Part 2 Wild & Sacred
This set of books continues the thread for magical families, bringing forward books that illuminate the sacred world around us. The language of these books… sacred, beings, blessings, spells, etc… and the nature focus will hopefully hit just the right note for people who find their spirituality tied to Gaia, Mother Earth, and the wild. Enjoy.
Berry Song by Michaela Goade, 2022
This is the story of a Tlingit girl and her grandmother who forage for berries, honoring and respecting each berry name and sining to the earth. Exactly the kind of story I want to bring into my home. Love. It.
Dear Little One by Nina Laden and Melissa Castrillon
The illustrations in this book are gorgeous. The color pallet of green, orange, pink, purple, yellow… yum…. It’s a sunrise in the forest of swirling lines all the way through. I love the lines like, “Worship the trees.” And “Be enchanted by ferns.” The final words are “I send you my blessings. Love, Mother Nature.”
Where Wonder Grows by Xelena González & Adriana M. Garcia, 2021
I was so excited the first time I read this book. Near the beginning the narrator explains that school has taught her that rocks are things, but that her grandmother has taught her that rocks are beings. Chills! The illustrations are celestial and colorful. Crystal lovers or the crystal curious will dig this book.
Everybody Needs a Rock by Byrd Baylor & Peter Parnall, 1974
I talk about this book on list after list :) Poetry, nature, respecting small moments that are especially important to children. This book honors magical lives in a very pragmatic way, connecting to something as simple and grounding as a rock.
The Magic and Mystery of Trees by Jen Green & Claire McElfatrick, 2019
Mmm… this book surprised me. It’s a DK science book and I expected facts and photographs, but this one is as the title implies: a look at the magical nature of trees as supported by science. Yaaassss. Trees talk to each via mushroom mycelium go betweens! Yes they do.
We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom & Michaela Goade, 2020
This gorgeous book is about the mixture of activism and the wonder of nature that hits just right for this witchy momma.
Zonia’s Rain Forest by Juana Martinez-Neal, 2021
Zonia talks with the rain forest and her mother encourages her personal relationship, her communication with the natural world including animals. Mmm-hmmm.
The Shaman’s Apprentice by Lynne Cherry & Mark J. Plotkin, 1998
I knew Lynn Cherry’s work from The Great Kapok Tree, which I have long loved. I had no idea about The Shaman’s Apprentice until a couple of years ago. This book, in beautiful narrative form, explains how indigenous medicine can be lost and reclaimed and the role of medical establishment and drug companies in this whole dynamic. Somehow she does this is a totally enchanting and non abrasive way. Love it.
How Diablo Became Spirit by Andrew Newman & Alexis Aronson, 2017
I am so grateful that Andrew Newman made Spirit’s story into a children’s book. I had watched a youtube video about Spirit for a couple of years before I saw this children’s book was out. This is about animal communication and ultimately about respect. I am a big fan of this whole series of children’s books, Conscious Stories.
Moon by Alison Oliver, 2018
This book is about a little girl who learns to be wild and free from a wolf!! All books that teach girls to howl at the moon make it on this list!! I love that the girl then goes back to her “regular” life with her new wolf spirit with her.
the lost words: a spellbook by Robert Macfarlane and Jackie Morris
When I saw this book on the shelf in my collection of reserved library books, I realized it was more than I thought when I looked it up. This book is big!! It’s heavy, the title is golden, and the weight of the pages told me this book is meant to be treasured. It does the work of becoming magical with the smallest of subtitles, “a spellbook.” The book is grimoire of nature words.
