Animal tales have been in existence as long as human beings first started telling stories around the evening campfire. In the past such tales have been used to teach behavior or explain natural forces. Trickster tales have been among the most popular and can be found at locales as widespread as the North American Inuit homelands to the most southern parts of Africa. In fact, there are Trickster stories in nearly every culture around the world.

Traditionally, Trickster stories focus on one animal, such as the coyote, the raven, the crow or the rabbit. Many other animals have also had the staring role as the trickster. Rabbit’s Song takes this one step further and brings all four animals together in a time before time tale of how Trickster chose which animals would be his representatives here on earth.

In an all new tale, Arkansas author and musician, S. J. Tucker, Tennessee author, Trudy Herring and Missouri illustrator, W. Lyon Martin craft a story with true magic and joy. The lyrical, rhyming story and detailed, imaginative illustrations follow Trickster from his arrival, through his search until his discovery of the four humble animals he decides will serve him. This heartwarming saga, where the nice guy finishes first, will be sure to entertain young and old alike.

If you have any questions about Rabbit’s Song, or if you’d like to interview the authors or illustrator, please feel free to contact us.

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.