Pagan and Native Faith movements have sprung up across Europe in recent decades, yet little has been published about them compared with their British and American counterparts. Though all such movements valorize human relationships with nature and embrace polytheistic cosmologies, practitioners’ beliefs, practices, goals, and agendas are diverse. Often side by side are groups trying to reconstruct ancient religions motivated by ethnonationalism—especially in post-Soviet societies—and others attracted by imported traditions, such as Wicca, Druidry, Goddess Spirituality, and Core Shamanism. Drawing on ethnographic cases, contributors explore the interplay of neo-nationalistic and neo-colonialist impulses in contemporary Paganism, showing how these impulses play out, intersect, collide, and transform.
Cosmic secrets in children's classics. This book tells for the first time how Ice Age peoples accurately predicted solstices and eclipses and how these secrets were hidden in stories and myths. Today, solstices and eclipses can be found in the answers to these questions: Who is Mother Goose?; Why are there seven dwarfs?; Why do witches ride on brooms?; Why does Santa slide down chimneys?; What is the meaning of Cinderella's shoe?; Why does Little Red Riding Hood wear red?; Why do children bob for apples at Halloween? and more.
The purpose of this book is to aid librarians, teachers, and researchers of folklore in locating appropriate folklore for story hours, reading units, social studies units, voluntary reading, and analysis.
Winner of the American Indian Library Association Youth Literature Awards, Best Picture Book. Trickster Coyote is having his friends over for a festive solstice get-together in the woods when a little girl comes by unexpectedly. She leads the party-goers through the snowy woods to a shopping mall -- a place they have never seen before. Coyote gleefully shops with abandon, only to discover that fi lling your shopping cart with goodies is not quite the same thing as actually paying for them. The trickster is tricked and goes back to his cabin in the woods -- somewhat subdued -- though nothing can keep Coyote down for long. Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.4 Describe how words and phrases (e.g., regular beats, alliteration, rhymes, repeated lines) supply rhythm and meaning in a story, poem, or song.
Christmas Pieces – 24 Historical Fiction Short Stories Surrounding Christmas is a compilation of stories that take place across America and offers the reader a view of various ethnic cultures and how they celebrate Christmas. Although they are stories that include Christmas holiday traditions, they can also be read throughout the year and enjoyed for their historical content. Tom Gahan wrote one story for each of the twenty-four days of Advent leading up to Christmas. Various stories are fun and whimsical, others are more serious. Some have an element of romance, others do not. Christmas Pieces is written for a wide audience. It is wholesome and family-friendly with secular and Christian themes alike. The content is free of violence, profanity, or disturbing themes that is suitable for children and sensitive readers. Tom Gahan has written for decades covering a wide variety of areas. He prefers to write historical fiction. Tom’s commercial writing helped launch a startup company to be an international industry leader within two years. His well-received historical fiction novel, Harmony Bay: An adventurous slice of waterfront life where mystery surrounds history became required reading at several high schools. Tom Gahan has often lectured on writing and has been a welcome guest at schools, universities, libraries, and book clubs. Tom is the recipient of several awards including the prestigious Gold Key Award from his hometown Chamber of Commerce, two citations from the U.S. Congress, and was named Civic Leader of the Year for his humanitarian work. Tom, who is a happily married grandfather, enjoys travel, fishing, wildlife, nature, and woodworking. He lives on eastern Long Island in New York. Foreword provided by Deborah E Gordon-Reagle, Th.D. Keywords – Christmas Short Stories, Holiday Stories, Historical, Advent, Wholesome, Family-Friendly, Multicultural, Secular, Christian, Romance, Tradition, New York, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Alaska, Pittsburgh, Oshkosh, Florida, California, Denver, Bayou, Bethlehem, West Bank, Christmas Book, Christmas Books, Christmas Stories
Six years ago, twelve-year-old Marius lost his mother during the birth of his brother, Jean-Pierre, and her dying wish was that he watch over his brother. But because Jean-Pierre was born on Christmas Eve, villagers believe he is marked with the curse of the loup garou—the werewolf. Protecting Jean-Pierre has been a never-ending struggle as townsfolk constantly eye the boy with dread and suspicion. To make matters worse, his country is swept up in a hysterical campaign to find and destroy enemies of the Church, and now the villagers have made Jean-Pierre their target. Marius must defy the ruling institutions of the time to save his brother’s life—and his own. Winner of a 2001 Minnesota Book Award, Curse of a Winter Moon is a harrowing story of one boy’s fierce devotion to his family as he battles against prejudice and fear.
Age range 9 to 12 Unicorn in the Playground is a selection of old and new material: some to be spoken sung or shouted out loud; some to be read curled up in bed. This paperback oozes with the vitality and variety you'll find in his one man shows. Here's startling stories, laughable lyrics, poems that punch and jokes that won't lie down. All this accompanied by the illustrious illustrations of his long-time friend and collaborator, Andrew Kingham.
