My mom is a library assistant at an elementary school down in Florida (actually, the same elementary school my siblings and I all attended!), and she's always sending me recommendations for new books and new series. I absolutely adore YA literature, among other genres, and I always find her recommendations to be well worth reading. I know I'll be hitting her up when Matt and I decide to have children, as she'll have a bunch of titles for us to check out!
Inspired by this, I started searching for Pagan books at places like Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million, and other admittedly non-Pagan establishments. What I found was... a whole lotta nothin'. That really wasn't surprising considering the lack of support for Pagan authors (at least children's authors) in mainstream culture, but I was still disappointed to see several Christian titles and even a few Jewish titles while finding not a single kid-friendly Pagan book. Several for adults, none for kids.
Thank heavens for the Internet, though! Here are some books that I managed to find for Pagan children, ones that I've heard of before and that I'm going to be sure to add to my Future Babies Wish List. ;) They're listed according to appropriateness to age, and all can be found on Amazon.com. (I urge you to Google these titles, though, and purchase either directly from the author or through an independent bookstore if possible!)
Looking for a particular age group? Click the link below to be directed automatically!
Well, at least there are some out there, even if you have to go online to get them.
ReplyDeleteI agree though; it's a bit disappointing that Pagan books are so under represented while books for some other faiths are all over the place.
Of course, there's always the option of telling your own versions of the adult stories and simplifying them for the child.
This is absolutely true. :) I've noticed, however, that it can be difficult to explain your faith to a child, to having kid-friendly material is always a plus! I'm glad they're made available, and we should absolutely have more authors willing to throw their literary gifts into the mix.
ReplyDeleteHi there, Tori! Hope you had a great New Year!
May I humbly (although enthusiastically) suggest: "Rupert's Tales: The Wheel of the Year - Beltane, Litha, Lammas and Mabon?" It's the first in a series of books written specifically for Pagan children. This title was released in February 2011, with our second title, "Rupert's Tales: The Wheel of the Year - Samhain, Yule, Imbolc and Ostara" to be released next month. Both of these titles can be found everywhere online.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, "Rupert's Tales: The Wheel of the Year Activity Book" will also be released next month, and our third hardcover, "Rupert's Tales: Rupert Helps Clean Up" will be released in fall 2012. These titles are already listed for pre-ordering on major booksellers' websites.
One of the neatest things about Rupert's Tales is that they are "appropriate" from cradle to grave because they rhyme, so they're fun to read. Please feel free to do a search for my name or one of our titles in order to find reviews (including a really terrific one by Patti Wigington) so you can get an idea of what our furry friend has to offer.
And, Stephanie, we live in Florida too, so I'd love to meet with your Mom if you like.
Thanks so much!
Kyrja
Friend of Rupert
I have always liked The Winter Witch by Clay Bonnyman Evans and illustrated by Robert Bender. It's particularly good for our family because it's about a mixed Christian/Jewish household and the main character in the book meets a Witch who has some good things to say about some of the similarities to be found in the celebrations around the winter solstice.
ReplyDeleteWhat an awesome resource! I'm sure I'll refer back here sometime. I was just looking at some pagan kids books on Amazon the other day.
ReplyDeleteI'm also a big fan of Circle Round, which isn't technically a kids book, but contains a lot of kid's stories and rituals oriented toward families with children.
Absolutely, Kyrija! Thank you for sharing! :) I've never heard of the series before, but they look absolutely wonderful and I would LOVE to add them to my list... both here and my own wish list. Is there a site where these can be found, like a specific author site?
ReplyDeleteAs for Florida, that would be great! I believe you sent me an email not long ago (I still need to respond to that -- slacking Steph is slacking!), so I'd love to talk about that, too. I think it'd be wonderful to have some diverse books in the school library! I'll be honest and say that I'm not sure if religious books will be permitted as it IS a public school, but the neutral titles would absolutely work! Let's talk. :)
Welcome to TCC, by the way!
OH, thank you, hon! I love that recommendation, for obvious reason. :) Definitely adding it to my list! Do you read it only during the Solstice, or do you find it a good year-round book?
ReplyDeleteAwesome, I'm glad you like it! :) I'm pretty excited, but a bit wary because now my "to-have" book list is bigger than I think my budget would currently allow, lol.
ReplyDeleteYes, Circle Round is fantastic! I'd definitely call that a good parents' book. So happy to see good Pagan parenting books out there. :) I'm guessing you use Circle Round with your own family?
Also, HI, Colleen! It's been forever!
i wish someone had some recommendations for young teens. my daughter is 13
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