Aidan’s First Full Moon Circle is a wonderful addition to the pagan child’s library. The story is sweet and simple and the illustrations are luminous and exquisitely beautiful. Written and illustrated by W. Lyon Martin, this book is a work of art — a lovely book that children will enjoy reading or having read to them again and again.
Margie McArthur – Author WiccaCraft for Families
Aidan’s First Full Moon Circle is charmingly illustrated tale that will captivate young readers and listeners, while it introduces them to some very basic parts of celebratory ritual. The squirrel and his acorn game that run throughout just add to the fun. It should be bedtime reading for every young child of any Pagan or nature-loving family.
Amber K. – Author The Pagan Kid’s Activity Book
W. Lyon Martin has done it again. Her latest offering for Pagan children is “Aidan’s First Full Moon Circle” and a beautiful, sweet offering it is! Full of rich colors, friendly faces, and an adorable story about a little boy’s empowerment through his first group ritual, this is another installment in a much-needed genre of books for children. If you enjoyed “An Ordinary Girl, A Magical Child”, you will love this book. And if you haven’t read either, then get them both for the young girls and boys in your life. They will thank you for them!
Kristin Madden – Author of Pagan Parenting
Young Aidan’s solitary family is celebrating an Esbat with a local coven. It will be his first Circle with others…and his first Circle in the woods. High Priestess chooses him to cast the Circle (where both Wiccans and non-denominational Pagans will be comfortable). Aidan enjoys the experience, and the camp-out that follows.
His story is vibrantly illustrated by the author, who has a way with watercolors, and the page design is innovative. The story’s well-presented, with details that will capture a child’s attention. This isn’t Lyon’s first book, but it introduces the delightful Seamus, a squirrel who leads young readers on a hunt through the illustrations for acorns for the Winter.
This is a lovely book for grade schoolers to read on their own, and for parents to read to younger children.
Ashleen O’Gaea – Author The Family Wicca and Raising Witches
FIVE CAULDRONS … full-steam!!!!
I was thrilled to be asked to review not one but TWO children’s books written again Pagan children. As a Pagan parent, it’s all-too apparent just how rare books like these are; also, how exciting it is when the books you come across for Pagan kids are truly wonderful stories that draw you in as a reader. More than this, it’s rare to find one that speaks of what it is like to BE a Pagan child in our community, regardless of the Path that child walks (Wiccan, Norse, Pagan, Druid, etc.) W. Lyon Martin writes about respect and acceptance. This and it’s sister-book, “An Ordinary Girl, A Magical Child” are among the best I have ever come across. A very happy thing to report, that.
“Aidan’s First Full Moon Circle” tells the story of a young boy, Aidan, and his family. They are Solitary Wiccans who normally celebrate their rituals and holidays on their own at home. This day, however, is special because they have been invited to join a local Coven to join them in their Full Moon Circle and even Aidan is welcome! You get to see how excited and nervous he is; how excited he is to meet new people and see the differences between what is usually done by his family and what is done with the Coven. Also to be found within the lush illustrations is Seamus the squirrel, he invites you and your child to help him find his acorns within the pictures! This isn’t as easy as it looks; a fact that makes it that much more fun to do the searching with your child/ren. My own kids: Elen (age 7) and William (age 3) both thoroughly enjoyed the extra treat of having this activity to do on nearly every page. It was nice also as it was something we could all do together regardless of the four-year difference in their ages. I suspect as well that William’s favorite character is Seamus!
Cerridwyn – Owner The Witch’s Grove
A charming book to ease worries of children about to celebrate their first circle. It will provide parents with a springboard to discuss their family’s traditions with their children, and what they can expect at their own first circle. Ceisiwr Serith – Author The Pagan Family
In a world where there is a dearth of pagan-themed resources for children, it’s nice to know that you can count on finding something of quality from the pen and paintbrush of W. Lyon Martin. Her latest offering, Aidan’s First Full Moon Circle will appeal to the younger reader (3-8) with its lively language and colorful illustrations. The counting game that threads throughout the book with Seamus the Squirrel was a nice touch (and great for keeping the youngest reader focused and entertained).
More like a traditional picture book than An Ordinary Girl, A Magical Child (I like this piece for older readers 5-11/12), the story puts you hand in hand with Aidan, a young boy going to his first public ritual–a big event for a small person. The ritual itself is well described and illustrated. And it occurred to me that along with easing the fears of any child who is a little nervous about attending circles outside of a family situation, this book (as well as An Ordinary Girl, A Magical Child) will prove to be a useful tool for dispelling misconceptions about families that follow pagan paths –Martin does a fine job at showing the “everyday-ness” of pagan life. The book also includes a glossary of terms at the back.
I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next!
Natalie Zaman – co-Author Graven Images Oracle, and Editor in Chief, www.broomstix.com
To purchase our books outside of the United States, please visit The Book Depository, which offers free international shipping.
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