Book Reviews: Pagan Children Learning Series

In keeping with our recent posts about passing on the faith via art and about books for pagan children, I recently had the opportunity to review a set of three short books in the Pagan Children Learning series by Pie Plate Publishing. Written by Rowan Moss and illustrated by T.S. Lamb,What are the Elements?, Who is a Witch?, and What is Magic? are short, direct, gentle books explaining some core concepts in paganism. While I don’t consider myself Wiccan, the Who is a Witch? book was my favorite of the three, tidily dispelling common misconceptions and giving children a readily accessible interpretation of the word distinct from Halloween and “wicked old…” connotations. In my own readings to my children, I always change the work “wicked witch” to “magic witch” anyway. It was nice not to have to do that with these books! 🙂 The covers of these books are particularly lovely with their gentle colors and graceful lines.

While the Who is a Witch book seemed geared towards children unfamiliar with the term and thus perhaps on the outskirts of paganism, the other two books are well designed for pagan families. There is a brief mention of some elements being associated with “the Goddess” or “the God,” but overall the tone of each book is broad enough to encompass many, many different perspective under the Big Tent of paganism. Each book also includes a companion craft project and a simple glossary of terms.

I homeschool my children and I’ve recently been thinking of ways to incorporate our family’s spiritual life into our homeschool “curriculum.” I have the books Circle Round andCelebrating the Great Motherand have gotten them out recently as I consider incorporating more daily activities into our lives. I enjoyed adding these simple children’s books to my family’s resources as well.

What are your favorite resources for celebrating and learning about your spirituality with your children?