Books for Pagan Children: Middle School/Tween (G-R)

It can be difficult to find books for your Pagan children to read. You want books that teach them your values, and maybe something close to your beliefs and traditions.

I have compiled a list of good books by great authors. Many are outright Pagan. Some are Pagan in flavor or Pagan-friendly. I am noting when the author is Pagan to encourage support of Pagan authors and artists.

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• Grimoire for the Apprentice Wizard by Oberon Zell-Ravenheart (Non-Fiction) *PAGAN*
  This amazing book is an essential reference and permanent resource for every aspirant. It is illustrated with original art by Oberon and friends, as well as hundred of woodcuts from medieval manuscripts and alchemical texts--plus, charts, tables and diagrams.

• If Stones Could Speak: Unlocking the Secrets of Stonehenge by Marc Aronson (Non-Fiction)
  What are the secrets of the ancient stone circle? Were the carefully placed stones a burial site, an ancient calendar, a place of Druid worship...or even a site of sacrifice? World-renowned archaeologist Mike Parker-Pearson has spent the last seven years on a quest to answer these and many other questions. In If Stones Could Speak, award-winning author Marc Aronson joins the research crew and records their efforts to crack Stonehenge’s secrets. National Geographic helped sponsor the Riverside archeological team’s mission, and now young readers can journey behind the scenes to experience this groundbreaking story first-hand, through the eyes of the experts.

• Mabinogion Tetralogy by Evangeline Walton (Myths)
  The Mabinogion is internationally recognized as the world's finest arc of Celtic mythology; Walton's vivid retelling introduces an ancient world of gods and monsters, heroes, kings and quests, making accessible one of the greatest fantasy sagas of all time.

• Maid of the North by E. Phelps (Myths)
  A collection of twenty-one folk and fairy tales from around the world featuring clever heroines.

• Return of the Light, The: Twelve Tales from Around the World for the Winter Solstice by Carolyn McVickar Edwards (Myths)
  Celebrating the solstices - particularly the moment of the sun's return at midwinter, on December 21 - is a nearly universal human urge, one that dates back thousands of years and has been identified in a wide variety of cultures. Now The Return of the Light makes an ideal companion for all who carry on this tradition, no matter what their faith. Twelve stories - from North America, China, Scandinavia, India, Africa, South America, Europe, and Polynesia - honour this moment, helping to renew our wonder of the miracle of rebirth and the power of transition from darkness into light.

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Books for Pagan Children: Elementary (I-L)

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It can be difficult to find books for your Pagan children to read. You want books that teach them your values, and maybe something close to your beliefs and traditions.

I have compiled a list of good books by great authors. Many are outright Pagan. Some are Pagan in flavor or Pagan-friendly. I am noting when the author is a confirmed Pagan to encourage support of Pagan authors and artists. If you know an author is Pagan, but they aren't marked as such, send me a message and I will correct it.

• I'm in Charge of Celebrations by Byrd Baylor (Non-Fiction)
  
  Byrd Baylor's text captures and shares some of the special experiences in the Southwest desert country that have inaugurated her private celebrations.

• Iduna and the Magic Apples by Marianna Mayer (Myths)
  
  The evil giant Thiassi vows to capture Iduna and her magic apples which give the gods on Valhalla everlasting life.

• Knight's Castle by Edward Eager (Fantasy)
  
  If the old toy soldier hadn’t come to life, Roger would never have discovered the magic. And that would never have happened if he and his sister, Ann, hadn’t been sent to stay with their bossy cousins for the summer. And that wouldn’t have happened at all if their father hadn’t gotten sick and gone into the hospital. But all of that did happen, and now Roger, his sister, and their cousins find themselves in a bygone world of chivalry and knighthood, of Robin Hood and Ivanhoe. In this knightly realm they can make a difference, and perhaps even save the person they most need to save, if only they are smart and brave enough, if only they are true to their hearts.

• Lady of Ten Thousand Names, The: Goddess Stories from Many Cultures by Burleigh Muten (Myths)
  
  Drawing from traditional tales and sacred texts worldwide, Burleigh Muten presents eight brave and powerful goddesses who struggle with their own unique set of challenges as they strive to assert their independence and authority. This is an experience to share and to treasure.

• Legends of Earth, Air, Fire and Water by Eric Hadley (Myths)
  
  A reprint of this collection of legends, first published in 1985, illustrated throughout in colour.

• Legends of the Sun and Moon by Eric Hadley (Myths)
  
  Twelve traditional tales about the sun and the moon from a variety of cultures.

• Little Witch Goes to School by Deborah Hautzig (Fiction)
  
  Little Witch wants to go to school just like her friends, but her mother thinks she should stay home and learn from her witchy aunts. Mother Witch finally agrees to let Little Witch go, but only if she promises to be very, very bad. It's a wild ride on a broomstick that kids won't soon forget! The third book in the popular Little Witch series, Little Witch Goes to School has all the mixed-up magic and quirky humor kids have come to love in the first two books.

• Little Witch Learns to Read by Deborah Hautzig (Fiction)
  
  Guess who’s learning to read? Little Witch is—and she loves it. But Mother Witch won’t allow nice books about princesses and princes in the house! Little Witch resorts to using invisibility spells and staying up late to read, but it’s starting to wear her out. When the Witch family finally discovers Little Witch’s secret reading habit, she has one last trick to change their minds about books!

• Little Witch's Big Night by Deborah Hautzig (Fiction)
  
  Forced to stay at home on Halloween because she's been too good, Little Witch gives three trick-or-treaters high-flying broomstick rides.

• Longest Day, The: Celebrating the Summer Solstice by Wendy Pfeffer (Non-Fiction)
  
  In this fourth and final book in the series about seasons, Wendy Pfeffer turns her attention to summer, when butterflies emerge from silky cocoons and daylight hours stretch longer and longer. With lyrical prose and vibrant illustrations, The Longest Day takes us on a journey through the history and science behind the summer solstice, with a focus on summer celebrations from various cultures around the world. Teachers and students alike will treasure the varied and accessible knowledge, and activities in the back let everyone in on the festivities.

• Lord of the Dance by Darla Hallmark (Activity) *PAGAN*
  
  The traditional words of Lord of the Dance, fully illustrated in colorable pictures by a noted fantasy illustrator. Designed especially for both adults and children to color.

• Ludo and the Star Horse by Mary Stewart (Fiction)
  
  A boy follows his horse on a journey through all the houses of the zodiac.

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Books for Pagan Children: Preschool (H-J)

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It can be difficult to find books for your Pagan children to read. You want books that teach them your values, and maybe something close to your beliefs and traditions.

I have compiled a list of good books by great authors. Many are outright Pagan. Some are Pagan in flavor or Pagan-friendly. I am noting when the author is a confirmed Pagan to encourage support of Pagan authors and artists. If you know an author is Pagan, but they aren't marked as such, send me a message and I will correct it.

• Harvest by Kris Waldherr (Fiction)
  
  This lyrical picture book, illustrated in the vibrant oranges, browns, and greens of the season, is sure to please as it captures the magic and warmth of autumn. A charming book to usher in the Halloween and Thanksgiving holidays.

• Hidden Tales from Eastern Europe by Antonia Barber (Fantasy)
  
  The walls of Eastern Europe have recently crumbled to reveal fascinating hidden cultures. To reflect this more open perspective, here is a collection of little-known folk tales from Poland, Slovakia, Russia, Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia and Romania. The seven elegantly told and beautifully illustrated tales create a timely collection to stimulate children's interest in their European neighbours.

• How the Cat Swallowed Thunder by Lloyd Alexander (Fantasy)
  
  Mother Holly is tired of Cat's rascally ways. When going out one day, she tells him she doesn't want to see one thing out of place in the house upon her return. Quicker than a cat can pounce, he is in trouble. One mishap leads to another and another. For, unbeknownst to the cat, Mother Holly is no ordinary granny. Her watering can produces spring showers, her bellows bring on the wind, and her popping corn makes thunder. Even when one tiny kernel is swallowed by the cat, it continues to rumble softly in his throat.

• I Stood upon a Mountain by Aileen Lucia Fisher (Fiction)
  
  Standing on top of a mountain, a young child wonders about the creation of the world.

• I'm a Medicine Woman Too!: A Tale of Herbal Wisdom and Personal Empowerment by Jesse Wolf Hardin (Fiction)
  
  Rhiannon is the inspiration and model for this tale of realization and growth, as she first resists believing she could ever be a Medicine Woman like the herbalists and healers she's met... but then realizes the ways in which she is already the woman of power she hopes to be. Included are thirty-five full color illustrations, including eleven frame-worthy depictions of various Medicine Woman archetypes including an Apache with her mano and metate grinding stones, a Hispanic curendara in her adobe Botanica herb shop, and an Anglo teacher, gardener and herb chef.

• Jethro Byrd, Fairy Child by Bob Graham (Fantasy)
  
  Annabelle’s dad has little time for fairies, which he assures her she won’t find in the cement and the weeds of their urban backyard. But Annabelle has lots of time, so she keeps looking - even under her baby brother, Sam. And one day she finds what she’s looking for: a thumb-sized fairy child named Jethro Byrd, whose family has made an awkward landing in a tiny ice cream truck among some discarded bottles and cans. What a wonderful chance to invite all the Byrds for tea with Mommy and Daddy! But why, Annabelle wonders - as the fairies fiddle and sing and dance and whistle away among the cake crumbs - are she and Sam the only ones who can see them?

• Journey of Tunuri and the Blue Deer, The: A Huichol Indian Story by James Endredy (Myths)
  
  A contemporary adaptation of an indigenous Huichol teaching tale, illustrated with traditional yarn drawings by Huichol artisans.

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