Tuesday 8 February 2022

Review: Once Around the Sun: Stories, Crafts & Recipes

Once Around the Sun: Stories, Crafts, and Recipes to Celebrate the Sacred Earth Year is a new book by Druid Ellen Evert Hopman aimed at helping children learn about Pagan traditions. It is gorgeously illustrated and contains original stories based on folk tales from around the world about Gods, Goddesses, and seasonal customs. As well as stories, there are practical projects for each festival in the Wheel of the Year including crafting, cookery, and herb lore.

On its website, Publisher Inner Traditions offers these words: 

"Once upon a time, when only candles lit the inside of homes and people traveled on foot or by horse, the family would finish their supper, wash and dry the dishes, and sit down before the hearth to hear a tale. These tales were not only entertaining but also passed down both history and tradition to the next generation. And as the wheel of the year turned, these tales also served to teach the children about holy days and festivals and the Gods and Goddesses who reigned over the changing seasons.

"In this beautifully illustrated book, Ellen Evert Hopman shares rich stories drawn from traditional folktales, hands-on crafts, and seasonal recipes to help families and classrooms learn about and celebrate traditional holy days and festivals of the sacred earth year."

The tales are based on folklore from around the world. I was particularly delighted to read about Kupalnocka, the Polish feast of wreaths at midsummer. This chapter not only includes instructions for making a flower crown, but also a recipe for cherry pierogi - one of my favourite foods! Other mythology covered includes the Cailleach, the ancient Gaelic Goddess of Winter; La Befana, the Italian new year’s witch; Eostre, an Anglo-Saxon Goddess of spring; Yule among the Vikings; and Brigid, who is celebrated with doll-making and protective magic at Imbolc in Ireland.

There's a demand for more Pagan books for children, and this is a lovely addition to what's already available. 

Once Around the Sun: Stories, Crafts, and Recipes to Celebrate the Sacred Earth Year, will be on sale in April in the US, and May in the UK. It is available for pre-order at Destiny Books, which is the publisher's imprint. In the UK you can view the book on Amazon.  You can also order in some countries via Simon and Schuster.

Previous posts on books for Pagan Children
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2022/01/interview-pagan-childrens-book-author.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2015/10/review-journey-back-to-great-before.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2013/03/review-wimps-guide-to-supernatural.html

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