Season of the Witch: A Spellbinding History of Witches and Other Magical Folk

by Matt Ralphs, Núria Tamarit (Illustrator)

Get whisked away into the history of some of the most controversial women in history: witches.

Tracing as far back as the Stone Age, witches have fascinated us for centuries. But were they evil sorceresses determined to seek revenge, or suppressed feminists who were misunderstood? From Egyptian priestesses to Norse healers, take a closer look at witches throughout history and across the world, in this holistic non-fiction book that incorporates poetry, art, mythology, hexes, potions, and magic from different cultures and religions around the world.

Genres: Nonfiction, Middle Grade, Picture Books, History, Halloween, Graphic Novels, Childrens

80 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2020

Reviews

[elliot · Rating 3 out of 5]

*My biggest qualm* There was absolutely no mention of non-binary/gender-fluid witches. ^^Not surprising as they didn’t include cultures with Brujé and 2-spirit peoples.

I loved reading about magic from all over the world! The illustrations are wonderful!
They cover a lot of cultures in this small book, however they only gloss over the Brujeria and don’t mention Indigenous practices at all.

[T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Childrens books talking about witches and witchcraft in an educational light are few and far between. I would have been excited to have a book like this as a child. It has a solid history of witchcraft mostly around the world (focus on Europe, Japan, and South Africa) and explains basic tools and terms of the witch such as Grimoire, Familiar, and more in simple to understand language.

The art work is lovely and really captures the sections it covers.

The shortcomings of this book should be noted though.

First, it lacks any reference or resources to further expand or understand where the historical information is from. Most works likely would be adult, but it should still be there, especially if a parent is reading it.

Second, there needed to be more pronunciation cues. It was inconsistent when it was used and seemingly random.

Last, the modern section barely goes beyond Wicca and Covens. It suggests that if you want to be a witch, you must chose Wicca and you must chose a Coven (only a High Priest or Priestess can cast a circle?). There are many more facets to modern witchcraft and it was disappointing that it focused solely on Wicca. Modern witches are slightly different and there are solitary and group practitioners and I wish the author had made a nod to this as Wicca is not the be all and end all of modern witchcraft and doesn't not work for all witches.

Overall, we need more child friendly, educational books about witches. This will do until new titles come along.

[Suzanne Thackston · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was so good! Just delightful. Definitely will stay on my shelf and hope to have heaps of grandkids to whom to read it. Most witches agree that we have a problematic and varied history, most of us agree that we'd like to see kids read more accurate info about us both historically and currently, and pretty much none of us agree on what should be included, what ignored, and what left until maturity. This book does a great job of picking good stuff to keep, and to present it simply and forthrightly. While I may have made a few different decisions (and so would every other witch), I didn't undertake the task of writing something like this, did I? Good for these authors.

[Amanda Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book! I am not religious in any way and I love when a nonstandard religion is featured in a way that values its adherents. My first year as a teacher librarian, I was confronted by a parent who said, "the Devil is alive and well in the AR system." Which was her way of thanking me for not keeping Accelerated Reader at our school. I grew up thinking magic was pretend, something believed in in the past like the Greek and Roman gods. Apparently magic is still real. Being a cynic, I had no idea. I strongly recommend this book for anyone who appreciates history from a different perspective and anyone fascinated in or participating in Wicca.

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was recommended to me by a friend, and I am happy to report that it was both super cute and super interesting.

I really loved the layout of the book, with the introductions to witches/folk magic practitioners throughout history paired with a closer look at a particular deity or magical being associated with each culture. It was fascinating to see how each culture represented had their own way of working with magic, yet somehow managing to remain fairly similar to one another in different ways. And the illustrations are absolutely incredible and so colorful!

This would definitely be a good place to start if you are looking for some basic information about how different cultures used and viewed magic. Or if you just wanted a cute, easy read.

[Cynthia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Informative and fun to read. A good overview of witches and magic in an historical sense for kids.

[madeline ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing amazing AMAZING! the illustrations were so pretty tooooooooo

[Alexandra Bazhenova-Sorokina]

Отличная книжка для знакомства с миром магии вне европейской просвещенческой парадигмы.

[Iris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous, enchanting book! I ordered this from my local indie for Halloween but it didn’t come in time - so it’s now a Christmas present for my daughter. I intended to glance through but ended up reading the entire thing in one sitting. What a fabulous collection of stories, historical facts, traditions, and lore! The art is gorgeous and the physical book is lovely — large, richly colored pictures with a gold foil title on the cover. A beautiful, fascinating book.

[Erin]

I didn't have time to sit with this fully, but the illustrations are incredibly appealing and there's a page referencing Baba Yaga, so I had to flip through it. I would have loved this overview of witches and magic and their place in history and today. The book takes a global perspective, so it's not just western European witches that get a nod, but Slavic, Nordic, south African, Japanese, and others.

[Stacey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Impossible to get past the table of contents, which shows the book to be full of historical and cultural inaccuracies.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s back to history class for this witch and her little apprentice! We just happened to have found the perfect book.
📖The history of magic stretches long before the days of Hocus Pocus and our other beloved stories. In fact the belief of magic (in many shapes and forms) has had a place in almost every culture and point in history.
📖You can read about the days of Ancient Egypt with the magic of the Gods, to the Scandinavian shores where the dreaded Sea Witches lived. Marie Laveau will be a name you learn and she was known as the Vodou Queen of New Orleans.
📖 Dive in deeper and discover why present day witches are often paired with a broom, why they are often portrayed with pointy hats, and why we have an image of a green skin witch! I’ll give you a hint: the green skin is a relatively new characteristic.
📖 I really enjoyed the history behind it all, and the individual tails of specific witches: be sure to read the part about Baba Yaga and Gerald Gardner (the Father of Wicca).

[Kaleria · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautifully illustrated introduction to the concept of magic and its use throughout history. This book would be a great discussion-starter for pagan and witchy families, but is also very appropriate for a secular library or home with it's emphasis on history. Modern witchcraft is only really described as Wicca and there are several generalizations that would need to be discussed in pagan families (because much more diversity exists in our community than is explained) but it is a GREAT introduction to these ideas and a wonderful resource to open those discussions.

I highly recommend it to pagan folk, and also to families with children who love fantasy and would be interested in learning about how people of many different faiths, throughout time, have used something called "magic" to help them navigate and affect their world. It is probably best suited for students grades 3-5.

[Renee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this was a beautifully illustrated book with a fairly dry recounting of the history of witches. While the book had better representation than many other books on magic, it was still fairly euro-centric. I also thought they book could have done with a little more commentary about the reasons *why* witches threatened traditional power structures, and why that led to their persecution--Ie, it's hard for me to think about the history of witch persecution without also discussing the patriarchy, but the author mostly skirts around this. Still, I really liked the illustrations, I learned some things from this book, and I thought it presented witches in a pretty respectful way. A solid 3 for me.

[Sunflower Moon · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 rounded up.
This is a beautiful book with lots of information that I didn't know. BUT I was surprised (and disappointed) that it didn't include any Indian history. I suppose it would be tricky to include our practices because the line between religion and witchcraft is basically non-existent (in my opinion) and that could cause issues.

Either way, I've found that every culture has witches in their history and it would have been nice to see more diversity in this book.
The illustrations were also wonderful.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is aimed at children aged around 10 and gives a good overview and introduction to the history of witches. The illustrations are not my favourite, but they are well executed.
(Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

[Kara Demetropoulos · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful look into the history of witchcraft, covering many cultures, styles, and belief systems.

The illustrations are captivating, the book flows nicely, and I learned much while reading it. At times, I was amazed that this was a book for children, because it covered many dark elements, most notably the persecution of witches over time.

I highly recommend it for anyone interested in this subject matter. A truly splendid read.

[Tricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Evie picked this up at the library. I thought it was going to be over her head, but she's really into witches. She wants to meet a real witch, she says! The book informs about magic and witchcraft through the ages and cultures, with an occasional folk tale, and ends with modern-day witchcraft and a bit about the founder of wicca. Evie is hungry for more witches and magic-related folk tales and I will deliver!

[karenbee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the illustrations and page design and the writing style. It could have used another look-over for typos, I would have liked pronunciation hints—especially since it's a kid's book!—and I felt like there were some important groups left out.

But overall, a charming intro to the history of magic. Very basic, but it could pique interest and lead the reader to investigate further, which is what I want from an overview like this.


(three and a half stars)

[Meredith Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great intro to the many different forms of witchcraft over the years. The chapters doesn’t follow the same format or pattern, which works in its favor. A variety of cultures and eras are included. I was pleased to see there was no joking or snark, just a straightforward book about witches for kids. I would’ve read this multiple times as a kid.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an unexpected gem! This is a mystical, informative look into the varied and diverse history of witchcraft through the ages. A surprising amount of information is packed in here, and it’s accompanied by the most gorgeous artwork that is reminiscent of a tarot card deck. I loved reading this, especially during spooky month 🧙🏻‍♀️

[Sarahs Reads ToKids · Rating 4 out of 5]

This beautiful book would a wonderful reference book for an elementary age student to use as a first reference material for a report or a project.

Our family read this book over a period of time because it is spooky season. Plus one of them is going to a witch for Halloween and she thought it would be fun to learn more about them.

[Lydia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nuria Tamarit es una de mis ilustradoras favoritas. Sus dibujos tienen una composición y delicadeza exquisita.
El libro reúne de manera breve muchos datos y hechos muy interesantes relacionados con la magia y las brujas a lo largo de la historia, acompañados de preciosas ilustraciones que lo hacen muy ameno y entretenido.

[LauCeravieja · Rating 5 out of 5]

En este libro el estilo de dibujo es una preciosidad y las historias y personajes que va compartiendo me han parecido interesantísimos y geniales. A lo mejor no lo recomendaría como lectura ligera, pero desde luego me parece todo un acierto para aquellas personas que adoramos la fantasía, la magia y las brujas

[Pietrisycamollaviadelrechiotemexity · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adorable Book that gives a good General overview of the diffrent kinds/origins and eras if witches.

Of course it's not 100% precise but for a quick and easy overview and base for further research its great.

Really enjoyed it, the art is pretty and the story telling keeps you entertained

(Extra points because I got it at a "Witch" museum, during a great outing with a friend)

[Sunnee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty broad but well written. I wish they provided references to serve as a jumping point to delve deeper. A bit disappointed that it's just Gerald Gardner and Wicca for modern - ignoring solitary/eclectic, druidism, and several other more prominent paths. This was an entertaining and bite-size informative book though. ^_^

[Caralen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this subject very interesting, and I learned a lot of new information. However, the only problem I had with it was the author did not provide any sources that were used so I could further research the new information I had learned.

[Kelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great illustrations and I love how many cultures were included and myths disproved. However, there were sections that highlighted famous people of the era and most of them were men. I was disappointed because I thought the book would spotlight women.

[Heather Layne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I get that this was for kids, but it could have told MORE of the truth and a more inclusive truth about some of the people, events, and things. It was a decent brushing-over-the-top introduction, and the illustrations were neat.

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.