View Full Version : Decks for children
My 11 year old son would like his own tarot deck. He`s a complete beginner and would like a deck which isn`t too childish or cute. He likes dragons but I think that the celtic dragon tarot may be too old/complicated for him. Any suggestions?
Blessings of love and laughter
Crystalmynx
How about the Hanson-Roberts deck? It pretty gentle, but a lot of adults read with it too. The drawings remind me of a childrens book, but they are deep and meaninful. Connelly also shows no negativity, no bloodshed, but is Christian oriented. As for dragons, theres always The Dragon Tarot, but I thinkitwould be a bit hard to read for a beginer
i have a little list. i don' know as they are suitable but you have to see. also on the site of tarotgarden you can search on the item.
my list: stickfigure, whimsical (!), quick and easy, halloween (!), gummibear, baseball (!), wonderland (!), children (bambini).
i hope this helped a little.
with love,
rostie.
My 10 year old sister really likes:
Robin Wood (But this may be too 'cutesy' for him...)
Cosmic Tarot (Very nice deck, sticks mostly to usual Tarot interpretation, easy on the eye but definitely not cutesy. Quite modern aswell.)
World Spirit. Just a generally excellent deck, with wonderful and vibrant artwork, and very symbolic.
Maybe even the Rider Waite or Universal Waite... *Kiama cringes at the realisation that she just recommended the RW. Sorry to all fans of this deck
At a stretch, maybe the Thoth, but this really depends on how mature you son is, and how much he is willing to take in. The artwork in this deck seems to be something men and boys would like a bit more than women and girls I think, and its a very deep and symbolic deck. Its also fairly universal, however, your son might need to study Qabalah to go with it in order to really get to know this deck. Again, this depends on his maturity and how much he can take in!
The Celtic Dragon is very difficult for a beginner: I found it hard when I got it, and I had been studying Tarot for about 7 years at that time! Any decks by DJ Conway and Lisa Hunt are fairly difficult, and tend to branch away from traditional Tarot, and aren't as universal as some deck (Rider Waie and Thoth clones)
Good luck with your choice!
Kiama
truthsayer
07-02-2002, 19:34
i agree w/ all the deck suggestions for a child. yet i can't help thinking the celtic dragon might not be too bad a choice for him. the art isn't overly complex and the energy is light. i can't remember that much about adult themes in the deck but as far as decks go i think that it isn't too mature. check some sites that show what all the cards look like so you can judge for yourself better if this deck would be okay for him. of course, i can't remember the names or links for those sites...but i know somebody here knows where they are! :)however, only you know the maturity level of your son and what's best for him. personally, i love all the tarot decks by mary hanson-roberts so i don't think you can go wrong w/ the universal waite or the hanson roberts. at 11 the whimsical by mhr might be too childish for him even tho i like it. another thought since he likes dragons and magical critters is why not tarot of a moon garden? it's not too childish or cutesy nor too complicated and mature. the art is beautiful.
truthsayer
07-02-2002, 19:48
rofl!! :D :D i see that kiama just gave a thumb's down on the the CD. i'd prob go w/ what she said b/c i've been reading longer than she has and she'd have a better beginner's idea than me. there are some card shifts like between 8 and 11 and fire and air cards that might prove confusing to him on down the road. i was just remembering the clear, uncomplicated imagery on the cards themselves. before i traded the deck i remember being frustrated by the switches put into the deck. if i just went by the deck imagery, my interpretations were fine. it was when i tried to get into dj conway's head and see where her written words took me that CD got complex. of course, if you are a beginner you need learn from a deck that relates to more standard decks in order to advance to decks like the CD.
if there were an english version, the arcus arcanum might be a good deck for a boy. pretty male oriented w/ women in more traditional roles. but it's about knights and heroes so that might be more up his alley. i wish i could recommend the lord of the rings deck b/c one would think such a deck would be ideal but i see too many flaws and contradictions in the deck that would confuse a beginner.
I personally like the Renaissance Tarot by Jane Lyle. That is a good deck to learn on. The Vision Tarot is another good one. Universal Waite is good.
when i get my kids their first decks one of the main things i look for is the 'universal' meanings of the cards. some decks have their own meanings which makes it difficult for them to learn to read 'many' decks in the future.
morgan greer would be my choice for him. very nice deck, wonderfully colourful and not babyish at all.
in light,
jade
As an eleven year old, it is pretty typical that he likes dragons... especially of of the Nordic-Viking kind (in Waldorf/Steiner schools, he would just be coming out of the Nordic Epoch of Class 4, and entering Class 5 with its ancient Egyptian and Greek myth sagas).
I have only two recommendations, the first is the Inner Child Tarot (some will say this is a very young deck, but it allows for the imaginative faculty to still fully flourish... we are talking about, it must be remembered, a child, not an adolescent nor an adult).
The second deck I recommend is only because of the interests he is likely to encounter in the near future (long myths and sagas): the Mythic deck. Here it will provide him with endless questions about all those depicted characters.
If you did want to go for a Waite type deck (which I wouldn't for that age), the Hanson-Roberts, as previously mentioned, would be my first choice.
I also personally would NOT ask him which deck he prefers. Though an eleven year old wants to begin to feel independence, this is an area (amongst many), in which guidance is probably more appropriate... and also remember that there is a difference between his deck and the many he may look at which remain the 'property' of the parent or adult.
Apologies if I sound a little harsh... I think this is one area in which many mistakes are made...despite the best of intentions.
Scorpion
08-02-2002, 05:32
Hi, Crystalmynx!
Thought I'd just chip in here as I recently bought the Legend - Arthurian Tarot for my partner's middle son, who is very nearly 11, and he loves it. As an ordinary boy who'd rather be out there racing around rather than doing anything studious, it is touching that he asks for it and is prepared to read the stories along with me - it has been used more as an inspiration to get him into the literature than as a Tarot deck, but that's quite an achievement for a boy who's more likely to be glued to the telly or computer. Definitely not cutesy if it gets his approval!
Interestingly, he is quite dismissive of the Inner Child deck, which I bought for his younger brother (8).
In addition to the meaning/reversed/description and symbolism given in the book accompanying the Arthurian cards, it is backed up with the story which inspired the choice of that card, which helps fix it in the mind.
If your son wants dragons, they appear on the "face" card, as the emblem of the Fellowship of the Round Table, the Tower and the Star, there are also many mentions of dragons throughout the legend and "Pendragon" means "Head Dragon". If your son also likes all the magic and myth, I don't think you can go far wrong with this deck - and of course there's a vast array of legend surrounding Arthur, so it doesn't end with just the deck if it really grips his imagination.
On the same basis, I agree with the recommendation of the Mythic deck. Both decks draw on myth, magic, adventure and timeless epic themes - what more could an 11 year old ask for?!
Hi everyone
Wow, thanks for all the replies. At the moment I am leaning towards The Cosmic Tarot, Legend - Arthurian Tarot and maybe Tarit of The Moon Garden, although I think that he may find this one a bit girly.
Well I`ve got a bit of looking still to do.
Brightest Blessings
Crystalmynx xx
Scorpion
08-02-2002, 07:24
Back again!
Just thought I'd say that I recently bought Moon Garden and I assume you don't already have it. While I love the colours, I think it probably is a bit cutesy for a boy who wants dragons and I find the book very skimpy on the card descriptions and meanings and far too heavy on suggested rituals, which frankly I suspect will be of little use to your son. Eg - 7 Swords (just where it fell open): 2.5 lines on "rendering", 6.5 lines on the "reading" and the rest of the page taken up with a ritual on dispelling all black magic or another's will when it crosses your own (hey - just what I've been looking for to deal with someone who's giving me grief at the moment - except you can only do it on a Sunday following the new moon!). From what you say, I'm not sure that's what you're looking for - the 11 year old boys I know deal with crossing others by getting out there and doing something about it rather than waiting for the appropriate moon cycle to cast a spell!
And as for the "reading": Precautions are warranted... unintended or happy accident may result in serendipitous good fortune...". I think my stepson would think it was some sort of advert for condoms! I doubt he's come across "serendipitous" yet and I can hardly imagine what sort of a reading he'd give from this!!!
One further thought, if you want an easy but fulfilling deck, can I suggest the Spiral: it's RW based but the Majors are quite complex all based on worldwide mythology so there's plenty of stories and magic there, while the Minors have plenty of action.
divinerguy
08-02-2002, 19:09
Here's a different idea. Reading cards is fun. Tryiong to memorize meanings is not.
How about getting him a learning deck - one that's got meanings written on the cards.
He can start reading right away, and you can use the desire to get a more esoteric deck as a reward for learning.
Gary
dolphingirl
09-02-2002, 03:51
Hi
I just thought I would add to the fun :) My recomendations are
Vision quest- colorful and soft but still grown up and has keywords at the bottom to help with the meanings :)
The Arthurian Legend would be great for story work and I think it might have a workbook? Also could get some super legend storyboks to go with it.
My alltime favorite Robin Wood- ( I have never looked at this deck and seen cutsie :) ) I have over 80 decks and i stil come back to this one for my readings. I find the faces very expressive and the darker cards are still dark with out being scarry. The colors are pretty with out being pink and girlie.
Merryday- I dont have this one yet but the artwork is super and I think a boy would really like the dragons and other mythical creatures but have heard that it is alittle hard to get a grip on,
and as some said the Hansen Roberts deck is nice, Rider Waite freindly but not so scary and also smaller than alot of decks so it's great for kids and people w smaller hands. you might want to get him the Legend to do story work with and another rider waite style as well.
Also there are a few books on tarot games for children that might be fun to work on together :)
Good luck
Samantha
silvereye
09-02-2002, 06:45
I think the Tarot of Moon Garden is a bit too girly for an eleven year old boy.
What about Vampire Tarot?
I think he'd fall in love with it.
truthsayer
09-02-2002, 11:41
the moon garden might be too girlish for him but i think the vampire is too dark for a child. mythic, legend arthurian, or one of the rws style decks w/ meanings at bottom would be better. barnes and nobles has one that's only around $10. there's also a couple others like the starter tarot. i think that's the name. LA is one of my personal favorites b/c of the wonderful insights into the arthurian legends. i don't know many boys who didn't enjoy reading about king arthur and the round table. i can't remember any out right nudity even tho there might be. i've read several ppl here started w/ the mythic and got along quite well w/ it. the symbolism isn't complex and the connecting myths work well into the culture of things he will be learning in school. to me the robin wood is too adult even tho the art is a bit cartoonish and what some might call ken and barbie-ish.
there is something to be said here for parental authority due his young age. this deck prob should be one of your choosing and later when he demonstrates the maturity to learn the cards and is older allow him to choose another deck more in line w/ his age at that time. a 13 y/o would prob choose a different deck than an 11 y/o. the changes in that occur b/t 11 and 13 are enormous.
i know many ppl are put off by rws but i learned on a clone of that deck at 13 and i don't think it's that negative. i don't recall being intimidated by the images. if you really study the way symbols are put together in the deck, you can't help but see the genius behind the waite deck. i couldn't put all those tiny shades of meaning together like he did. it's amazing he saw symbolism as a complete interlacing image and was able to tell pamela coleman smith how to create his vision.
we can't hide the violence of this world from our children. there isn't any way to hide the hideous violence of 9-11-01 or other acts of terrorism or violence from them. to me, for a child to learn there is symbolism behind the negative events in life thru tarot cards is a more positive way you can influence how he learns to see the world. making the connection that bad things happen but like upright and reversed cards that doesn't mean there isn't more going on than meets the eye. perhaps there is a silver lining in that cloud. at 11, he should be gaining the ability to think abstractly. learning symbolism behind the pictures could help him make connections that positively impacts how he views the world beyond what he sees in the cards.
my theory is that the world and all that happens is like a giant tarot reading and it's our individual interpretations that influence our reactions and actions.
What a lot of good advice. I still think that even though it`s not really a beginners deck that Joe would probably be drawn to smething like the Celtic Dragon deck - from what I`ve seen of it it looks amazing. Has anyone got the Fantastical Tarot? If so what do you think of this deck? As I have said, at the moment my leanings are towards Legend or Celtic Dragon.
Brightest Blessings
Crystalmynx xx
truthsayer
10-02-2002, 11:34
my inclination is that the LA would be easier for a beginner than the CD. i had the fantastical but found it way too goth for me. i hated it and traded it for something i liked better. it's something about the blank eyes of the ppl and their clawlike hands that bothered me. of course, a little boy might find it kewl! :D
i would select a few from the suggestions here that you think are good for your boy and let him choose so he has the feeling he has also something to say and you know whatever he choose it will be a good one.
there are so much good suggestions here, i do think legend arthurian is a good one for a boy or a rw-clone.
but it is your son you know the best what is his maturity and what he will like. i really hope you find a good one or a few good ones. and a few years later he can choose by himself when he knows the cards.
so lovely to choose a deck for your child, so exciting. i'm only 22 so choosing a deck for my child will still last a couple of years.
so, good luck and i'm sure you will make a good choise (with all the good advice of us!, LOL), let us know i'm very curious!
with love,
rostie.
Geenius at Wrok
12-02-2002, 16:02
Aquarian. It's the one I had in high school. It may be a little dated in its style, but the one thing you cannot accuse it of is being too feminine, which is probably a pitfall of about nine out of 10 decks on the market. If you're concerned about prurient content, as far as I can recall there's no nudity in it whatsoever.
If he's into comic books, he might also dig the Vertigo. It's available in a second edition, which you can get at comic stores. It costs twice as much as the Aquarian ($30 vs. $15), but it comes with a full-fledged book rather than a LWB.
Hi there :) .... I do not know much about children, but I do own the two decks you are considering (Legend Arthurian and Celtic Dragon). I would like to recommend that you select Legend. Both decks are beautiful, but I think that the Legends deck, because of its Arthurian theme, be much easier to work with. There are tons of books and movies related to this that your son could watch and relate to his cards, and who knows .... he may even become an avid reader which would be wonderful for his school work!
Honestly ... the Legends deck will be much easier to learn than the Celtic Dragon. Perhaps you could buy the Celtic Dragon for yourself and become familiar and comfortable with it so you can help your son with this deck at a later time ... I am girl, but I never outgrew my love of dragons ;)
Love & Light
Agree with Geenius at Wrok: got my Aquarian deck lately, and it just rocks!!!
I think the pictures are much nicer and coherent than those on RW, but you can still take advantage of all publications and books using RW or clones - and that is a remarkable advantage for a starter.
As for the book, I have no idea, but I hope I'll grab one any time soon.
There's no nudity - even the women of "The World" and "Temperance" are dressed :D
To me, it vibes really testosteronic, really. No cutesy at all, rigidity in style, order, cleaness... it's masculine, strongly so - my opinion, this be clear.
I think it's quite good for the case.
P.S. Even though I don't have one, I also vote for Celtic Dragon }>
Geenius at Wrok
12-02-2002, 22:08
Pollux (13 Feb, 2002 08:59):
I think the pictures are much nicer and coherent than those on RW, but you can still take advantage of all publications and books using RW or clones - and that is a remarkable advantage for a starter.
Yep. The imagery is all more or less the same; only the style is different. Much denser, much more stylized and colorful. Don't know whether I'd call it "testosteronic," but I can personally vouch for its appeal to adolescent boys.
Just one FYI about Legend Arthurian ... it is not exactly Raider Waite based. Strength is XI and Justice VIII and wands are air, swords fire. I believe this is correct ... we discussed this in another thread some time ago. Regardless I think this deck would be great for your son.
Love & Light,
Hi Crystalmynx,
I also have an 11-yr.old son, but he isn't yet ready to read tarot. He expresses interest when I am doing readings, and I try to share as much as I can (appropriate for his age), but he hasn't expressed interest in doing it himself (yet).
It seems the Arthurian Legend deck is the favorite, I haven't seen it so I can't recommend it. But I would recommend to stay close to the RW symbolism, so he can learn from more than one source. And I would advise against a deck with the "meanings" printed on the card. The whole point is to let the picture open up the meaning! Learning the meaning of the symbols gives a basis, but intuition needs to be the main determiner of meaning.
He says he doesn't want anything "cutesy," and I understand that. His mind is beginning to mature beyond childhood; don't try to shelter him from negative cards or nudity. It's not like nudity is bad or anything! (we're all nude underneath our clothes). My decks have nudes in them, and my son has never even noticed! It's just art.
Also, the mythic tarot might be good, if he has any familiarity with Greek mythology (which he should).
Which ever you choose, the minor arcana should be illustrated, as in with pictures of people doing things. I wish your son all the best!
DeLani
What about the Morgan Greer? Its a Rider Waite clone and might appeal to a boy.
silvereye
24-02-2002, 11:19
What about Lord of The Rings Tarot?
I know it has many negative comments but I think it's worth a try
faunabay
11-03-2002, 23:46
here you go!
fairyhedgehog
12-03-2002, 09:02
I'm reading this and wondering which deck he /did/ get in the end :)
All the best,
Logiatrix
12-03-2002, 16:10
also check out "the tarots of the gnomes" and "animal-wise" tarot. i mention these because i have a young male friend, age ten, who favors these both in my own collection. he likes dragons, too, but doesn't get anything out of the two dragon-themed decks that i have ("dragon tarot", and "celtic dragon"); he enjoys the "legend" deck, but isn't much of a reader, so doesn't pay attention to the stories in the book for very long.
another consideration would be to get him a learner's deck, like the "quick and easy tarot", with the meanings on the cards, and also a deck he likes purely for the imagery. then you can encourage him to do a comparison study, in simpler and more entertaining terms, of course.
never underestimate the ability of a child to learn stuff like this--they have less cluttered brains than adults do, and tarot is most conducive to the creative soul of a child.
I don't have any of the highly recommended decks in this thread except the Robin Wood, so I can't debate them all. The other deck besides Robin that comes to mind is the Norse Tarot. The images are very descriptive, and Vikings are pretty cool, as historical stuff goes when you're 11. The gender balance is better than you might expect too. However, I have always had trouble reading my Norse deck. It's like it has cooties or something. My theory is that this is my own subconscious being skittish about Teutonic imagery, due to its connections to Nazism and Richard Wagner. (Mind you, I actually enjoy Wagner.) So that's probably just me, and image-wise I think it might be a good choice.
I want to vote against both the Vampire and the Vertigo. The former's darkness isn't the problem; it's that the people in the deck look absolutely anorexic. I understand that they're undead, but I wouldn't want an impressionable boy on the threshold of puberty exposed to too many images that glorify unhealthy thinness. He gets enough of that from mass media, I'd imagine. The Vertigo would just be way too confusing. I can barely read it myself, if at all, despite having been an avid reader of the comics it's associated with. Dave McKean's art is fragmented collage art with very little variance in color.
my duaghter is currently doing a review on the robin wood deck and she is very uncomfy with the nudity on the lovers card. the male genitals are shown and so that would be a cause for possibly not getting a younger person this deck.
in light,
jade
Originally posted by jade
bump :)
*lol* That was just so cute. :)
(read the other post where you said you'd bumped it up)
My 11 year old son is very interested in tarot, he has a natural ability to read people... Any ways he picked his own deck out, the inner child, after viewing for weeks many different styles. He said they seem to speak to him.
I agree with Gary that it is hard to understand all the meanings and if there is a deck that has the meanings on them then great. My only concern is that this may cloud the childs judgement of what he sees in the cards and his possible interpretation.
My son comes up with some wonderful things that I would not have received form the same card as he does. A child interprets differently, as I think their expectations are not the same as an adult, most don’t understand the symbols and meanings behind them but can be quite accurate.
Just food for thought
I posted this as a new thread oops sorry, still learning
My 11 year old son is very interested in tarot, he has a natural ability to read people... Any ways he picked his own deck out, the inner child, after viewing for weeks many different styles. He said they seem to speak to him.
I agree with Gary that it is hard to understand all the meanings and if there is a deck that has the meanings on them then great. My only concern is that this may cloud the childs judgement of what he sees in the cards and his possible interpretation.
My son comes up with some wonderful things that I would not have received form the same card as he does. A child interprets differently, as I think their expectations are not the same as an adult, most don’t understand the symbols and meanings behind them but can be quite accurate.
Just food for thought
__________________
Keep smiling,
Ajoite
What am I supposed to say? Mh...
Maybe a
WOW!!!
would do?
Light and Love and Beauty and Happiness to you and your lil kid! :)
Well if your son gets on well with that deck, then good luck to him! I've got this deck, and am quite surprised your son chose it! (No offense, but I'll state my reasons now..) Y'see, it seems to be a more 'girly' deck... And I should think it'll be quite difficult for a deck to learn with, cuz it does tread along the unbeaten path slightly with some of its correspondaces. And the size of the cards! WOAH! Even I can't shuffle them, let alone tiny 11 yr-old hands!
But I'm sure he'll get great, and colourful readings from these cards!
Give him my love,
Kiama
This was not supposed to be a new thread. I was replying to another’s thread and by mistake pressed the wrong button. I have not figured out a way of deleting this thread.
I know what you mean by the size of the cards, and I was also surprised by his choice, but he seems to love sprawling them out on the floor and give readings
Hi folks, I've merged the "11-year-old" thread into this one, pursuant to ajoite's last post in that thread. :)
-- Lee
Wildchild
06-05-2003, 03:31
Great suggestions! My 13 year old has expressed interest in tarot & we're going to look into some of these suggestions. He seems partial to the Dragon Tarot & didn't care for the Celtic Dragon. We'll check into the other suggestions as well.
azuremariposa
06-05-2003, 10:54
i don't know if this helps anyone or not...but i recently got The Fey...and both me and my son have totally fallen in love...:)
of course, he's only going on 3...but when i teach him (if he's still interested in the cards, of course), it will most likely be with this deck...
i spread them out for him to look through (on the floor) and it was just one exclamation after the other...he kept picking up 'favourites' and putting them aside! lol...i said, 'no, no...these are mama's...i'll get you your own if you want, but these are MINE!' LMAO!! :D
so, it's a suggestion...i've flipped through the accompanying book, and it's fairly decent too...:)
many blessings...
~azure
SnorkMaiden
07-05-2003, 09:27
As a total newbie (only bought my first pack two weeks ago!) I don't reckon I can offer any constructive advice, but I can say that I think the artwork of the Fey Tarot is fab and if I was an 11 year old boy I would like it.
Little Baron
09-07-2003, 06:57
I wish someone had bought me a tarot deck when I was a child. What a wonderful and personal gift to be given - especially from a parent or loved one.
I think it must be great to start so young. Like playing the piano or something like that. I think I would be too old to play the piano now. Children are so much more fearful and as someone here said, don't have the cluttered brains of adults.
Someone here mentioned the Morgan Greer. Yes, I think that would be a good one, even though I havnt connected with my deck in a while. The colours are lavish and not gender specific in any way, in terms of the reader. No nudity, to my knowlege, aside from The Lovers, which is as near to any Adam and Eve illustration they have already seen. The Russian Tarot of St Petersberg is another one in this vein.
I have been really into the Buckland Romani recently and am waiting for a copy (donated from a new and very thoughtful friend who does not bond with her deck). Would this be such a bad option for a child? Yes, there is a bit of blood and those lovers look a bit racy but ... what the heck. As someone on here already said, there are so many violent and sexual images out there in the media. Have you seen any video games recently (are they called that anymore?)? I don't have much to do with them but looked at one recently and was actually shocked by how violent and sexual they were.
Besides, as a 31 year old, I grew up with Madonna - a woman who started her career by rolling around on the floor in a wedding dress and flashing her knickers while sitting on top of a huge cake. It never did me any harm. I don't think that you can shield children these days from much so if you are going to give them a little nudity, for example, why not portray it in it's most beautiful form, which a lot of decks do.
There is also The Phantasmagoric and The Halloween. I don't remember the name but there is the deck with the wolf in it - the one which has the descriptions underneath and is available in black and white and also in colour. I always find those images so calming when looking at them on the net. A lot of the Native American decks are also a possibility. from what I have seen, they are a safe option and also may fit in with school studies.
Apologies if I have suggested any bad options out of ignorance.
Good luck with your searches. When older, these decks are going to be so appreciated by the younger people that have received them.
Best wishes
Yaboot
I don't remember the name but there is the deck with the wolf in it - the one which has the descriptions underneath and is available in black and white and also in colour.
Yaboot, if you do remember what this deck is called, could you please let me know? It sounds absolutely fascinating, but I don't think I've ever heard of it before!
LadyMedusa
09-07-2003, 10:21
Hedra,
I belive it is The Wolf Pack Cards. It was recently expanded to the full 78. I remember looking at it. It has keywords and/or brief description on the cards themselves, but I don't remember if it follows the RWS meanings.
Lady Medusa
edited to add: If I remember right the B/W version is not the full 78. I will look for the link and post it here.
Try here: http://www.robertpetro.com/tarot_color.asp
Thank you LadyMedusa!
They look interesting, but completely unlike the dark-fairytale deck (think The Company of Wolves) I was imagining....
Little Baron
09-07-2003, 12:49
A 'company of wolves' deck. Can you imagine how great that would be???
Sorry for getting your hopes up Hedera. Even though it doesn't have that fark fairytale twist, there is something very calming and soothing about it, which is why I thought it would be good for children.
It is not really the kind of deck that I usually go for but there is something about that wolf that I relate to. Maybe I watched too many episodes of 'Benjy' when I was younger! I would like to add it to my collection - when the Rohrig is to deep, I have had enough of The Waite and The Thoth and Cosmic Tribe are too manic. I can see myself in my parents garden with this one. I see it as one for personal reflection, rather than to read for others - unless they have a mild spirit of the wolf in them (one of my friends has!).
Oh dear, it looks like another deck to be added to my wish list.
Best wishes
Yaboot
wavebreaker
09-07-2003, 13:26
This is part of a thread that originated in the Suggestions forum which I moved over here.
Please continue the discussion... ;)
tarotlady
Moderator Suggestions
WolfSpirit
09-07-2003, 14:06
Originally posted by LadyMedusa
Hedra,
I belive it is The Wolf Pack Cards. It was recently expanded to the full 78. I remember looking at it. It has keywords and/or brief description on the cards themselves, but I don't remember if it follows the RWS meanings.
The Wolf Pack deck is called Tarot and it does have 78 cards, but it is not tarot. There is no minors, no majors. Every card has the meaning on it in a few sentences.
I find the deck beautiful and it can be very accurate, but if it is tarot you want then this is not a deck for you.
Maybe the Whimsical would be a nice deck for children as well.
And if it is a child that likes dragons: the Celtic Dragon has no disturbing images in it. And the dragons look rather cute.
Demonesse
09-07-2003, 19:22
Hello,
I've merged Yaboot001's thread with crystalmynx's. Thanks :)
Whoops, sorry for straying off thread.
So, threading right back in: I think the Vision Quest would be a good deck for children.
Gentle, colourful, beautiful pictures and no images children or their parents would find particularly upsetting, imo.
My three years old little girl was all "oh!" and "waouh!" as she looked thru the Inner Child cards for the first time this morning. She likes the Fairy tarot (Lo Scarabeo) too with all these critters and funny faces. The Inner Child is like a children book, I think. Gorgeous, luxuriant and huge !
I will show her the Vision Quest tomorrow, as it is a very gentle deck as well. Maybe the Zerner farber then, but it might be too detailed, we'll see. I think she might not like the pastel colours as much as the bright ones. She's treating the cards with respect and care, it is nice to see.
Our one year old has her own cards too, big sister's first deck: the Royal Tarot. I took the fightening cards away. When our oldest watched them thru last time and found the Devil, she said "the growling one" ;) It was not a monster for her, just a very unhappy animal ;)
Blessings,
Kissa
Oooh, 'The Growling One'..... !
That's a good alternate title for the Devil!
Covers lots of aspects of the card, too.
Thank you, Kissa! :)
euripides
24-09-2006, 01:09
I just had a look through Taroteca's scans - the Baseball tarot looks pretty cool. Not sure that it would be my first preference, being such a contemporary theme, but might be a good gift if someone had a kind-of-curious-but-skeptical older child.
My son has a Tarot Nova set, but the meanings tend to be a bit literal - good in a way in that they give positive advice - but between the whimsical art and specific interpretations, they aren't ideal.
My daughter has a Hanson Roberts Tarot to Go set which she loves. She also had another tarot on her wishlist that I can't remember - I think it was the Spirit of Flowers. Some of the Fairies type decks she finds weird. She also likes the Doreen Virtue angel deck. She'd also love the Unicorn tarot, which I just came across... might be nice for Christmas.
Another pretty one with keywords is the Animal Wise deck -
http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/animal-wise/
not RWS obviously but for an animal-mad kid might be nice.
Edited to add: now that I've had another look at it, definitely not my first choice... too specific, though it might be a catalyst for discussion on animal lore.
I'm going to check out the RWS clones. I really dislike the Universal de Angelis mini that I have, but I think a nicely colored RWS will be just the thing - I find the coloring and artwork on mine a bit clunky, but its attractive in its own way. And it always amazes me, whenever I return to it, how many stories I can see in those pictures.
cheers
Euri
Cerulean
24-09-2006, 16:04
You can do a free reading of the Llewellyn Tarot and see if it looks good for boys/girls--I personally like it better than the Legends. The meanings though are different in Ann Marie Ferguson's deck, though--she really does not like reversals and only includes a 'diminished' meaning for sake of offering an option to readers. I think the url below might be a good sample of the cards, but I like her book better--more detail and friendly to new readers.
http://www.llewellyn.com/free/tarot.php
Manga Tarot (Lo Scarabeo) seems to work for me when I want a youngish feeling that might be a little experimental, all pictures. If I were to buy a girly Manga Tarot, the Connections "Manga Tarot" by Selena Lin is quite pretty, although the pips are not illustrated. The meanings are well-documented and the cards are pretty. Both should be available late in 2006 or early 2007 in the U.S., I think.
I was thinking the mini-tarot is a good bargain, my favorite being the Lo Scarabeo Tarots of the the Renaissance mini, which has a full-booklet and very nice scenes.
I only found some veiled and soft coloring of a draped female figures in the World card for the Llewellyn Tarot and the Star in the Lo Scarabeo Renaissance mini-tarot--otherwise the female and males seem draped with clothes.
Hope those ideas help.
Regards,
Cerulean
euripides
24-09-2006, 17:44
I hadn't considered the Llewellyn. I find myself assessing the watercolour technique, but my daughter might not!
Euripides I have just looked at the Ator Tarot- and showed to a twelve year old neighbour who thought it was 'Kewl' It is RWS based- I quite like it myself lol.~Rosanne
Then there's the Wonderland Tarot by Christopher and Morgana Abbey...the first thing the LWB tells us is that we need to read Alice in Wonderland, and Alice Through the Looking Glass to get a full understanding of the cards.
So if you also want your children to read...
This is a great deck for kids.
It has a variety of fairytales depicted, but doesn't seem overly childish to me.
I used this deck as a primary reading deck for a year! I loved it.
The pictures of the cards are sometimes quite interesting takes of what the card means...I find it to be a very refreshing and lovely little deck.
The majors are quite nice and the pips, fully illustrated, are very thought provoking.
It gets a 4 star rating here on AT!
http://www.aeclectic.net/tarot/cards/whimsical/
TarotGarden.com also has it for sale!
sand dollar
25-09-2006, 20:42
the whimsical is the deck i purchased for my 14 y.o. when she turned 13. she found that the pictures really helped her with the meanings of the cards. plus i find them charming - soft, gentle; perfect for kids.
ana luisa
26-09-2006, 10:09
Still in the making, have you had a look at the 8-bit tarot? It´s very cute. My son loved the images that reminded him of video game characters...
Not for me though...
Glass Owl
21-10-2006, 09:52
My 3 year old daughter is in love with the Medieval Cat Tarot and the Animal Divine Tarot (this deck is so incredible!). She can't stop talking about them.
Yesterday, I showed her the Fey and the Manga Tarot and she liked those as well. I haven't showed her my Inner Child cards or my Whimsical Deck yet---I'm guessing if I did that, she would declare that they are hers and I wouldn't get them back :)
Papageno
21-10-2006, 10:16
just off the top of my head
consider the 78 card Maddonni Tarot pub. Grimaud or the Majors-only deck Tarocchi Fiabeschi pub. Il Meneghello
the 78 card Arcus Arcanum pub. AG Müller would also be excellent.
RussianSoul
21-10-2006, 11:06
My daughter, although she is older - 17, only agrees to be read to with Russian Tarot of St. Petersburg. The cards are simply beautiful and have a fairytale imagery.
Actually my 3 yrd old daughter, Jayda, is actually doing pretty well with the RWS..I am amazed how she remembers the names of the cards. I have her look at a card and tell me what she sees. Also, we have a game where we do the pose of the person in the card...that always makes us smile and laught. I let her draw cards for spreads and she gets a kick out of that.
Or I fan the cards and we pick one card at the same time and then compare them. My 8 yr old particpates as well, but he doesn't really seem as interested as Jayda. Na'il really likes to have me read for him. I do very simple 1 - 3 card spreads with him and have him talk to me about the cards, it really brings his inner thoughts out.
I think any deck that is 'tasteful' enough for a child is a good deck, I would let him look around and see which deck he is drawn to. He may surprise you. :)
My 9yr old son likes the International Icon tarot - He gets a good look at all my decks when I use them but he doesn't like anything with nudity and thats hard with the Star and World cards - saying that he's quite partial to my new Sheridan-Douglas but I've told him hands off. })
(Emily looking at all the old names at the start of this thread)
(Emily looking at all the old names at the start of this thread)
Off topic but I've just been doing that too.... My 11 year old son who wanted a deck at the start of this thread is now 16 and not interested in Tarot at all - I didn't get him a deck in the end and he's really not bothered.
My daughter who is almost 8 has 2 decks, The Hanson Roberts and The Fey.
She likes The Fey best and uses it to make up stories, although she seems to have moved into the realm of readings quite naturally.
Yesterday she was bored and so decided to pull a couple of cards... She pulled the 3 of Chalices and the 8 of Pentacles from the Fey deck so she decided to do a bit of homework and then do something creative - we both had a lovely afternoon painting pictures together :D
Papageno
22-10-2006, 09:38
:shhh: I just ordered a copy of the Halloween Tarot for the child in ME :smoker:
victoria.star
22-10-2006, 21:02
My eleven year old daughter is in love with her Hanson-Roberts. She also "had to have" the Morgan-Greer.
Right now, she keeps talking about the Ator, which she saw one day when I was surfing online.
Still, she says the Hanson-Roberts is her favorite.