Bea's guide to good books about myths, magic, and witches

Part one

Bea’s main preparation for going on any trip is packing all her bathing suits (in case there is swimming) and then filling her school backpack with her favorite books. In pandemic times, we haven’t taken many trips, but we have expanded her library.

Our hometown bookstore is McIntyre’s Books, an independent bookstore in Fearrington Village. McIntyre’s has a separate room for kids’ books, an awesome weekly storytime with Johanna Banana, and (in non-pandemic times) hosts a great kids’ book festival called Whirlikids. They have a nice section of books mythology and folktales, which is where we found all of these favorites.

Take it away, Beatrice!

The Little Witch’s Book of Spells by Ariel Kusby

I got this book for my birthday. It is beautifully illustrated, with lots of intricate details. Each spell has handy things, like lists of all the ingredients you need. It has a good focus on nature and friendship.

Goddesses and Heroines: Women of Myth and Legend by Xanthe Gresham-Knight

It has lots of tales of amazing women and immortals! It has a great story about Baba Yaga, a witch from Russia who eats children. She’s one example of a bad witch.

Goddess Power: Ten Empowering Tales of Legendary Women by Yung In Chae

Of course it has magic—it’s about immortals! My favorite goddess is Artemis because she is goddess of the hunt, and she loves the woods, nature, and animals. She’s also very just.

Folktales for Fearless Girls by Myriam Sayalero

This one has stories of young women who do brave feats to save their loved ones. It has stories from China, Egypt, Japan, Europe—it goes all over the world. I love reading stories about places I can’t go yet.

Monstrous Tales: Stories of Strange Creatures and Fearsome Beasts from Around the World

This is a book I like to read with my friend Kian. It’s too scary for Harriet. It has a goblin pony, birds of sorrow, spiders, iron wolves, a man-whale… I don’t find any of it scary personally, but Harriet is only three.

Kiki’s Delivery Service by Eiko Kadono

This book is even better than the movie because it has more details, and other stories that weren’t in the movie. There’s one scene where she was carrying instruments through the air on her broom, and Gigi was playing violin on the broom. It was so cool! You get to know Kiki better in the book.

Season of the Witch by Matt Ralphs and Nuria Tamarit

This is a really important book. It teaches you about how witches were treated in the past. In America and Europe women were chained and thrown into rivers or locked in a bare, prison-like room and watched to see if spiders and mice would come near them. But in Africa voodoo priestesses were revered. This book teaches you about things like a gris-gris, a bag of charms, spells, herbs, and something personal like a lock of hair. You can wear it for protection*.

How about you? What are your favorite books on mythology, folktales, immortals, and witches?

*good homemade Mother’s Day present? Bea made one for me that I keep on my desk (pictured above, with books).

As always, please share the FTT with friends, teachers, grandparents, and other magical nature-lovers. And yes, we will have a Mother’s Day post!