Stories on Stage: Children's Plays for Reader's Theater (or Readers Theatre), With 15 Play Scripts From 15 Authors, Including Roald Dahl's The Twits and Louis Sachar's Sideways Stories from Wayside School

Keith Donohue's sparkling debut novel was first presented by the publisher as a "bedtime story for adults." Intrigued by comparisons to Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell and The Confessions of Max Tivoli, we dipped into the book, only to find ourselves transported into a strange and wonderfully rich story--a perfect blend of literary fantasy and realism that kept us captivated until the very end. Find out what our top reviewers have to say about The Stolen Child, and hear from Keith Donohue about about the origins of the story below. --The Editors

Early Buzz From Amazon.com Top Reviewers

We queried our top 100 reviewers as of April 6, and asked them to read The Stolen Child and share their thoughts. We've included these early reviews below in the order they were received. For the sake of space, we've only included a brief excerpt of each reviewer's response, but each review is available for reading in its entirety by clicking the "Read the review" link. Enjoy!

Harriet Klausner: "Keith Donohue writes a great novel that will have readers debating the impact of nurturing and naturing as both Henrys adapt and adjust, but never feel whole. This is a fantastic fantasy that readers will enjoy immensely." Read Harriet Klausner's review

W. Boudville: "An updated and realistic Peter Pan. Keith Donohue has produced an exquisite first novel. Exceedingly polished prose with a compelling and original twist on a classic theme." Read W. Boudville's review

John Kwok: "Inspired by the W. B. Yeats poem "The Stolen Child", Keith Donohue's novel of the same title is a fine addition to the fantasy literature genre, yet told with the ample realism one expects from great works of mainstream literature." Read John Kwok's review

A. Joseph Haschka: "The Stolen Child is a fairy tale for adults that transcends standard fare. An ingeniously crafted tale about hobgoblins, is a coming of age story and one about identities both lost and found." Read A. Joseph Haschka's review

Robert Morris: "Donohue brilliantly explores all manner of themes, many of which are found in the most popular fairy tales and nursery rhymes (e.g. fear of separation from one's family, especially from parents). " Read Robert Morris's review

Donald Mitchell: "What would it like to be adopted and have your head full of fantasies? It might feel very much like this story. However, I think a story about an adopted child without the parallel changeling world would have been more interesting. Perhaps I lack a sense of romance and sympathy for the strivings of the dispossessed. If so, the fault is mine, not that of the story." Read Donald Mitchell's review

Joanna Daneman: "I found the writing stunningly simple and gripping. Within minutes, I was completely drawn into this book. I am a very finicky fiction reader, and I was delighted by Donohue's incredibly ability to make sensory experiences real, to make conversations flow naturally and logically--yet leading to surprise after surprise." Read Joanna Daneman's review

Charles Ashbacher: "The book moves back and forth between the two Henry's, how the substitute Henry handles his assimilation into human society and how the original adapts to the society that kidnapped him. It is an interesting story, as both "boys" have different perspectives on the life of a "growing" boy." Read Charles Ashbacher's review

Lawyeraau: "This haunting and beautifully written debut novel had me compulsively turning its pages. I simply could not put it down! The author has created a fantasy world that exists on the cusp of the consciousness of humans. It is a world that is the stuff of fairy tales, only the author has turned it into one that is fitting for adults." Read Lawyeraau's review

Gail Cooke: "It has been called magical, beguiling, remarkable, and vividly imagined. The Stolen Child is all of that, and much more. Keith Donohue's debut novel is an intriguing mix of imagination and reality, a story that reminds us of the joys of being human and the transcendency of love." Read Gail Cooke's review

Grady Harp: "Longing to belong is but one of the essential facts of life that author Keith Donohoe weaves into his debut novel, The Stolen Child, a stunning work of fiction that brings alive an ages old myth involving faeries, hobgoblins, changelings and magical transformations to confront contemporary readers with food for thought about being careful of what you wish for!" Read Grady Harp's review

Lee Carlson: "The story is as much a celebration of memory as it is in belaboring its mysteries. Every character acts in concert to remind the reader of the subtlety of memory along with its power." Read Lee Carlson's review

Daniel Jolley: "Keith Donohue has brought forth a magical debut novel full of insights into childhood and adulthood and the seemingly endless longing that largely defines both. He conjures a world of ancient legend and places it on the outskirts of modern civilization, thereby casting an insightful eye upon both." Read Daniel Jolley's review

An Autobiographical Note from Keith Donohue

My dad used to call me, the middle child of seven, "the youngest of the oldest, and the oldest of the youngest." Being dead smack in the middle of a large Irish American family, it is no wonder that I have felt like a changeling myself now and again. We were just like the Kennedys, without the money or the power.

We lived in a cramped yellow house at the bottom of a steep hill in Pittsburgh. Climbing that street as a small child was like hiking up a mountain, but it instilled a sense of ambition and determination. In the mid-Sixties, we moved to Southern Maryland, to a town so small that there was but a single commercial crossroads with a High's Dairy Store across from Ben Franklin's Five and Dime Store. There were still enough woods and swampland available to allow for hours of exploration and getting lost nearly every day.

On a whim, I went back to Pittsburgh for college and began to write in earnest at Duquesne University, studying under the Pennsylvania state laureate poet Sam Hazo, and putting myself through school through two creative writing scholarships. My dream was to be a novelist, but there weren't any openings.

Upon graduation, and being unable to find a job in the city, I moved back to the Washington area to work for the National Endowment for the Arts, answering the mail for the chairman of the agency. Within four years, I was writing speeches for a new and different chairman, a job I held for the eight years that coincided with what some have called the culture wars. I wrote for the freedom of expression crowd.

Off hours, I went back to school, earned a doctorate in English literature, specializing in modern Irish literature. After stints working on federal child care policy and as a cultural policy analyst, I circled round again to that steep hill and wrote The Stolen Child, figuring that if I was to become that novelist, the time had come to stop dreaming and simply climb.

I'm married, have four children, and am back working at a small embattled agency that gives grants to archives across the country to preserve and publish the records of the American experience. In my spare time, I'm writing another novel about myths in America.

The Story Behind the Story

The very first image that came to me when I began The Stolen Child was of a young boy hiding in a hollow tree, face pressed against its wooden ribs, determined not to be found by anyone. His defiant wish to be alone struck me as a universal gesture--a striking out for independence that children make when frustrated by the confines of childhood. When the changelings come and get that boy, he becomes a victim of his own imagination. He is stolen away by his own worst nightmare.

As concerned as I was about the boy hiding in the tree, I also knew that I wanted to write about an adult struggling to remember the dreams of childhood. He had to be as trapped and frustrated by the strictures of his adulthood. And in order for any drama to exist, these two emotional states must clash.

That's why there are two narrators telling two intertwined stories--one adult trying to remember his "stolen" childhood and one child trapped in time at age seven. Since the conflict is primarily between the grown-up Henry Day and the child Aniday, the story needed some way to make both characters alive, have parallel and mirroring lives, joys and challenges, and allow them to confront one another. I needed some way to make the metaphorical be literal.

That's where the changeling folk myth came in. Changelings and faeries have been around for eons in virtually every culture. They are the mysterious beings flitting around the corner of the imagination, and in many places, faeries and changelings have the reputation of breaking into homes and replacing babies and young children with replicas. Or luring children away from their homes to come live in the wild and become part of their unaging magical tribe. The child is stolen by the faeries, and the faery changeling "becomes" the child.

In reality, the legend grew from real human predicaments dealing primarily with the inability of some parents to care for children with a failure to thrive. They explained away the unwanted children by claiming that they were not human at all, that the changelings had come and stolen their child and left one of their own in its place. Having a changeling rather than a real human made it much easier for parents to get rid of such a child.

Through our wild imaginations and fear of the dark and unknown, the changeling myth evolved into a spooky story. Careful, kid, or the changelings will come get you. Or, conversely, as an explanation for why you're so different from all the rest of the kids; you're actually a changeling.
"The Stolen Child" by William Butler Yeats, is one of the more well-known literary uses of folk legend to comment on the real world. Reading the poem, we get caught up in those wonderful images of "hidden faery vats" and the faeries "whispering to the slumbering trout," but then Yeats gives us, in the final stanza, an idea of the family life that the stolen child is leaving behind. But away he goes, "from a world more full of weeping than he can understand."

How perfect for a story about what it's like to be seven and to remember being seven.

So I asked myself: What if we make the changelings real? What if we have the boy out in the woods with a band of faeries, the flip side of the real world? What if he is replaced by a changeling who can grow up and become the adult, who fools everyone into thinking that he is indeed the real Henry Day, when he knows all along that the authentic Henry is out there in the woods?

That's when the fun began. The two narrators' stories spiraling around and interlocking like a Celtic knot. The changeling who steals Henry Day's life gradually realizes that he, too, was a real human boy once upon a time. He, too, was a stolen child and must struggle to dredge up that childhood and deal with his dreams and his own weeping world. The real Henry Day--now known as Aniday among the faeries--faces what it means to be a part of a fading folk myth at the latter half of the 20th century, and the struggle that all children have coming to terms with their mortality, leaving family behind, and leaving childhood behind in order to find some speck of love, happiness, and the road ahead.

Book Description

“I am a changeling–a word that describes within its own name what we are bound and intended to do. We kidnap a human child and replace him or her with one of our own. . . .”

The double story of Henry Day begins in 1949, when he is kidnapped at age seven by a band of wild childlike beings who live in an ancient, secret community in the forest. The changelings rename their captive Aniday and he becomes, like them, unaging and stuck in time. They leave one of their own to take his place, an imposter who must try–with varying success–to hide his true identity from the Day family. As the changeling Henry grows up, he is haunted by glimpses of his lost double and by vague memories of his own childhood a century earlier. Narrated in turns by Henry and Aniday, The Stolen Child follows them as their lives converge, driven by their obsessive search for who they were before they changed places in the world.

Moving from a realistic setting in small-town America deep into the forest of humankind’s most basic desires and fears, this remarkable novel is a haunting fable about identity and the illusory innocence of childhood.

Customer Reviews:

A Story of Progress and of Stagnation.......2007-10-02

This was one of the best novels that I've read this year. What stood out for me was the importance of valuing one's life and appreciating the here and now--be it family, friends, or the community. The changes that Henry and the changeling experienced represented the immature human desire for the greener grass on the other side of the fence. Despite the moving ups and downs for Henry and the changling community, I could not help but wonder what would happen if the changelings decided to just grow up. There were so many unnecessary sacrifices because the changlings chose to hide and not to become apart of society. Through the use of the prose, The Stolen Child demonstrated the pitfalls of a lack of faith, low self esteem, and fear of the unknown. But all is not lost, we get to see the changlings grow into self actualized beings with peace for their station in life and hope for what they can become.

Hobgoblins and Children.......2007-09-26

This is definitely a fairy tale, the story of a little boy, stolen from his family and exchanged with a "changeling" to give that once stolen child another chance at a life--even if it isn't theirs to have. As the old myths go, a changeling was the child of hobgoblins, switched from the child's bed while the family slept or worked, unaware of the evil deed going on right beneath their noses. This story has a different take though--the changelings were all once children themselves, who spend years in the forest forgetting who they once were and preparing to switch yet another child and take their life. No parents in the forest.

The author narrates the story from both points of view--the child and the changeling, alternating chapters. The writing is compelling and beautiful--descriptions of the "indifferent children of the earth" and their lives abound, and are lyrical and strangely beautiful, and sad.

All in all a great read, although I felt at the end the story lacked a real emotional connection for me. I grew to care for Aniday and Henry Day and their respective families; but the ending didn't provide the closure I felt the story really needed. Still, it was an interesting study of the changeling myth and what those stories could really mean.

Steals your Soul.......2007-09-25

The sometimes not-to-be-taken-too-seriously fantasy genre is served well by Keith Donohue's novel, "The Stolen Child." Using the changeling legend as a basis, Donohue explores complicated themes that may include growing older with a diminishing sense of self-worth, the search for identity, unhappiness caused by unrequited desire or restlessness attributed to middle-classed conformity. Whatever the focal point, Donohue does a magnificent job of entertaining even if none of the seriousness I perceive to be inherent within the novel's pages is intentional.

On face value, Donohue could just be exercising his whimsical side by revitalizing a well-known fairytale ala Gregory Maguire in "Mirror, Mirror," or "Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister." If this is the case, he does this well, beginning his tale in the 1950s when a small child is kidnapped by a band of hobgoblins and replaced by a changeling who has waited for over a hundred years to leave the Peter Pan Never Never Land world of the fey to reclaim his former humanity in the smaller universe of a real family. Using the technique of alternating narrations, Donohue allows Anyday, the stolen child, and Henry Day, the changeling, to tell the story from both perspectives. As Anyday struggles with his forever child fate, bemoans the loss of his family and learns the ways of the wild, Henry is torn between successfully impersonating the boy he has replaced and remembering the child he once was long ago when he had been abducted a century earlier. With a deft assuredness, Donohue writes prose that moves the story along interjecting fantasy with reality while still maintaining a real feel.

Whatever his intention, along the way he uncovers issues that have little to do with the realm of the fantastic and much to do with living in general. As Anyday becomes increasingly fey, he grapples with his loss of memory and recalling one of the last skills learned as a human child, writes down his story to assuage his unhappiness and remember his one time identity. In almost the same way, the changeling evokes a talent from a previous childhood almost forgotten; he plays piano like a young Mozart. As he strives to forget the wild, he uses his artistry to assimilate into the conformity of life as a human. As he transitions, Henry Day regains his sense of compassion and through his music begs forgiveness from the person whose life he stole. Likewise, Anyday relishes his sense of freedom and forever childishness and literally runs away from something he can never have and really doesn't need.

On another level, Donohue allows the reader a glimpse at the human psyche, yet he doesn't compromise his story with an overabundance of metaphors and symbols. No underlying hackneyed meanings or moralistic message cancel out the magic that Donohue so effortlessly infuses within his work. Donohue could be commenting on the mediocrity of the middleclass lifestyle; Henry Day and Anyday may represent two sides of the same persona, simultaneously desiring the conformity necessary to make it in the everyday world and yet coveting the freedom of never having to grow up while living without rules in the wild.

Bottom line: "The Stolen Child" represents superlative reading. The mythical quality of the prose sends the reader into the realm of fantasy while the intense emotional confessions of each character resonate with a poignancy classic in its perfection. Highly, highly recommended.
Diana Faillace Von Behren
"reneofc"

Haunting literary novel about identity, loss, love, family.......2007-09-23

This has many markings of a successful novel. Fantasy element; check. But grounded in the world, check. Same events seen via two perspectives (aka The Time-Traveler's Wife), check. Insertion of a cultural motif like painting or music, check. One or several characters with a sad history and intense yearning as a result, check. Beautiful writing, check check check.

The title comes from WB Yeats' famed poem, "The Stolen Child." Changelings will often lure a child away from the real world into the faery one, and put in its place a changeling disguised as the stolen child. In Donahue's novel, a child is taken and, bereft of his true name and longed-for home and family, becomes a changeling himself, one who waits for the day he can return to the human world, but only as an imposter, and not before the rest of the changeling crew get their turns.

The novel speaks eloquently and often quite hauntingly of the loss of identity, love, family, and the great desire to belong. There were nights when I read certain passages and ached for the changeling who dreamed of the people and things he'd lost; surely we too - whether we did once upon a time or still do - dream of the people and things gone from our lives.

The Feel-bad Book of theYear.......2007-09-19

Take a story about fairies and remove all the magic, and you've got a pretty good idea of what The Stolen Child is like. Parents used to use stories about changelings to frighten children into behaving, but the story here is much more likely to bore than frighten. Both the stolen child and the fairy who replaces him suffer serious trauma that leads to severe identity crises, leaving one to lead a "normal" life that isn't any fun, and the other to lead a "magic" life that is even less fun. Rather than enjoying their magical powers, the fairies are reduced to a pathetic "endangered species" whose life become more and more miserable as their habitat shrinks, driving the survivors to suicide.

While this twist on a familiar fairy tale provides some intellectual satisfaction, nobody in the book is having a good time, making it difficult for the reader to do so. The "big revelation" never comes, and the "redemptive ending" is simply a matter of the characters resigning themselves to accept their lot and muddle through as best they can. Oh boy.

The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales

Average customer rating:

For fairy tale fans and Freud students
Insights from a new perspective
A classic psychoanalytical view of fairy tales
Take with a LARGE grain of salt
Read with a grain of salt

The Uses of Enchantment: The Meaning and Importance of Fairy Tales
Bruno Bettelheim
Manufacturer: Vintage
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Adolescent Psychology | Psychology & Counseling | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0679723935
Release Date: 1989-04-23

Book Description

The great child psychologist gives us a moving revelation of the enormous and irreplaceable value of fairy tales - how they educate, support and liberate the emotions of children.

Customer Reviews:

For fairy tale fans and Freud students.......2007-09-02

I love this book. I keep coming back to it, borrowing it from multiple libraries around the country to re-read, buying it and then loosing it in storage, finding it again and discovering its charm and appeal over and over again. It's a fantastic find, and I will be forever indebted to the now-forgotten college professor who recommended it to me.

For most of the first part of the book, Bruno Bettelheim discusses where fairy tales come from and how they can subconsciously help children with such Freudian problems as the Oedipal complex, and with ordinary problems such as sibling rivalry. He also discusses why some people have tried to ban fairy tales throughout history, something that could draw parallels to recent cases of Harry Potter banning. However, the part of the book that I enjoy the most is where Bettelheim dissects several fairy tales to discover their possible hidden meanings. If you enjoyed the Broadway musical "Into the Woods," this may be your favorite section as well, since the musical also looks for the underlying meaning in certain fairy tales. Hansel and Gretel, Snow White, Cinderella and more are all discussed at length.

If you're a fan of fairy tales, this book should be a part of your personal reference library. Highly recommended.

Insights from a new perspective.......2005-12-01

Whatever opinion scholars have of Bettelheim, this is an extraordinarily eye-opening work for a layman. Just the insights into the magical thinking of children--how fairy tales make sense to them because a parent's abilities to predict behavior, for example, seems magical to them too--is "worth the price of admission" for any parent.

A classic psychoanalytical view of fairy tales.......2005-04-28

It is well known that storytelling is an innate expression of civilization, in an effort to define who we are and to make sense of the world. The fairy tale is an important part of this tradition that has a long and rich history spanning thousands of years.

First published in 1975, Bruno Bettleheim, one of Sigmund Freud's followers and an important contributor to psychoanalysis, has written an incredible book, suggesting that the fairy tale has a pedagogical use, educating the child about the struggles in life, that these struggles are an intrinsic aspect of existence. Following Plato, he believes that the literary education of children should begin with the telling of myths. In other words, the fairy tale can present models for behaviour, providing meaning and value to our lives. This wonderful book expresses this view extremely well and also provides a frame of reference towards the child's overall psychological development.

I have read Freud for some years, and nowhere, including Freud himself, have I read a more succinctly expressed view on the ultimate purpose of psychoanalysis, than in this book by Dr. Bettleheim, he writes,

"Psychoanalysis was created to enable man to accept the problematic nature of life without being defeated by it, or giving in to escapism. Freud's prescription is that only by struggling courageously against what seems like unwieldy odds can man succeed in wringing meaning out of existence." (P.8)

Fairy tales inform us about life's struggles, hardships and the reality of death. From Bettleheim's point of view, the fairy tale is a "manifold form" that communicates to the child, educates them, against life's vagaries and realities, which are the unavoidable aspects of our existence. More specifically, the fairy tale is an educational tool to help children grow and develop into adults. He goes on to say that the child needs to be given "...suggestions in symbolic form about how he may deal with these issues and grow safely into maturity." (P.9)

Bettleheim adeptly sets out to prove his theses by analysing well known fairy tales in the context of psychoanalytic theory, persuasively arguing the value of these tales towards the child's psychological development.

If you are interested in psychoanalysis and would like to know more about the profound positive effects the telling of fairy tales can have on our young, this incredible book is indispensable.

Take with a LARGE grain of salt.......2004-04-17

I've noticed that one reviewer pointed to Richard Pollak's biography of the author, "The Creation of Dr. B," as a source of information on Bruno Bettelheim's legitimacy as a psychoanalyst (or lack thereof). I would second that recommendation. Before reading "The Uses of Enchantment," one should be aware that large portions of this book were brazenly plagiarized from other sources, such as Julius Heuscher's "A Psychiatric Study of Fairy Tales: Their Origin, Meaning and Usefulness." Several passages were lifted directly from this work, published in 1963 (more than a decade before Bettelheim began writing "The Uses of Enchantment"), and barely even paraphrased. Heuscher was cited only once by Bettelheim, and not for any of these virtually direct quotes. I would think long and hard before taking anything Bettelheim attempted to pass off as his own work seriously.

Read with a grain of salt.......2003-12-02

While reading this book I found many ah-ha moments. I found it inspirational in getting my creative writing juices flowing and in showing even more reasons for why not censoring fairy tales is good for children. That being said, I also found myself questioning many of the authors arguments. I know very little about freudian psychology and while I can easily accept the idea of the id, ego, and super ego standing as metaphors for instict, self, and conscience, I did have a hard time with all of the oedipal references. Still, I accepted them in terms of the tension between a child and his same sex parent as he comes of age rather than the desire to have the opposite sex parent all to himself. I also felt uneasy about the fact that the children he was referencing seemed far more disturbed than the normal child and I highly doubt that not exposing your child to fairy tales will cause such damage to a child. Still, I was aware that he was a child psychologist and accepted that the children he had most contact with were the more disturbed children so that is why he chose them for his frames of reference. The first real problem I had with the text, however, was when he made reference to autism and a child who was "cured of autism".

Later in the text he mentions a study where there was a group of children who were familiar with violent fairy tales, and a group of children who were only familiar with the watered down versions. Both groups were showed violent films. Bettelheim claimed that the group exposed to the fairy tales reacted less aggressively to the films. I found this interesting but poorly cited which makes me wonder about the ligitamacy of this assumption. Reading other reviews and finding out more about Bettelheim's history helped me put the reading into perspective.

Book Description

At first, Lola does not want her wobbly tooth to ever fall out, but when she learns about the tooth fairy, she wiggles and wobbles her tooth until out it pops! Finally it is time to go to bed—but the tooth has disappeared! Now how will Lola convince the tooth fairy that she really did lose her tooth? Big brother Charlie has just the answer—if Lola has dreams so lovely that she smiles while she sleeps, the tooth fairy will be able to see for herself!

Customer Reviews:

Really helpful book, and very funny too.......2007-09-29

This book has been an enormous help to my 5 year old who has her first wobbly tooth, she was so worried about losing her tooth but this book has helped her see the process and that it can be quite fun. Lola makes everything fun and funny though.

In this book Lola has a wobbly tooth and doesn't want it to come out. That is until her friend Lotta, her brother Charlie and Charlie's friend Marv tell her what happens, and that the tooth fairy comes to visit - and that the tooth fairy brings money, and she can buy a giraffe for her farm.

It is not surprising to know that Lola wobbles the tooth after that until it comes out. However she loses the tooth and starts to cry wondering whether the tooth fairy will visit. Charlie has a brilliant idea and the day is saved.

Immensely appealing book for children and adults - great early reader material - there are cues in the book for readers to pick up the text with. The characters are immensely appealing to look at too - the artwork is brilliant - the collage effect is inspiring and there are great little touches - lots of little things to see on every page.

This is one of the best series of children's books around (in my opinion!) and you and your children will enjoy them - we certainly do.

Fun, but not by Lauren Child.......2007-08-21

Charlie and Lola are fast becoming my son's and my favorite characters, but some of these books, Wobbly Tooth included, are not actually written by Lauren Child. The text is based on a script from the t.v. program, and it shows. The story is fun if you have seen the episode, but not a good read. If you want real Lauren Child books, buy Eat a Tomato or Princess and the Pea or her Herb books. That being said, this is honestly and completely a cute book for children who love Charlie and Lola.

We love Charlie and Lola.......2007-08-06

My kids and I love the TV show and the books are a really nice compliment to what they are already familiar with. I try to read in a accent (which sounds so much cooler) but I need some practice! Also this books sets the stage for my DD's first tooth to fall out!

oh, so much silly fun!.......2007-07-02

My daughter loves this book, and to read it over and over. Lola is so silly, yet dealing with issues that are real to a pre-schooler/kindergartner. My girlie can even do the British accent while reading it. What a laugh!

My toddler enjoys this book.......2007-03-09

Characters and plot are well thought out and depicted -- believable and positive images of young children/siblings. Drawings are simple and effective. This is one in a series of books that toddlers and grownups enjoy sharing with each other.

Green Witchcraft Iii: The Manual (Green Witchcraft)

Average customer rating:

Nothing new...
Excellent
Excellent Reading
Excellent Reading
Good book. The course that completes the trilogy.

Green Witchcraft Iii: The Manual (Green Witchcraft)
Ann Moura
Manufacturer: Llewellyn Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Wicca | Earth-Based Religions | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1567186882

Customer Reviews:

Nothing new..........2007-09-05

Maybe I misunderstood the intent of the book; I found nothing new in there...it was basically Wicca 101...sorry!

Excellent.......2004-03-21

Very interesting material.. also it goes hand in hand with the Grimoire for the green witch.

Excellent Reading.......2003-06-18

This book has proved to be very useful to me.. Its is full of information and teaches you the things you need to learn and understand and then at the end of each chapter it has an assignment for you to do.. If you are a solitary and learning I believe you will find it excellent.. However there are 2 books before it that you need and I need..
I highly recommend this one

Excellent Reading.......2003-06-18

I just recently purchased this book, its excellent.. Has loads of information in it and is so very intune with what I was looking for.. I recommend it to anyone starting out...goddess bless

Good book. The course that completes the trilogy........2002-04-11

This book really seems like it should have been written before the first Green Witchcraft. And this book goes along with the first Green Witchcraft and not the second one. It also constantly refers back to the first Green Witchcraft, which, in this book, is refered to as "the text". This book is very much a course with different lessons every chapter. All in All a pretty good book. I look forward to reading Ann Moura's newest book, Green Magick.
Blessed Be!

Average customer rating:

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Book, Lauren Child - Well worth owning
Delightfully imaginative book!
Great great GREAT! A challenging and exciting read for kids
A fun look at fairy tales
When Fairy Tale Characters Become Alive

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Book?

Manufacturer: Hyperion
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Action & Adventure | Literature | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0786809264

Book Description

Herb never imagined the dangers when he decided to scribble on and cut up his book of fairy tales. But then, he never thought he'd fall into the book one night! After contending with a petulant Goldilocks, a very angry wicked stepmother, and a disappointed Cinderella, all Herb wants to do is find his way off the page. If only he can escape the book, he can make everything continue happily ever after again. . . sort of. With exuberant collage illustrations and a hilarious text, award-winning author and illustrator Lauren Child has created a wild and irreverent romp through the land of fairy tales.

Customer Reviews:

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Book, Lauren Child - Well worth owning.......2007-07-03

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Book is just excellent. It is a twisted look at fairy tales and a very imaginative perspective on books for a child. My daughter and I just found this book recently and she fell in love. We are on our third straight week reading it every day. The idea that someone can literally fall into a book and interact with the characters is wonderful. Lauren Child's writing and her illustrations are absolutely fantasic.

Delightfully imaginative book!.......2006-07-07

I have always been a fan of Lauren Child's "Charlie and Lola" series, so I was very excited to come across this book at the library. It does not disappoint! I am a preschool teacher and mother to three children under the age of 5. I read a LOT of childrens books, both at school and to my own children. I must say this is one of the most delightful stories I have read in a long time. My 4 year old daughter also got a huge kick out of it, although she insisted the main character Herb was actually Charlie as a young boy, haha. Although I mainly check out books from the library, this is one that I will most certainly purchase for my childrens' permanent collection.

Great great GREAT! A challenging and exciting read for kids.......2005-12-08

This is a great book for younger kids who want to be challenged in their reading. The illustrations are fun, but the text is everywhere - it goes up and down, it is upside down, and it even goes in circles.

This is the story of a little boy who falls asleep on his book and falls into the story. He then discovers alll the problems he has caused by playing around with it. Prince charming is missing, the ugly sisters are upside down, the queen has no throne, and there are telephones in all the pictures. This allows the various characters to phone one another and make more trouble for him.

It is a lot of fun reading for adults and children and you instantly recognise the distinctive Lauren child illustrations - a mixture of collage and simple pictures - women with slanty eyes and pointy chins - Cinderella is even slightly cross-eyed.

This is a great book full of in-jokes kids really enjoy. The text is challenging for kids - it goes all over the place and gives them fun trying to work it out.

I would really recommend Lauren Child as a good read everytime.

A fun look at fairy tales.......2004-04-24

I loved reading this to my little one although he was a bit young for it at 2. But it has become a favorite and seems to be checked out at the library so much we had to buy a copy for ourselves and as lots of birthday gifts for others. The pictures are a delight and the goldilocks as a bad girl who breaks into the three bears house and destroys everything is a hoot.

When Fairy Tale Characters Become Alive.......2004-02-29

A year ago, when Herb was "much much younger", he defaced a fairytale book of his. When he goes to sleep one night with his face in the book, he awakes and finds he has fallen into the book. As a result of his drawing and cutting, Cinderella has missed her chance to marry Prince Charming (who was cut out to be part of a birthday card), and the Queen, who is quite upset over her missing throne, discovers that it was Herb who has messed up everything. This starts a wonderful chase sequence that leads to a pleasing ending. The art layout is sometimes too busy, but children who can handle the distractions will find a delightful book.

Everyday Graces: Child's Book Of Good Manners (Foundations)

Average customer rating:

Informative reading for early teen.
"One more, one more!"
Good Read.
Manners, Character and Graceful Parenting
what a fun and educational book!

Everyday Graces: Child's Book Of Good Manners (Foundations)
Karen Santorum
Manufacturer: Intercollegiate Studies Institute
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1932236090

Book Description

In Everyday Graces: A Child's Book of Good Manners, Karen Santorum has produced for parents and teachers a wonderfully rich and instructive anthology. Her volume speaks to the regrettable fact that the subject of manners is not much discussed anymore, and good manners seem practiced even less. Yet, good manners are a prerequisite for the growth of moral character; they are the habits of conduct and behavior by which we express in the most ordinary circumstances our fundamental respect for others, whether parents, friends, colleagues, or strangers. It is evident, then, that when we fail to instill good manners in our youth we invite a decline of civility and a coarsening of our common life. Under such headings as "Honor Your Mother and Father", "Please and Thank You", "No Hurtful Words", "Good Behavior in Sport",and "Showing Respect for Country",Mrs. Santorum has arranged a collection of stories and poems that will develop and enrich the moral imagination. Some of her selections are well known; others are forgotten gems that deserve a new hearing. Authors include Hans Christian Anderson, Beatrix Potter, Mark Twain, Frances Hodgson Burnett, M. Montgomery, C. S. Lewis, Max Lucado and Arnold Lobel, to name only a few. Karen Santorum writes that this anthology "grew out of the frustration of not being able to find a book on manners that instructs through stories rather than by rules of dos and don'ts." Each of her selections has been tried and tested on her own children, and each is introduced and concluded by her own thoughtful commentary. The result is an informality and intimacy that is inviting and infectious. Everyday Graces will be useful both as a bedside book and as a reference for home, school, and church library.

Customer Reviews:

Informative reading for early teen........2007-04-13

Great book, well written and informative. I bought it for my granddaughter as a birthday gift. However, after scanning through it, I decided it's a bit mature for a 10-year-old, so will hold onto it for her 13th birthday.

"One more, one more!".......2007-03-08

My children are 9,7,5,3,and 1. I read 3 or 4 stories once or twice a week at lunch. After each poem or story they always yell "one more, one more!" Useful and helpful lifeskills that the children can't get enough of. Thank you, Karen!

Good Read........2007-01-17

This is an excellent compilation of stories and excerpts from familiar literature that have great messages. There are few illustrations so it may be difficult to hold the attention of toddlers and young preschoolers, but my school aged kids love it. It is a definite "read aloud" since the language is rich and proper in most selections, but you will find that even though your children don't understand every word, they are absorbing the lessons and growing their minds.

Manners, Character and Graceful Parenting.......2006-11-09

Karen Santorum delivers a rich text compilation of poetry, stories, and wisdom for parents, educators and children to enjoy and ponder through a life's journey. This is a great discussion tool to use with your children to help explain values, virtue and manners to children. A must-have for home educators and for teachers in the classroom. My children enjoy reading selections on their own as well as ones that I highlight for family discussion. A much needed collection for our day and age where manners and virtue are trampled by the popular culture. Would makea great gift for a parent, grandparent or teacher!

what a fun and educational book!.......2006-11-06

this is a great read to share with young elementary age children that weaves fun stories and great lessons about the importance of good manners and character for life.

Average customer rating:

Amazing, Colorful, Insightful & Inspirational!
Not sure I'd recommend for a beginner, but...
colors are awesome!
Go Ahead, You Know You Want Them!
New Insight to Tarot, Astrology and Fairy Tales

Inner Child Cards: A Fairy-Tale Tarot
Isha Lerner , and Mark Lerner
Manufacturer: Bear & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Cards

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ASIN: 1879181827
Release Date: 2001-12-01

Amazon.com

Inner Child Cards bring charming, fairy-tale images to the age-old tradition of the tarot. Authors and professional astrologers Isha and Mark Lerner intended to offer a fresh, innocent perspective on tarot readings while also staying grounded in recognizable archetypes. And what better way to tap into our true spirit than to recall the soul-inspiring stories of childhood? "Fairy stories, told and retold, enrich the depths of our hearts from which our hopes and ideals are born," the authors explain. "No other literary creation has such a fundamental effect upon us than has the fairy tale." Indeed, Little Red Riding Cap with her basket of goodies and her outstretched finger holding a butterfly speaks eloquently to the fragile process of individuation. The Rapunzel card with its maiden's long braid (which is eventually shorn by the evil enchantress) and the blind prince speaks to challenging times when we are cut loose from the strands of our past and must go forward in blind faith. All of the cards are lovely, with their rich images and rainbow borders. But it is the excellent accompanying text that offers readers the most enchanting journey into the past as they make meaning out of the present. --Gail Hudson

Book Description

A new and updated edition of the popular tarot deck that reawakens the child in all of us.

• Over 100,000 copies of the first edition sold in 7 languages.

• Uses the important archetypes of childhood fairy tales to awaken emotional memory and heal the child within.

• Excellent for dream work, the recovery process, and use with children.

Inner Child Cards is a tarot system that helps us interact with the world's most potent archetypes. The authors assign an archetypal childhood story to each image in the traditional tarot deck. Cinderella aligns with the Moon card, traditionally associated with the power of dreams and visions. Sleeping Beauty parallels the Death card with its theme of personal metamorphosis. Little Red Cap stands in for the Fool (the innocent).

Before the Age of Reason higher learning was transmitted through archetypal characters in stories and fairy tales. In modern times these all-important stories have been relegated to a secondary position, with no recognition of their deeper meaning. The whimsical art and familiar characters of the Inner Child Cards will awaken dormant emotional memory that has been trapped in long-forgotten childhood stories. Tarot has always had an uncanny capacity to act as a "hall of mirrors" reflecting the true trajectory of life. By referencing fairy-tale archetypes, Inner Child Cards gives adults an especially clear reflection of the child within and imaginative access to the soul's own personal truth. And because of their playful nature, these cards are equally well suited for use with children.

Customer Reviews:

Amazing, Colorful, Insightful & Inspirational!.......2006-11-23

I have around 20 Tarot decks and I got this one in just this week. I have to say it is one of my very favorite decks already. The artwork is brilliant and almost child-like, but beautifully enlightening. The suits are hearts (cups), crystals (pentacles), magic wands (wands) and swords. The cards relate to characters from well-known fairy tales. The Fool card is Little Red Riding Hood.

The accompanying book very succinctly and eloquently describes the meaning/tales behind each card. It's a very positive, uplifting and upbeat deck. I did the five card C-H-I-L-D reading (described in the book) this morning and it was right-on, as if the cards had known me from the get-go. I don't think I've ever gotten such a wonderful first-time reading from a new deck.

I have to disagree with the reviewer who said this deck isn't for beginners. I think this deck stands alone and that anyone could quickly learn the basics of Tarot with it.

The cards are over-sized but easy to shuffle diagonally. They come in a sturdy storage box which holds the cards and book nicely. I highly recommend this set if you're ready to learn more about yourself and this journey we call life.

Not sure I'd recommend for a beginner, but..........2005-08-26

I have four other tarot card decks - Rider Waite, Medieval Scapini, Celtic Dragon and Shakespearean - and have been told that I'm a very good reader (I've never had a disappointed readee yet). However, I haven't until this point had a deck where I actually "feel" anything physically from the cards. I may sense strong ties with the Rider Waite and be able to tell a story and make connections based on the images, but the vibrations just aren't there (especially with the Medieval Scapini, which I haven't used enough, or the Shakespearean tarot, which has breathtaking artwork but might as well be written in Sanskrit for all the sense I can make of it).

The Inner Child tarot deck is totally different. From the moment I opened the box and held these cards, they felt full and rich and alive. I truly love holding these cards. I can actually feel rather than merely sense when I have shuffled enough, and the readings have so much more depth than the rest of my decks. The metaphorical journey of the soul as a child growing up is so appropriate, I feel, to the journey of the human being, and is beautifully illustrated in the cards and the accompanying book.

I love how the cards are explained by Ms. Lerner, and though some of the cards differ from the "standard" deck, her explanations of the cards make sense. As I said in my title, I'm not sure I'd recommend these cards to a beginning reader, as "hearts" for cups and "crystals" for pentacles could be a bit confusing. Of course, "hearts" are what the cups are talking about, and "crystals" makes the Earth portion of the deck seem much less materialistic than pentacles can sometimes read. The artwork also didn't make sense - coming from a Rider Waite background - on some of the cards until I read the explanation, and then it was abundantly clear how the meaning of the cards tied in with the illustrations, and the tie-ins are wonderful.

Ms. Lerner puts a positive spin to the cards, which some people may not like. I feel it's appropriate, as how life affects you depends largely on how you look at it. For instance, the Tower (in this deck Rapunzel) is only a bad thing if you don't like or resist change. If you look for the growth in the change, try to find what the experience is trying to teach you and try to take something from it (which admittedly is not always easy), then at the very least you'll learn how to roll with the punches and be better prepared the next time some massive upheaval disrupts your life. So, while many people may find this positive spin to be a bad thing, I don't believe it is. I believe it's a benefit of the deck, unlike, for instance, the Celtic Dragon tarot, which is beautiful but never has anything to say other than doom and gloom, no matter how many readings I do with it (and I unfortunately know many readers who say the same thing about that particular deck). Though it may sound trite, Monty Python really did say it best when they advised to "Always look on the bright side of life". This deck helps one do that and truly shows that there are lessons to be learned in all that we do. It is a very spiritually grounded deck and I feel very powerful. I certainly feel it's a good deck for anyone interested in developing spiritually.

Since I am well versed in fairy tales, some of the descriptions do seem long and even redundant, especially for the major arcana, but I am very aware that not everyone is as familiar with all the fairy tales used as I am and I would not hold this against the deck. I really can't say enough good things about this deck - the cards are simply wonderful to hold, they vibrate with a beautiful energy, and the child-like drawings are lovely. Though I don't do readings for children, anyone who does would be pleased with these, I'm sure. I highly recommend these to anyone serious about the tarot.

colors are awesome!.......2005-07-28

I really have nothing bad to say about this deck, the only thing is that they are very large, which makes them difficult to handle and shuffle, but there's so much detail that they really need to be that size! The book that goes with it is forever helpful. Each and every reading is different, and always noticing something new. The artwork is beutiful and sometimes I just like to look at them! 5 stars all the way. I wouldn't want any other deck, I've looked and looked and just had to come back to this one!

Go Ahead, You Know You Want Them!.......2005-01-31

I also looked at this deck over and over before buying them. Why did I wait? I am not sure and I only regret I wasted time not enjoying this fantastic deck. I agree with another reviewer in that I do NOT like negative images, so this deck fulfilled that need. It is charming and just plain delightful! Buy the Deck, Enjoy it and Recommend to Friends!!!

New Insight to Tarot, Astrology and Fairy Tales.......2004-07-29

I bought this tarot deck and book and didn't use it for years. I tried unsuccessfully to sell it. Eventually I opened it up and started using the cards. I'm glad I never sold it. This deck has brought me new insight to tarot and my readings. Through reading about each fairytale, corresponding astrology signs, and card numbers, I've been able to see karmic lessons I couldn't see with my regular deck. I've also learned how to read and understand each Major Arcana card better. I recommend it if you like reading about fairy tales and folklore. The pictures are beautiful and well done in a large card that needs to be suffled differently from the smaller decks. The only thing the book fails to do is to give full interpretations of what each card means. But I gave it 5 stars because of the involved work that went into using fairytales to tell us the story behind each card.

The Three Candles of Little Veronica: The Story of a Child's Soul in This World and the Other

Average customer rating:

a sweet story and a lot more
Favoite book of my childhood
Favoite book of my childhood
much more to this book than you have any idea..JGA

The Three Candles of Little Veronica: The Story of a Child's Soul in This World and the Other
Manfred Kyber
Manufacturer: Orion Society
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0913098841

Book Description

In this remarkable story in the Grail tradition, Kyber begins with Veronica's early youth when she can see beyond the physical appearance of things, and can converse with the hedgehog, the blackbird, and other residents of The Garden of Spirits. Accompanied by her cat Mutzeputz and guided by her wise Uncle Johannes, Veronica grows beyond that innocence and into the life of The House of Shadows, the Baltic town of Halmar, the cursed Castle Irreloh, and the people whose destiny intersects her own.

Customer Reviews:

a sweet story and a lot more.......2001-02-26

This book can be seen as a simple fairy tale or much more. If you've ever wanted to escape your normal or boring life, simply turn to the first page. Veronica encounters fairies, demons, sylphs, ghosts, all during her seemingly normal life. This book is a gem and should be on every bookshelf. It is beautifully written and oh-so-inspirational!

Favoite book of my childhood.......2000-03-30

My mom gave me this book when I was a child it was by far my favorite, the story and the illustrations are rich and beautiful. I had been hoping to share it with my children (my copy has long since dissapeared). This is a book that should never be out of print it has far too much to offer to anyone who has children or not.

Favoite book of my childhood.......2000-03-30

much more to this book than you have any idea..JGA.......1999-02-03

This was the favorite book of all people associated with the Garden City, L.I., N.Y. Waldorf school (perhaps the flagship school at that time for the U.S.) in the school's 'heyday'.. I graduated from there in 1966 when John F. Gardner was headmaster, and Dr. Franz Winkler was Chairman. This book should never be out of print.. it has too much in it for those that wish to follow a spiritual path. If you seek the Holy Grail, read this book; and no, I am not kidding. John G. Aughenbaugh .

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