It wasn’t too long ago I reviewed ScooterBees for the first time on Boutique Cafe’s Daily Dish. I am still just as in love with their foot-friendly design (i.e., chunky feet, small feet, long toes included) and unique storytelling powers as I was when I first laid eyes on them—and Livi laid feet in them—in July. Unfortunately her feet were just about bursting at the seams of her pink Growing Bird ScooterBees, so those will be passed down to a little friend of hers…and we will have to do the same with the latest pair. Trust me, I’m crying silent tears as I write this review.

ScooterBees just launched it’s new 2010 collection, which features a line of supple leather shoes handmade in Peru. The company sent us the Bloom story (“a flower story from bud to bloom”) in a beautiful gray and you can believe I tried to make them fit Livi’s not-so-size-6.5 feet. The leather is super soft and dyed using vegetables and fruits grown at the tannery, so each color reflects the crop of the season. How cool is that? And the company doesn’t use the chemicals traditionally used in tanning leather so you can be sure each component of ScooterBees is made from sustainable and safe materials. As with their 2009 line, the company is all about being eco-friendly. The new collection features a midsole made from recycled carton and lined with recycled fleece fibers and an outsole made using natural and recycled rubber (PVC and phthalate free).

Here’s a really great little video I found on their site that shows how the ScooterBees StoryTelling Shoe works. (It would’ve taken me hours to try and put something like this together for you, and I was too busy trying to get Livi’s feet in those dang cute Bloom shoes!)

Do any of the shoes in your little one’s closet tell a story? I’m not talking the “I was worn while jumping in mud puddles” or “I’m her favorite pair of sparkly princess shoes.” I’m talking endangered animals or dinosaurs or egg in a nest to tweeting bird in just two flaps. If you want a unique gift this holiday that is as good for your child’s feet as it is for the environment then choose a story from either the bamboo or leather collections offered by ScooterBees.

So Livi’s feet never did fit into her ScooterBees shoes from the new 2010 collection. Can you tell I’m seriously sad about it? Fortunately she does have a BFF (yes, even at her young age) who is slightly smaller in stature and will be able to give these shoes a good test run. Guess I’ll have to settle for a review by proxy. Sigh…—Emily

*** Giveaway ScooterBees is giving away one pair of shoes, winner’s choice! Here’s how to enter. You can do as many of these as you’d like. Each one is worth one entry into our giveaway (please leave a separate comment for the ones you do):

•   Visit ScooterBees.com and leave a comment telling us your favorite product.
•   Follow ScooterBees on Twitter and leave a comment telling is you’re their newest follower.
•   Tweet about this giveaway and leave a comment with the URL of your tweet.
•   Blog about this giveaway and leave a comment with the URL to your blog post.

Include a valid email address for our drawing. We’ll draw the winner from the comments and contact her via email. Deadline: December 14, 2009 (midnight). The winner will have 24 hours to claim her prize or a new winner will be chosen.

• Congratulations to Heidi, the winner of the ScooterBees giveaway! Thank you to everyone who took the time to read the review and add a comment. Keep reading the Daily Dish for your chance to participate in more giveaways!

I don’t need to tell you how many brands of children’s shoes exist—the choices are endless and of course we all have our favorites. When it comes to soft-soled shoes many of us think of the typical Robeez-style bootie, but let me change your way of thinking by introducing you to ScooterBees.

ScooterBees shoes have a patent-pending design that allows the shoes to adjust to and fit the variety of widths and “chunkiness” (instep thickness) of each little foot. The company is all about the unique shape of baby and toddler feet and so the design focuses on their healthy development and protection. ScooterBees also us committed to the environment; they company uses only the highest quality, environmentally friendly materials such as recycled fibers derived from both post-industrial and post-consumer sources, including PET soda and water bottles. And all ScooterBees shoes are manufactured domestically in San Francisco, CA.

The health of your little one’s feet and the environment is all well and good but what sets ScooterBees shoes apart from the rest? Well, not only are they soft soled, durable, machine washable (gotta love machine-washable shoes!) and easy to take on and off, they are educational. Yes, I said educational. Each pair of shoes are designed with your child’s mind in mind. They have a little “story” complete with illustrations that help stimulate their imagination. The artwork is handcrafted with non-toxic paint and the shoes can be worn with different “pages” complete with colorful letters, numbers and images.

Our little Livi received the pink Growing Bird pair of ScooterBees and they are truly like no other pair of infant/toddler shoes she owns. They are super soft yet durable and I love how adjustable they are—heaven knows my kids have chunky, little feet! And being able to change around the flaps makes it so much fun! It’s like finding a little surprise every time she wears the shoes! I am a big fan of children’s products that are parent friendly, child friendly and to top it all off, environmentally friendly. It’s a hard combination to pull off but ScooterBees does it—and does it with style!—Emily

*** Giveaway! ScooterBees is giving away one pair of shoes, winner’s choice! Please visit ScooterBees.com and leave a comment telling us your favorite style of shoes; include a valid email address for our drawing. We’ll draw the winner from the comments and contact her via email. Deadline: July21, 2009 (midnight). The winner will have 24 hours to claim her prize or a new winner will be chosen.

* For an extra entry tweet about this giveaway and leave a separate comment with the URL of your tweet!

• Congratulations to Gina S., the winner of the ScooterBees giveaway! Thank you to everyone who took the time to read the review and add a comment. Keep reading the Daily Dish for your chance to participate in more giveaways!