, to trains, to story pictures,
and so much more ! In addition to our general shop sections related
to children's clothing, or to baby clothing, or to fun matching kids'
and parents' clothing, or to all sorts of fun gift items, we also have
several theme-related shop areas.
For example, we have lots of special designs that celebrate love for
family members, with colorful hearts that shout "I Love Mommy,"
"I Love Grandpa," and the like. We have brightly colored alphabet
clothing that can make learning into an exciting game. We have a
special shop just for twins, too, and you can visit our holiday shop
for adorable designs for Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa, or whatever
holiday is soon approaching. You can find everything by visiting our
STOREFRONTor by using our links sidebar to see a list of links to the
various parts of our shops.
Yes, we can personalize items for a small additional charge. Also,
if you would like to buy one of our current designs, as is, but do not
see it on the item of clothing that you wish to order (for example,
you like that tiger picture, but it does not come on baby bibs), you
can contact us and we can put the picture onto the desired item, if
available, for no extra charge. If you don't see what you want
already in our shops, you can contact us at:
mail@babybirdproductions.com .
To see large samples of the pictures that can be found on our
children's clothing, baby clothes, matching family clothing and
gifts, please visit our COLORFUL PICTURES page. You can even
read some FUNNY PRODUCT POEMS, if you like.
What formats do your stories come in and do the animated
stories require any special plug-ins ?
All of our children's stories are available to purchase in two different
ways. You can choose the method that you prefer.1. CHILDREN'S STORIES ON CDs: This link will take you to our story CD
shop where you can buy our colorful children's stories on CDs. Each
children's stories CD contains three complete children's stories,
including at least one that is animated. These CDs can be delivered
worldwide. We also have a shop that has other fun items like T-shirts
and sweatshirts and mouse pads and mugs, often decorated with art
from our children's stories (CHILDREN'S CLOTHING SHOP) so kids can
watch our stories while wearing their favorite characters from the
stories. You can put together your own unique gift sets for the kids
in your life.
2. CHILDREN'S STORIES TO DOWNLOAD: This link will take you to our
story download shop. Here you can buy our children's stories
individually and download them to your computer. You can even
have stories delivered as gifts to a child who uses a different
computer.
Both our CDs and download stories contain their own "Flash
projectors". You do not need any special plug-ins or software.
You do need a Flash 6 (or higher) player, however, to see the
animations of our online web pages. Please CLICK HERE for more
information about viewing our site.
How can I quickly find the type of story I want from your
catalog ?
Visit our CHILDREN'S STORIES PICTURE SAMPLES page to see
brief descriptions of each story and view full-size sample
animations and still pictures from our stories. If you browse
our CATALOG OF STORIES YOU CAN DOWNLOAD, please look
at the symbols that we use to make it easier for you to spot
what interests you. The symbols indicate categories such as
animated books or still pictures, and general story topics.
Why does your site focus on sweet pictures for clothing
and gift items, and on stories about cooperation and
kindness ?
I believe that children's attitudes are shaped by a variety
of influences - from parents to teachers to schoolmates to
television... to stories. Anything that children are exposed to
may make a lasting impression. With so much conflict and
violence in the world and in the media that children come
into contact with daily, I feel that more positive messages
are needed. I avoid violent or really frightening clothing
designs or stories and try to emphasize cooperation,
sharing, kindness, and acceptance of others. I feel that
compassion should also extend to the other species with
whom we share this planet, so I also make pictures and write
stories about treating animals with kindness and respect.
Why aren't all your stories animated ?
I want to offer something for every taste and for all children
and all ages. As a result, some stories have moving pictures
while others have still pictures. Some rhyme and some are
written in prose. Book lengths as well as styles of artwork vary,
and some stories are funny while others are more introspective
or serious. I've also included such themes as adventure stories,
alphabet and counting books, not-too scary monster tales,
nonviolent versions of traditional fairy tales and folk tales, and
animal stories. This variety means that families can come back
to us again and again to try new stories and can also find a
range of prices.
Can I print out a story or send it to friends as an
attachment or duplicate a CD ?
No. I'm afraid that we must remind you that all of our stories
and artwork are protected by copyright law internationally.
Each purchase price is for one CD or a download to one computer
and it is illegal to duplicate for distribution and to send or print
out any part of any story.
Can we expect to see more stories on your site
in the future ?
We'll be adding more stories as time allows, so
please remember to "bookmark" our site or add
us to your "favorites" !
What other types of things do you offer on your sites ?
In addition to children's stories, Baby Bird Productions has other
shops that sell different types of fun products that are decorated
with our colorful original artwork and with pictures from our
children's stories. These include a CLOTHING SHOP with T-shirts
and sweatshirts and such, plus FUN STUFF GIFTS like mouse pads,
clocks, and mugs. We even have a special BABY SHOP with baby
crawlers, bibs, T-shirts and Teddy bears, plus we have FINE ART
PRINTS of birds and wildlife.
Our pages are color-coded to make it easier for you to know
where you are on our site. Pages that are about the items
we sell or that give information about our website (such as
FAQ) are beige; our shops where you can purchase clothing,
gifts and stories are a deeper shade of salmon; our fine art
prints shop is black; and (except for the blog and teacher
worksheets) our free content pages are bright yellow. The
pages with big sample animations and still pictures from
our stories have different page colors for different stories.
We are Barbara Freedman-De Vito and Bob De Vito. I, Barbara,
create all of the children's stories and artwork and other materials
available on our products and on this website and the work of
animating each illustrated story is done by my husband, Bob.
Together we run Baby Bird Productions and maintain our website
and shops. You can visit WHO WE ARE to learn more about us.
Are you qualified in any way to be writing stories for
children or creating artwork or educational activities ?
I've been creating stories and artwork and projects for children
for more than twenty-five years. I have a degree in Fine Arts
and certification as an art teacher. I also have a Master's
degree in Library Science with a concentration in the study
of children's literature. I've spent many years as a teacher and
children's librarian, helping kids choose quality books and
creating storytelling programs, puppet shows, art and creative
writing workshops for children. I've also conducted workshops
for university students, teachers and librarians on the arts of
storytelling, puppetry and creative work with children. In
addition, I've performed for kids of all ages at castles, parks,
libraries, and birthday parties in the U.S.A., England and France.
For these storytelling performances, I've written most of the
tales and created most of the props that I've used.
Where do your pictures on clothing and your story
ideas come from ?
I draw whatever interests me at any given moment. I like
to focus on sweet designs that will bring a smile to children
and adults, alike. My pictures are never vulgar or offensive.
Some of the pictures that appear on our clothing and gift
items actually come from my storytelling performances,
where I've sometimes included stories using pictures and props
that I've created by cutting up tiny pieces of colored felt and
gluing them together to create characters and animals and
various objects. These creations in colored felt have now
been scanned into our computer to create a uniquely
textured effect in certain designs. As to my original stories,
some are inspired by my own experiences or by animals
I have known, but most come from my imagination.
Sometimes I also like to write my own versions of fairy
tales and folk tales from around the world. For example,
I've turned the violent traditional tale, "The House That
Jack Built" into a gentle, animated rhyming story, "The
COZY House That Jack Built." Sometimes I combine stories
and clothing, by putting pictures from my own stories
onto our children's clothing and other products, so that kids
can have fun watching the stories while wearing the matching
T-shirts and sweatshirts, for example.
Why is your site called "Baby Bird" ?
Our site is named for a beautiful pigeon who was called
Bucky. He was an orphaned baby bird back in 1978 when
we took him in and raised him, planning to set him free
as soon as he was able to care for himself. Unfortunately,
a defective wing prevented him from flying and safely
living in the wild. So he lived with us, until his death in
1996. Because his memory and our love for him live on,
we have named this website in his honor.
How do I know you are a legitimate business ?
We are incorporated as a legally registered business
(corporate identification number 449 434 679,
registered August 2003) and use a secure server, as
noted below.
This site is hosted on a secure server and the credit card
information you send is automatically encrypted. Your
credit card information and all of your transactions are
safe.
How can I order products and what currencies can I pay in ?
WE DELIVER WORLDWIDE ! As to ordering:
FOR OUR STORY DOWNLOADS:
Just have your credit card information handy and complete
the order form in our online store. Our prices are given in
euros. Other currency credit cards are also welcome. Your
company will convert the payment. As noted above, this site
is hosted on a secure server and your credit card information
is automatically encrypted. All transactions are secure.
FOR OUR CHILDREN'S STORY CATALOG, CLICK HERE.
FORALL OTHER PURCHASES:
All transactions are handled by CaféPress and the process
is basically the same, but US dollars are the basis for all
purchases. Other currency credit cards are also welcome
and your company will convert the payment. With CaféPress,
once you're in a Baby Bird shop, you can pay online or by
telephone.
Do you share personal visitor information
with other businesses ?
No, we respect the privacy of our visitors and do not sell
mailing lists or otherwise share personal information.TO SEE OUR PRIVACY POLICY, CLICK HERE.
How long will it take for my order to be processed ?
CaféPress orders for CDs, clothing, fine art prints and
all other products will be processed and shipped within
5 business days. They handle all aspects of the ordering
process and any questions related to pending orders.
For more information, visit the CAFEPRESS help center.
For children's story downloads, your order will be
processed immediately. Later (usually within a day
or so, unless we are temporarily away) you will
receive an email from us with your stories attached
and ready to download. Download time depends on
the file size of the story, the speed of your Internet
connection and the volume of traffic on Internet at
the time of downloading. Please check the catalog
entries for the stories that interest you for estimated
download times.
What is your refund policy ?
For mail order items, there is a 30-day money back
guarantee. CafePress handles this. For details,
please visit the CAFEPRESS information page.
For children's story downloads, in the unlikely event
that you are unable to successfully download any story
that you purchase, you should contact us. If we are
unable to solve the problem, we will refund the story's
purchase price. If you are dissatisfied with a productyou have seven days to request a refund and you must
agreeto immediately delete the downloaded story from
your computer.
How do you set the prices for your stories ?
FOR CHILDREN'S STORIES ON CDs:
Each CD contains three complete children's stories,
including at least one that is animated. All CDs have
roughly the same running times and so all carry the
same price. Each CD can be purchased either in a
paper sleeve (for a lower price) or a plastic case
(for a higher price).
FOR CHILDREN'S STORIES AS DOWNLOADS:
We use a formula that is based on several criteria,
such as the number of illustrations and the lack or
presence of animated elements. For example - a
very short story that has small still pictures would
fall into a low price category, while a long animated
story would fall into the highest category. Long
stories with still pictures or short animated stories
would fall somewhere in the middle.
Can I submit my own artwork or story for possible
publication on your products or site ?
We're afraid that we are unable to accept any pictures
or story submissions and we cannot open any e-mail
attachments. We publish only our own materials.
How can I contact you ?
All questions or problems related to mail order
fulfillments should be addressed directly to
CAFEPRESS. If you have any other types of comments,
problems or questions that are not answered on this
site, we can be reached at :
mail@babybirdproductions.com
Thank you for taking the time to look through this
page. We hope that we've answered any questions
that you've had.
Registered business address: Barbara Freedman,
1 rue Maurice Barthélémy, 94120 Fontenay-sous-Bois,
France, +33-(0)1-48-75-95-32. (We are unable to
process orders or refunds through this address and
telephone number.) To place an order, please go to
our various shops. If you'd like to contact us for any
other reason, please use the email address above.
Thank you.
