The Rattlin’ Bog

(Nimue, review)

It isn’t easy finding good books for children growing up in Pagan households. Most Pagan parents are wary of raising their children as Pagans and want to make sure they have a broad perspective on religion. At the same time, there are key values that many of us want to pass on. Respect for the natural world is certainly one of those.

The Rattlin’ Bog isn’t written to be a Pagan children’s book but I think it has a lot to offer on those terms. The first part of the book is based on a folk song, it’s repetitive so easy for a small child to get to grips with. There’s a lot of nature in the song. Then there’s a section that gives you lots of child friendly information about what’s going on in the song, so you can build understanding. Author Jessica Law has a background in biology and knows what she’s talking about.

Bogs and wetlands are really important ecosystems but get a very bad press. Protecting these complex and liminal landscapes is really important – they take up a lot of carbon and they can absorb a lot of water. Re-establishing bogs will help us mitigate against climate chaos as well as protecting landscapes that are valuable in their own right. Encouraging children to see wetlands as good things will help with this. 

Obviously this isn’t a neutral review – that’s Keith’s photo of Jessica, the same Jessica who heads up Jessica Law and the Outlaws. I had the pleasure of seeing her new children’s book ahead of release (out at the start of April). I think it’s relevant though, hence the post.

Here’s the publisher’s website https://www.barefootbooks.com/uk/rattlin-bog