A Witch's Primer: Grade: One [Paperback]

Lorin Manderly (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 10, 2005

Finally! Here is a children's textbook for kids being raised as Witches and Pagans. Each chapter teaches the Wiccan basics for each subject and ends with a summary and a list of questions for children to test their knowledge on the material learned. ¿This is the first in a series of textbooks that will get progressively more advanced for each grade. The intent is to help students begin their Wiccan education and prepare them for seeking out further knowledge on the topics that interest them the most.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Lorin Manderly is a thirty-something, nature-loving, Goddess-worshiping, conservative-radical, Eclectic-Witch who has been practicing since childhood. Though this is her first work to be published, she has been a writer all of her life and plans for this textbook to be the first in a series of books for child Witches. She is currently selling off her worldly possessions so she can backpack around Europe for a year while continuing her writing and planning a private school for children being raised Pagan.

Product Details

• Paperback: 172 pages
• Publisher: AuthorHouse (October 10, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1420883208
• ISBN-13: 978-1420883206
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.8 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #368,793 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Witch's Primer: too much, too soon?, December 3, 2007

By 

EmLar (Ohio) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Witch's Primer: Grade: One (Paperback)

"A Witch's Primer Grade:One" by Lorin Manderly stems from a wonderful idea. What she shares is really good, but it's my opinion that half of it is "too much, too soon." I bought it for my 10-year-old granddaughter, and feel there's quite a bit in it that I'm not ready to introduce her to. The larger print is great for her AND ME :-), but there are no pictures at all in the book which hinders a child's interest. The chapters are short (good), and the tests at the end of each are done well. The section on Esbats and Sabbats is TOP NOTCH! The explanation of the Oak and Holly Kings is not in line with the traditional teaching, but it's my opinion that Ms. Manderly's way of telling it is much easier to grasp for minds of all ages. However, I thought it was too soon to introduce pantheons, shamanism, voodoo, Druids, and Gypsies, and too soon to detail myths and legends. I also thought it was too soon to detail symbols, talismans, herbology, spells, potions and divination. Basic information would have been a good start. I'm sure there are many who will not find these subjects a hindrance, but I think it should have been limited to the basics.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Primer, July 17, 2007

By 

Ami Scott (Moscow, ID) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A Witch's Primer: Grade: One (Paperback)

This was a great addition to my extensive library. I found it quite by acciend looking for books to help my youn son learn about spirituality and was pleasantly surprised. My son was wanting to learn, but I was having too much trouble breaking down my information into bite size pieces he could understand. The font is large, which is great for young readers, and I liked the way the chapters were set up. However, there really needed to be some pictures. James was quite dissapointed when he flipped through this and saw that there were none at all. Simple line drawings would have been perfect in my mind. Such as showing what a cauldron, wand, etc. may look like. While James has seen my implements, he may not know off hand what something is. And,as I said, illustrations go a long way in keeping the interest of children. This is a quick read, at only 156 pages, but that's fine because younger children are just starting on their journey and they don't need a ton of info thrown at them. I was also dissapointed that there were no excercises for the children, such as in Pagan Homeschooling. While I admit that young children are not ready for big rituals or anything like that, I think it would have been meaningful to teach them super simple breathing & meditation excercises, crafts that they might do for a sabbat, etc. Simply telling them how it is done but not letting them experience for themselves isn't going to help them connect to it and understand it. Still, it's a wonderful base to start with and I'm well satisfied.

4.0 out of 5 stars Pictures would have made it a 5 star, January 25, 2012

By 

Niamh "Niamh Dhabolt" (California) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A Witch's Primer: Grade: One (Paperback)

This book is pretty good. I got it a couple years ago (while my oldest was a toddler) as I was thinking ahead for when we start homeschooling. My son is now 5 years old, we've been homeschooling for 2 years, and he's reading at a 3rd grade level (reading is definitely his best subject). He's become much more interested in spirituality lately, so my husband and I have been including him in simple rituals and I've been introducing meditation to him. We've added a "Religions and Spirituality" section to our homeschooling, and this book is part of the "curriculum". He reads it well, and absorbs the information. We go over the tests together.

The information given has a strong Wiccan slant, which is ok. We're eclectic Pagans, not Wiccan, but we do have Wiccan leanings and for right now, the concepts are simple enough for my son to comprehend. When he gets older, we'll go deeper into what his father and I believe. But for now, this book does a pretty good job at going over the basics. Some of the concepts are a little on the advanced side, but when he gets to those parts and is confused, we will discuss the information with him further. Also, this book REALLY needs pictures. While my son is a fine reader and can read picture-less books, he's like any other kid and pictures help get his attention. Pictures would have made this a 5 star book.