A new review for both Aidan's First Full Moon Circle and for Watchers by W. Lyon Martin have been posted to the internet by Michael Gleason. Thank you for the wonderful words, Michael!
This is going to be a short review, simply because the book itself is very short. Ms. Martin has created a book which fulfills multiple purposes in spite of the shortness of the story. She has captured, in easily understandable form, the feelings that everyone – child or adult – has when they finally celebrate a ritual with more than just their family.
The illustrations are soft and pretty. Little ones will enjoy looking at them as they read this story.
As well as learning a few simple ritual terms and actions there is a simple mystery. Seamus the squirrel needs to find his acorns in order to survive the winter. There are different numbers of them in each picture and they will inspire those too young to read on their own to find them.
The story is simple but the lessons are important – accept responsibility, take help if you need it, open yourself to new experiences, and act responsibly. This is a wonderful introduction to group workings and interactions.
Lyon Martin met a lady who shared a poem she learned from her grandmother. That poem inspired this book.
Thomas is being stalked by monsters at night. He can’t see them, but he can see their eyes in the dark. A plan is made to catch them. A trap is set – and triggered. Then the “monsters” are revealed as…Nope, I’m not telling. You need to get this book and share it with your little ones. It is a positive approach to childhood anxieties, as well as a fun story.
The illustrations, although some of them are dark (hey, it’s bedtime and lights out) are not in the least threatening, and because of their softness and depth of detail, will entertain your child almost as much as the story itself.
I highly recommend this book, as well as others by the same author. Her books are fun, the bindings are library reinforced (so they will hold up for the long run), and are printed on recycled paper.
The books can be purchased from the publisher http://magicalchildbooks.com , amazon.com or from your favorite book seller.
Here is the message from Duckee regarding Bel's progress.
"Bel
has gone thru her 3rd plasmapheresis/dialysis treatment. She gets the
day off on Thursday, then starts up again Friday. There is talk of
moving her from ICU before the next treatment, but that is mostly just
talk at the moment.
All in all, her spirits are good. She knows
we are all sending her energy and good wishes. (Her mom said her garden
is feeling the energy, too and growing like mad).
The
weakness/paralisys had spread a little more, but apparently, that is to
be expected. Hopefully, she'll start to see an up-turn very soon.
Keep
sending the love and good wishes and healing energies. Spread the word.
She feels it, and she (and the rest of the family) appreciates it."
Thank you all so much for all the good thoughts and energy.
Beltana of SONA, Bellawyck, and Wolvenwold has fallen seriously ill and could use your assistance. She has contracted Guillain Barre Syndrome which is an illness that attacks the central nervous system. Beltana's prognosis is good but it will likely be quite some time before she is well. We, her friends and family, have this opportunity to band together and show her just how much we honor her committment and all that she has given to our community over the years. This is the time to show our support. Anything that you could spare would be of tremendous value in ensuring that Beltana's family has what they need during this difficult time. Remember the circle is always completed in time... the love you show will be with us all, always. :) PayPal Click Here so that you can show your love... all funds will be deposited directly into Beltana's PayPal acount.
Litha and Summer Solstice Greetings to one and all. My spring has been amazing and jam-packed full of any number of excitements.
It's been a while since I last wrote you, but it's not that I haven't wanted to. I have been busy with my book tour and promotion for what is now three picture books, just for Pagan kids. To the two books that came out in January (An Ordinary Girl, A Magical Child & Aidan's First Full Moon Circle) my newest book Watchers has joined the line-up this month http://shop.handcraftedpagan.com/ . I have been all over the MidWest this spring, and it's been a soggy experience. Every single camping event had a deluge of rain, high winds and the oceans of mud that followed. At one event we also were subjected to hail the size of golf balls and threats of a tornado touching down. Luckily, for us anyway, the tornado hit some 25 miles southwest of our location. Still, the wind was pretty heavy and several merchants had their tents blown away, including me. I had packed up all the merchandise the afternoon before, so the tent was all I lost. And my luck held because when I went to the store to buy a replacement they were on sale at 35% OFF. Gotta love a bargain!
Most recently, I have been hard at work on my next picture book. This one called Rabbit's Song by SJ Tucker http://www.skinnywhitechick.com/ and Trudy Herring http://www.summerland.org/ is scheduled for release to the general public in January, but SJ, Trudy and I will be having a pre-release party in October at the Festival of Souls in Tennessee. It is most likely the only time all three of us will be together.
In anticipation of some of the art, I went to the Wild Canid Center http://www.wildcanidcenter.org/ this week. One of the animals in the book is a wolf, and another is a coyote. The Wild Canid Center houses wild wolves for rehabilitation and re-release into the wild. My daughter, SJ, K Wiley and I all had a private tour of the facilities and got to see the wolves in residence. It was very awesome being so close to the wild brothers and sisters. Later that evening SJ was scheduled to appear with Larell K Hamilton in a benefit book reading and concert. We used the free time in the afternoon to help K and SJ set up for the evening, then all 4 of us headed out to get a well deserved and tasty dinner. The SJ and K were to head back to the Canid Center for the show. My daughter and I were planning on picking up some cat food and heading home. During dinner, SJ surprised us with two tickets to the sold out show. Can you say "WHOOT!!!"? So we all headed back to the Canid Center, listened to Larell read the first two chapters out of an upcoming book, walked down the property to howl with the wolves and then headed back to an evening of musical entertainment with SJ. It was an amazing experience, and made even more so by the whole unexpectedness of being there in the first place.
Tomorrow, I am getting up at 4 a.m. to head out to Oklahoma, for the Litha FireFest http://www.ikempire.com/Litha2008.htm . I catch a plane for this one. The new weight limits for luggage are pretty small. So, I've spent most of the morning trying to pack as much as I might need into one tiny suitcase trying to make sure I have everything without going over the weight limit. This is not easy to do when packing books! Fortunately, children's books are not as heavy as adults' books. I managed to get everything I need into the bag in under the 50 lb limit with a bit of wiggle room to spare.
For those of you with kids, or just childlike in nature, please visit my publisher's web site http://magicalchildbooks.com/ and sign up for the monthly newsletter http://paganchildrensbookpublishing.info/newsletter.html . Once a month or so, I create a free coloring page for download. The current theme is ABC Lessor Known Goddesses. The June Goddess starts with "I." All the previous coloring pages are archived, so you can still download the other letters.
Here at Magickware, http://www.magickware.com/magickware/index.php?main_page=products_new I have found some new products to add to the line up. One new product, "Goodness Spray" has already sold out. Check back in a month or so to see if it is back in stock. It is a great tie in to the Watchers story, empowering the little ones to face their fears of the dark and things that go bump in the night.
Also in is a large cotton Triquetra tapestry in silver, gold and black.
A brand new line of jewelry recently became available so I now have in stock the entire Greenwood line from Starlinks. The names of the lead free sterling pendants are as follows: (Some even feature crystals.) •Green Man •Wood Witch's Wand •Flight of the Goddess •Acorn Faery • Stag Lord •Tree Runes •Elf Heart •Dragon Tree •Herne the Hunter •Celestial Hare •Mushroom Fairy •Moon Stag and •Sword in the Green. As you can see by the names the line is quite diverse, and as beautiful as is sounds. Visit Magickware to find out which one is your favorite.
One more new item has been added to the children's section. It's a 1-1/8" pentacle charm pendant on a 16" cord. An inexpensive first necklace for the little ones.
Aidan’s First Full Moon Circle by W. Lyon Martin (© 2008 Magical Child Books, ISBN:978-0979683442, 32 pages, Hardbound, $16.95 U.S.)
Watchers by W. Lyon Martin (© 2008, Magical Child Books, ISBN:978-0979683459, 32 pages, Hardbound, $16.95 U.S.)
