I wrote this on Facebook in response to someone who asked if anyone knew of any books that bring Brigit or Irish Pagan practices into inner child work. At first I could think of nothing, but then it occurred to me that she might get something out of picture books.
I mentioned that I had reviewed some children’s books in A Long Sip at the Well (Brigit book reviews) a number of years ago, and that I have several more on hand awaiting reviews. So I said I would look at those:
Okay. There are too many here for me to properly review them for you, but I will say that whereas the ones to do with the saint usually just take a piece of her lore and make it into a story that would appeal to children (they hope!) — stretching or adapting things in a minor way to suit their purposes, many — most? — Pagan books impose the image of a goddess onto what are traditional Christian stories, rather than creating stories out of the goddess materials from the old Irish literature. They often have outright wrong info, or state as fact things that are theories that are vigorously contested — so I urge you to take everything with a grain of salt and simply see if the story as it is written in the book at hand has anything to offer your inner child.
Having said that, I particularly like:
Brigid and the Butter by Pamela Love. It is very Catholic, and is a teaching tale in the way St. B’s vitae were. It is about generosity and is for younger children.
Saint Brigid the Fearless by Ann Carroll. Also Catholic and a teeny bit teachy, it covers a lot of different stories from her vitae, including the one in the Love book. But it is lively and kind of funny.
My favourite Catholic one from this batch is Saint Brigid and the Cows by Eva K. Betz. It touches on many of her stories, but it also looks at how things were for Brigit, and her feelings.
Of less interest (to me) is The Story of Saint Brigid by Caitriona Clarke. It doesn't try to tell a story, but simply gives certain details of her life, so it is less easy to relate to as a child (inner or outer).
I have only three pagan ones.
Imbolc - Brigid's Feast by Maria Finchenko is a fun read for young children that plays with language and has great pictures. It takes folklore from the saint's cult and pretends it was all about the goddess, which I have trouble with, but what the heck.
The most original, and my favourite of the Pagan books, is Brigid and Her Cloak - an Imbolc Tale, by unknown persons. (I got in touch with them: they refuse to say who wrote and illustrated it. I worry that the illustrations could be AI, but I have no idea how to find out. They are lovely, so I hope they're not.) This one has the goddess walking through a village where people are doing traditional St. Brigit's night activities, and reflecting on what is around her.
The last is My Name is Brigid by Isca Johnson. This one has illustrations by the late Barbara O'Meara, and I can see the appeal in them for adults, but they seem inappropriate for children. Too murky and indistinct, with no faces — harder, I would think, for a child to be drawn in by than any of the others. I was also shocked that the author, speaking for Brigit, said she had never had children. True of the saint, but absolutely not true of the goddess. Anyway, as feared, I am getting into my pet peeves, and I was trying to stay away from that.
All of these books, and the others I reviewed in A Long Sip at the Well, have lots of good things about them, despite the bits that get up my nose. Perhaps let your imagination wander through one or three of them. (Or one of those in Long Sip.) I would say, for your purposes, the Betz and the anonymous Pagan book might be the easiest doors in. Or the wonderful Brigid’s Cloak — An Ancient Irish Story by Bryce Milligan, which I review in Sip.
Blessings on your explorations.
Images: Covers of the three books mentioned in the last paragraph.
