Product Description

Introduce children to the magic of using herbs for healing, cooking, and nature crafts and inspire a lifelong interest in the natural world. * Designed especially for children ages five to ten. * A hands-on book for children, filled with fun, easy-to-follow activities. * Includes 72 color photographs of herbs by award-winning photographer and herbalist Steven Foster.

Created especially for children ages five to ten years old, Walking the World in Wonder covers the medicinal and magical uses of 72 common herbs. Each herb playfully introduces itself and talks about its habitat and many uses. With fun, easy-to-follow activities, herbalist Ellen Evert Hopman teaches children basic herbal skills and invites them to draw with pokeberry ink, sew a lavender sachet, and dig for Jerusalem artichoke roots. The book also includes simple recipes that children can use, with adult supervision, to treat minor ailments--peppermint tea to soothe a troubled tummy or horse chestnut salve to heal a scraped knee. Children gain a sense of self-sufficiency and awe for the earth's treasures by sprinkling a sandwich with nasturtium flowers, making strawberry honey, and learning to season food with dill they've gathered themselves. Seventy-two full-color photographs by herbalist Steven Foster enable children, parents, and teachers to identify these herbs during walks and field trips. Walking the World in Wonder gives children a direct and joyous experience of their connection to the natural world and inspires a lifelong interest in their own health and that of the planet.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #346392 in Books
• Published on: 2000-11
• Released on: 2000-10-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 160 pages

Review
A delightful introduction to the world of herbs for children between the ages of five and ten. -- Lori Collner, The Blessed Bee, Autumn 2001

Useful for beginners of all ages. Older readers may also be interested in the book's introductory history lesson. -- Elizabeth Hockstad, Amherst Bulletin, Dec 2000

Wow! What a great book for the up and coming herbalist on your gift list! -- PagaNet News, Volume VIII Issue VII

Review
"Walking the World in Wonder gives children descriptions of 67 common plants and herbs, all grouped by the season in which they appear. Useful for beginners of all ages. Older readers may also be interested in the book's introductory history lesson, "The Wheel of the Year," which tells of ancient herbal traditions."
(Elizabeth Hockstad, Amherst Bulletin, Dec 2000 )

"If you've been looking for a way to introduce your child to the responsible medicinal use of herbs, this is the book for you. Children will enjoy seeking out, gathering and mounting the pretty but furtive plants featured in the book. In short, a book for the whole family."
(www.beliefnet.com )

"Not only is this book beautiful, my kids love it! That is the whole point of the book, introducing children to herbs.  Beginning with a few pages of information for parents, the book is laid out to make finding and gathering herbs fun! What a wonderful concept."
(The Herb Network, Vol. 6, Issue 2, Spring 2001 )

"A delightful introduction to the world of herbs for children between the ages of five and ten."
(Lori Collner, The Blessed Bee, Autumn 2001 )

". . . as an educator, a parent, and an herbalist, I heartily recommend this book for folks of all ages. . . . an excellent resource for any family interested in exploring the world of herbs, as it is informative, colorful, and child-friendly."
(Elaine Reardon, Journal of the American Guild, Vol 6, No. 2, 2006 )

"Wow! What a great book for the up and coming herbalist on your gift list!"
(PagaNet News, Volume VIII Issue VII )

" . . . a pleasant surprise. It never occurred to me that such a book would exist. . . . The back cover says the book is appropriate for children ages 5-10 years old. . . .  I will readily admit that as a novice to the world of herbalism this book was at about the right speed for me, too." (
The Magical Buffet, Jan 2009 )

About the Author
Master herbalist Ellen Evert Hopman is the author of A Druid's Herbal for the Sacred Earth Year; Tree Medicine, Tree Magic; and coauthor, with Lawrence Bond, of People of the Earth. She resides in Massachusetts.

Customer Reviews

A Must Have Book!
This is definitely a must have book for any family who does herbal medicine- Pagan or not! I was so excited to see the Wheel of the Year described. Each description is in very easy to read language for the children, yet offers valuable information. Plainly put, the author trusts the children's intelligence, and doesn't dumb it down for them. Many simple recipes for remedies and treats are included in the descriptions, as well as lore. My only problem with this book is that there aren't more pictures of each plant in various stages. Some of the pictures offer only a flowering shot of the arial parts. Still, with a parent's help the children will have no problem seeing that they are indeed the plants from the book. The pictures offered are full page beautiful shots. So, it's not really much of a complaint- more of a suggestion in case there are any future editions. :) BUY THIS BOOK!

Another bit of Magick from Ellen Evert Hopman!
This book is a delight for children of ALL age! For those just exploring the magical world of nature to those young at heart. The beautiful photography and illustrations along with the wondrous style of writing is enchanting. This is a marvelous addition to any library, full of information from the practical and medicinal uses of herbs to a beautiful introduction to the wheel of the year and cycles of nature, with glimpses into ancient folklore of various cultures.

Perfect First Herbal for a Child
The author begins with some good information on practices of collecting, use and identification, and then proceeds with a nice introduction to the Wheel of the Year complete with the popular festival names (Samhain, Yule, etc.)

My kids (boys, ages 5 and 8) love the full-color illustrations of easy-to-find herbs. This is truly written to be used by a child (though adults will find it enchanting as well) which is exactly what I needed. I have plenty of my own adult versions of herbals and wanted something that my children could call their own and use on their own.

An interesting twist is the organization of the herbs. The herbs are grouped into four seasons, the season they would most commonly be found, and the chapters begin with Autumn, the start of the Wheel of the Year. Living in Florida, we are less likely to be finding that exactly useful; but we do enjoy seeing how they are usually found in the more northern areas of the nation and will enjoy that feature on our travels to visit family.