Forgotten Goddesses: A Coloring Book Review

I get a lot of things to review, and I don’t have time to review all of them. Sometimes I know someone else who can review a book, but more often it goes onto the pile of books awaiting my fantasy beach vacation. You know, the kind of vacation where you sit in a chair under an umbrella on a beach all day reading while good-looking people keep your margarita topped off.

Sometimes something catches me just right. I’ve got to sit in an airport, wait on my car to be fixed or I’ve reached a point where I simply can’t look at a computer screen anymore. It somehow seems to work out that a really interesting book, tarot deck or other product will happen along to fill that time. Right before PSG I got an unusual book in the mail, and in the hustle and bustle it got pushed to one side. Yesterday I desperately needed a break from work and packing for a move, and I reached for this book.

The ABCs of Lesser-Known Goddesses by W. Lyon Martin is really charming. There is an art noveau style “forgotten” Goddess for every letter of the alphabet. One of my favorites is Tatsuta-Hime with her kimono and hair caught up in the wind blowing autumn leaves.  Flidais also looks rather commanding in her deer-pulled chariot.

I chose to color Aestas because she seemed appropriate to the season:

I chose to color Jerah not only because the image is lovely, but also because I never knew Jericho was named for a Goddess:

The images are a bit too detailed for younger children, but they are a lot of fun for anyone 10 and older. I had fun coloring the pages. It was a stress-reducing moving meditation, and it felt a bit whimsical to be coloring at my age.

This is a really inexpensive easy Pagan art activity for children. I’d think Pagan homeschoolers would love this educational coloring book, as would Pagan children’s groups (like Spiral Scouts) and children’s centers at festivals. Several of the pictures are nice enough to frame and I’m considering buying another copy to color, cut out and frame.

The only downside to this book I can find is that the pictures are sometimes so detailed that it makes it difficult to stay inside the lines in places, and that the pages are printed on both sides, so if you want to create an ABC border of pictures in your child’s room you’d need to buy two books.

I really liked this coloring book. It’s detailed enough that it kept my interest and made me wish I had better quality colored pencils. I like that this is Pagan art I can put my own energy into, pop into a dollar-store frame and hang on my wall. I’ve always loved Pagan coloring pages wherever I can find them, and really wish there were more Pagan coloring books out there. Not all of us can draw, but most of us can wield a burnt sienna or cornflower blue pencil with flair.