Hey!
I'll second the suggestion for the Ator as a superb choice for a small reader... in fact that seems like the ideal choice for someone who isn't freaked by Tarot but is. If you're gonna go with cats, I would
strongly urge the Baroque Bohemian over the Medieval Cats. No question.
I teach playwriting to 10 year olds and I feel like the Hanson-Roberts & the Whimsical may be too twee (more like the
idea of a child's deck than a deck for a child), but then again it depends on the 10 year-old. I just had a conversation with a 10 year-old who finished a book report on Stoker's
Dracula which was titled: "Thicker than Blood: The Myth of Penetration"... All 10s are not the same.
You can also check out
Tarotpedia's list of kid-friendly decks.
I think study with a text sounds like a great idea, though I think you'll wnat to keep it manageable and focussed so she doesn't feel overwhelmed... I was trying to think of a kid-friendly text for Tarot study, with the caveat that it should be illustrated sans nudity and not be SO massive that she can't carry it around: here is a list of
Teen focussed ones, but they may be a bit much. The Whimsical Tarot has a fantastic companion book, but is too focussed on the deck's imagery and stories to make it useful separately.
That being said, even if you don't buy her the Hanson-Roberts deck which illustrates it, Laura Clarson's
Tarot Unveiled is an friendly, concise intro to reading with any Waite-Smith clone, and introduces the basic topics from which meanings are derived. Since it isn't illustrated with the RWS, she won't get icked out, but it's coverage of symbolism is generic enough that any RWS deck will be supported contexually. It starts out with broad concepts of numerology and elements and builds to meanings for each card and a guide to spreads and reading... all in 140ish pages.
a) No sexual references
b) No religious references
c) Simply articulated and clearly organized.
I was not expecting much from this little guide, but it's terrific.
Would love to know how it turns out.
Scion