An Ordinary Girl, A Magical Child
Magical Child Books Updates
For Release: On Receipt
Contact: Faith Axel, 314-740-0361
Harry Potter is Fictional…But There Could be a Witch Family Next Door:
Books Make Diversity of Pagan Culture Accessible to Schoolchildren
St. Louis, MO: Teaching diversity is hard enough when the students have some familiarity with the cultures: Islam or Judaism, for instance. But what resources are available for teaching about Paganism or Wicca (sometimes referred to as witchcraft)? And can one girl's experience of being different as a Pagan apply universally to studying other kinds of difference?
While Harry Potter made the idea of magic a common dinner-table topic, the J. K. Rowling version of witchcraft has essentially nothing in common with modern Paganism: a religion based on teachings stretching back thousands of years, venerating nature and incorporating polytheism. Yet, many American students live next door to practicing Pagan families, whether they know it or not. And many Pagan children feel very isolated in classrooms dominated by Christians; they may not even know any other Pagans at their school.
Magical Child Books steps into the breach with two illustrated children's books for 2008, both written and illustrated by W. Lyon Martin, a much-published/exhibited artist and also a Pagan parent (see Lyon's bio).
An Ordinary Girl, a Magical Child
(ISBN 9780979683435) follows one Pagan elementary school child through the cycle of the year: celebrating the eight important holidays (Sabbats), blessing a home, rejoicing in the full moon…and learning how to conquer schoolmate teasing about her different traditions and banish bad dreams through ritual.
Aidan's First Full Moon Circle
(ISBN 9780979683442) walks a Pagan boy through the excitement of one ritual, and the discovery that he has been chosen to play a very important part in the night's events.
Martin's intricate and elegant artwork and her clear descriptions of Pagan practices have created books to be enjoyed for their stories and art, and also harnessed as teaching tools.
"A sound introduction for young readers to neo-Pagan beliefs." —Sue Bradford Edwards, children's book reviewer, St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Please see all reviews for An Ordinary Girl, A Magical Child)
Note: Lyon is available for book signing, workshops or interviews; review copies are available to qualified reviewers.
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