new - SteinerBooks

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new - SteinerBooks

SteinerBooks
Books For Parents, Teachers, and Children
The Education
Catalog
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Contents
Dear Friends:
W
SteinerBooks Education Catalog
for parents, teachers, and children. I am very proud
of the fabulous books we have to share with you, and
I hope you buy many of them!
elcome to our new
We begin with two wonderful books on language by two poets
and master teachers of language—John Wulsin’s The Spirit of the
English Language and Paul Matthews’ Words in Place. For all of us, whatever we do
in life, understanding language and learning to use it in order to speak and write
well is a never-ending thrill!
We are also proud to publish books by two outstanding psychiatrists. Dr. Peter
Selg—who works at the Ita Wegman Clinic in Switzerland and is described as one
of the most creative and original voices in Anthroposophical circles today—looks
at how Rudolf Steiner saw and worked both with young children and adolescents in
The Therapeutic Eye and A Grand Metamorphosis. Dr. John McKinnon—who is the
head of Montana Academy, one of our country’s most impressive centers for therapeutic work with adolescents—has written a refreshing, profound, and revolutionary
book about understanding and working with teenagers in An Unchanged Mind: The
Problem of Immaturity in Adolescence.
These books are complemented by new books from our distributed list that will provide a wealth of insights for understanding ourselves and our children, such as – Living
Literacy: The Human Foundations of Speaking, Writing, and Reading by Michael Rose,
Reading the Face by Norbert Glas, Healing Stories for Challenging Behaviour by Susan
Perrow, The Power of Stories by Horst Kornberger, Healing the Skin by Dr. Lueder
Jachens, and a new edition of the pioneering research by Michaela Rose on children’s
drawings during the first seven years, Understanding Children’s Drawings.
Added to the Enchantmints Design Studio series of classic children’s literature are
beautifully illustrated editions of Thumbelina and Snow White & Rose Red. We also
welcome two new authors who have joined our list: Zoe Weil with her delightful
adventure for young readers, Claude and Medea, and Sam Mills with his coming-ofage stories, The Fire Bringer and The Demon Slayer.
Included are “The Importance of Play in Early Childhood” an article by Joan Almon,
extracts from Peter Selg’s new books, an extract from John Wulsin’s Spirit of the
English Language, an article “Colored Shadows and Afterimages: Research for the
Physics Curriculum Grade 12 Optics Block” by Catherine Read, and “Children of
the Future” by William Ward, an extract from his book Traveling Light.
All best wishes,
New and Featured Books
Picture Books for the
Young Child
Board Books
Picture Books
Elsa Beskow Books
Verses and Poems Folk Tales
Story Books
Young Adult
Christmas Stories
Festivals and Activities
Activities with Children
Early Childhood
Education and Child
Development
Curative Education
Family and Child Health
Parenting and Family
Resources
p. 2
p. 16
p. 17
p. 18
p. 26
p. 28
p. 29
p. 31
p. 32
p. 37
p. 40
p. 42
p. 47
p. 49
p. 58
p. 59
p. 62
p. 65
Articles:
The Importance of Play in Early
Childhood
p. 68
by Joan Almon
The Therapeutic Eye (extract) p. 72
A Grand Metamorphosis
p. 74
(extract)
The Spirit of the English
Language (extract)
p. 76
Colored Shadows and
Afterimages: Physics for
Grade 12
by Catherine Read
p. 83
Children of the Future (extract) from “Traveling Light”
by Willam Ward
p. 90
Index
p. 94
Order Form
p. 96
Gene Gollogly
President and CEO, SteinerBooks
Please note: all prices are subject to
change without notice.
P.S. Your Financial Gifts are vital to our efforts to bring you a wide range of literature
on spiritual science, Waldorf education and related issues. The generous support of
readers like you is greatly appreciated and, of course, always tax deductible. Please send
your donation to SteinerBooks, PO BOX 58, Hudson, NY 12534, or call 413-854-1135
for more information on how you can help.
Copyright © 2008 SteinerBooks
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John Wulsin’s collection will inspire high school English teachers, new or seasoned, and will charm poetry lovers of any age.
Starting with his subtle, engaging introduction to the sounds
of poetry, readers will find abundant riches here. Biographical sketches show how poets help to create the culture and
consciousness of their particular historical times. A mix of
approaches to the poems themselves shows how the “spirit of
language” dwells in the “lyrical activity” of various groups
of poets—the Rosicrucian and Neo-Platonic “metaphysical”
poets, the British Romantics with their supernatural capacities
for perceiving nature, and finally the American Romantics with
their insistence on newness and singularity. To open Wulsin’s
book is to open the door of a lively classroom.
— Gertrude Hughes, Professor Emerita Wesleyan University,
author of Emerson’s Demanding Optimism.
The Spirit of the English Language
Words in Place
ISBN: 9781584200635 Paperback Lindisfarne Books $35.00 400 pages
ISBN: 9781903458693 Paperback Hawthorn Press $30.00 288 pages
John Wulsin approaches the English language as a poet interested in the
spirit and evolution of our language.
“Inspirational to those committed to the art of education, in the broadest senses, and, most especially, to those drawn to both the art of writing and the art of
healing.” —Peter Abbs, Professor of Creative Writing, University of Sussex
Reconnecting with Nature through Creative Writing
Paul Matthews,
Drawings by Margaret Shillan
A Practical Guide for Poets, Teachers & Students
How Sound Works in English & American Poetry
John H. Wulsin Jr.
The Spirit of the English Language is filled with the textures of the lives and
works of the great English-language poets. Wulsin describes the evolving
activity of poetry in the biography of each poet, beginning with the Old
Anglo–Saxon in Beowulf and the later works of Chaucer, and following
the spirit of the English language through to the nineteenth century’s
“primal/modern” language of Gerard Manley Hopkins and Dickinson’s
diamond-distilled language.
This nine-week writing course follows a path through the realms of nature,
from mineral to plants, animal, and people. By exploring the qualities of
each, Words in Place encourages the writer to find a unique, authentic voice
and to forge a new relationship to the inner and outer worlds.
Paul Matthews offers a rich variety of creative techniques and exercises,
including “haiku hikes,” word and story games, written conversation,
collaborative writing, and “tiny tales.”
Along the way, we discover how the very sounds of English have changed
the ways in which not only poets think and express themselves, but, more
important, how sound works and changes our human consciousness. The
author also discusses specifically how, in teaching poetics, stages of the
developing English language quicken corresponding stages of thinking in maturing adolescents.
For twenty-seven years, John Wulsin has taught English and Drama at Green Meadow Waldorf School in
Chestnut Ridge, New York. With an M.A. in English and
American Literature from Columbia University, he has
also devoted many years to teaching Poetics to adults
at the Eurythmy School of Spring Valley, New York. He
also teaches high school pedagogy at Sunbridge College, New York, and frequently teaches at the Waldorf
High School Training at Rudolf Steiner College in Fair
Oaks, California.
The reader will enjoy this powerful and unusual book both for its help
in connecting with nature and for its insights into imagination and the
poets and writers who created the literary geography of East Sussex, the
author’s home.
Paul Matthews, poet and teacher of Spacial Dynamics, is
the director of Language Alive—the creative writing course
at Emerson College. His publications include Sing Me the
Creation (Hawthorn Press) and The Ground that Love Seeks
(Five Seasons Press). He has traveled widely with his work,
giving poetry readings and talks and leading workshops
in the U.K., Germany, Sweden, the U.S., New Zealand,
and Australia. He recently founded “Poetry Otherwise”
to encourage poetry in communities.
John H. Wulsin Jr.
Paul Matthews
[Read an extract from this book starting on page 76]
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Available October 21
An Unchanged Mind
The Problem of Immaturity in Adolescence
Dr. John A. McKinnon
Contributions to the Spiritual-Scientific Anthropology and
Education of Adolescents
Peter Selg
ISBN: 9781590561249 Paperback Lantern Books $20.00 368 pages
An Unchanged Mind begins with a clinical riddle: Why are American
teenagers failing to develop normally through adolescence? We are presented with case studies from a therapeutic boarding school for troubled
teenagers: they found themselves unprepared for the challenges of modern
adolescence and inevitably failed—at school, at home, and among their
peers socially.
An Unchanged Mind is the discovery of the essence of this problem—disrupted maturation and
resulting immaturity. This remedy is not a matter
of pharmacology—and the cure is not in pills. The
remedy is, instead, to grow up.
John A. McKinnon, M.D., was educated at Harvard,
Cambridge University, Case Western Reserve University,
Yale, and Norwich University. He co-founded Montana
Academy, a therapeutic school for troubled teenagers
on a remote ranch near Glacier Park.
John McKinnon
How Rudolf Steiner Observed Children
Peter Selg
ISBN: 9780880105941 Paperback SteinerBooks $15.00 96 pages
Rudolf Steiner’s extraordinary ability to perceive the inner nature and
development of children provided insights at many levels and areas of
the creative learning process. He spoke of this ability as a precondition
for all forms of healthy childhood education—including special education—and suggested that teachers should develop such a capacity within
themselves.
In The Therapeutic Eye, Dr. Peter Selg discusses Steiner’s views on childhood development, how teachers can observe
children, and ways that these approaches can be
used to develop lessons and classroom activities
to deal with behavioral extremes and learning
challenges.
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Adolescence, the period during which, as human beings, we first sense our
responsibility for earthly existence, is inevitably a time of inner turmoil
and turbulent transition. Steiner calls this profound inner transformation
“a grand metamorphosis.” As parents, teachers, and as individuals who still
bear its fruits and wounds, we all know the contours of the upheaval, but
too often educational and parenting practices ignore it, unaware that the
great changes in our children call for equally great changes in ourselves.
To remedy this, Dr. Peter Selg proposes “to use Rudolf Steiner’s work to
highlight the fundamental structure of the crisis of adolescence and the
pedagogical challenges that emerge as a result.”
The Therapeutic Eye
Peter Selg was born in 1953 in Stuttgart and studied
medicine in Zurich and Berlin. He works as a youth
psychiatrist at the Ita Wegman Clinic in Arlesheim,
Switzerland, lectures extensively, and is the author of
numerous books. He is married with three children.
ISBN: 978088010-598-9 paperback steinerbooks $15.00 128 pages
Peter Selg
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As a psychiatrist who has worked intensively with adolescents in crisis
and also carries a deep existential and thorough scholarly knowledge
of Steiner’s teachings, Dr. Selg is able to highlight the radical nature of
Steiner’s approach, which demands that teachers and parents change as
their children change. Drawing on Steiner’s practical admonitions during lectures or teachers’ meetings, Selg reminds us that Steiner’s ideal of
Waldorf teachers is “to educate by behaving in a manner such that through
their behavior, children can educate themselves.” This is especially true
once sexual maturity has been reached, when young people must be not
so much taught as welcomed as independent, equal individuals able to
transform the gift of sympathies and antipathies into a new moral orientation out of their own essential nature. Teachers must therefore be able
to speak directly and authentically about the world.
If understood in a living way, Steiner’s indications provide a timeless
method of meeting students in the right way. Through the detailed
spiritual-scientific indications included in this book, parents and teachers can be well equipped to approach the challenge of adolescence with
deepened understanding.
Dr. Selg also provides copious notes, which are a treasure trove of practical wisdom and provide many avenues for readers to undertake their
own research.
The appendix includes speeches by a graduate of the First Waldorf School
and one of the first teachers, as well as a letter by Dr. Ita Wegman, each
of which reveals an intimate reflection on the life of the Waldorf School
during its earliest years.
[Read extracts from these books by Peter Selg starting on page 72]
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Understanding Children’s Drawings
Education towards Freedom
Frans Carlgren
Tracing the Path of Incarnation
Michaela Strauss
ISBN: 9780863156519 Paperback Floris Books $30.00 272 pages
40 black and white illustrations 75 color illustrations
ISBN: 9781855841994 Hardcover Rudolf Steiner Press $30.00 96 pages
Full color thoughout
Education towards Freedom was first published in 1976 and, since then, has
sold more than ten thousand copies in English. When it appeared, there
were around one hundred Waldorf
schools throughout the world; now
there are almost a thousand schools
worldwide, as well as many independent playgroups and kindergartens.
It is not uncommon for the
drawings of our little ones to
end up in the wastepaper basket. Yet these early artistic expressions contain important
statements about children’s
development. From the first
scratches and scribbles to the
detailed sketches of houses and
people, children’s drawings are
significant manifestations of
inner processes—indications
of the gradual incarnation into
a physical body.
Lavishly illustrated with both color
and b&w drawings and photographs
throughout, the book covers all
aspects of Waldorf education, dividing it into the preschool years, the
first eight years (starting about age
seven), and the last four years (from
ages fourteen to eighteen).
Michaela Strauss’s classic book is a pioneer work that can strengthen observation, understanding, and love for the being of the child, both in the
parental home and in the kindergarten. First issued in 1978, this revised
edition has improved reproductions and a larger format.
Michaela Strauss built on the work of her father Hanns Strauss (1883–1946),
a painter and art teacher who collected thousands of children’s drawings and
compared and evaluated them. Stimulated by Rudolf Steiner’s lecture course
The Study of Man (The Foundations of Human Experience), this research became
Hanns’ life’s consuming interest. Following her father’s early death, Michaela
continued his research and brought this book to publication.
Frans Carlgren taught at the Kristofferskolan Waldorf school in Sweden for
many years.
Contents:
The Forces at Work in the Drawings of Pre-school Age
Children
1. Line and Movement
Components of Pre-school Age Children’s Drawings
The Picture of Man and the Picture of the Tree
The Human Being and the House
Head-and-Feet People – Head-and-Limb People
2. From Line to Surface
Colour as the Medium of Soul Expression
3. From Symbol to Illustration
Graphic-illustrative Compositions
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Also included are sections on the
rhythm of the day, specific subjects,
the use of textbooks, and school in
the modern world.
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Living Literacy
Healing Stories for
Challenging Behaviour
Susan Perrow
ISBN: 9781903458785 Paperback Hawthorn Press, Early Years Series
$30.00 320 pages
“Susan Perrow gives us the tools to use and create stories that respond to
the way children imagine their world. Practice what she teaches; it will
enrich your life.” —Michael Moran, storyteller and psychiatric nurse
Healing Stories for Challenging Behaviour offers a creative approach to helping children who are facing trauma or other difficulties in their life. This
collection of modern and traditional folk tales includes stories for behavior
difficulties, such as dishonesty, stealing, bullying, and fighting. Also included
are stories to help with challenging situations such as moving to a new house,
a new baby in the family, nightmares, illness, and grieving.
Each story in Healing Stories for Challenging Behaviour is introduced with
notes and suggestions for ways to use them. Also included is a guide to
help parents and teachers create their own healing stories. A great book
for emotional first aid.
Susan Perrow is a story-loving Australian with twenty-two
years in early childhood work, teacher training, storytelling, and storywriting. She is also the mother of three adult
sons. For the past eight years, she has worked in early
childhood teacher training in Australia, Kenya, and South
Africa; developed a storytelling course for Southern Cross
University (NSW, Australia); and completed masters
degree research on cross-cultural storytelling.
The Human Foundations of
Speaking, Writing, and Reading
Michael Rose
ISBN: 9781903458525 Paperback Hawthorn Press, Education Series
$27.00 192 pages
Michael Rose makes the case that the very life and nature of language are
breaking down under the pressures of modern society. In Living Literacy,
he attributes these threats to inappropriate electronic media and to fundamental flaws in modern educational systems, while examining what
really works in teaching and preparing for literacy.
Living Literacy investigates the nature of literacy and how it relates to child
development. It explores how teachers and parents can prepare for the
transition to literacy through conversation, story, song, and play, followed
by relevant and living ways to introduce reading and writing formally.
Michael Rose is a founding teacher at the York Steiner
School and a tutor for the North of England Steiner
Teacher Training Course. He coauthored Ready to
Learn (2002).
Michael Rose
Susan Perrow
The Power of Stories
Nurturing Children’s Imagination and Consciousness
Horst Kornberger
“This beautifully written and wise book taps into a deep source, the spring of imagination.
If you have anything to do with children, buy this book. ” —Matthew Barton, New View
Stories—from the great myths and legends to enchanting fairy tales, parables, fables and folktales—can have great healing and educative power. They
come from our subconscious and imagination deep inside us. They have
much to teach us about ourselves and the world we create around us.
Horst Kornberger, a writer, artist, and Waldorf teacher, first explores the
power of particular stories such as Odysseus, Parsifal, Oedipus, Bible
stories, and fairy tales. He explains how to apply that power to help a
child develop or to heal and transform a child having difficulties, and
discusses the art and practicalities of creating new stories to help children
with particular needs.
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Horst Kornberger is a visual and conceptual artist, poet,
writer, lecturer, and researcher into the field of imagination and creativity. Horst has taught Speech and Drama,
Goethean Studies, epistemology and Anthroposophy at
Rudolf Steiner College in Sacramento and the Waldorf
Teacher Training in San Francisco. He is the founder
of the School of Integral Art. Horst’s artwork has been
exhibited in Europe, U.S., and Australia and his poetry
has received numerous commendations and two prizes in
Australian competitions. He lives in Western Australia.
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Horst Kornberger
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Eurythmy
Rhythm, Dance & Soul
Thomas Poplawski
ISBN: 9780863152696 Paperback Floris Books,
Rudolf Steiner’s Ideas in Practice $12.95
128 pages
Eurythmy: Rhythm, Dance & Soul introduces the
principles and practice of eurythmy, a movement art initiated by Rudolf Steiner.
Available December 15
Steiner Education and
Social Issues
Eurythmy Forms for
Tone Eurythmy
Rudolf Steiner
ISBN: 9780880105798 Paperback SteinerBooks
$35.00 240 pages
The art of movement called eurythmy was
begun about eighty years ago on the basis of Rudolf Steiner’s knowledge of the spiritual beings
and meanings behind various human movements, as well as the inner spiritual qualities
of human beings when they move. Eurythmy
performance is choreographed according to
drawn “forms” that reflect the inner nature of
spoken language (speech eurythmy) or a piece
of performed music (tone eurythmy), which is
the subject of this book.
Steiner produced some 1500 forms for speech
and tone eurythmy performances in Dornach
and other places. Many of the forms for tone
eurythmy came about as spontaneous responses
to requests from eurythmists for forms—a spontaneity that is readily apparent in the sketches
themselves. Some forms were drawn at rehearsals as Steiner listened to the music. Others he
sketched in the evening after having heard the
music once, having them ready for rehearsal the
next day. During the time he was confined to bed
with his final illness, Steiner drew new forms by
merely looking at the sheet music.
This volume contains facsimiles of the Rudolf
Steiner’s original drawings and, in many cases,
instructions for their execution. Included are
forms for compositions by Bach, Beethoven,
Brahms, Chopin, Franck, Grieg, Handel, Lewerenz, Liszt, Mozart, Reger, Schubert, Schumann,
Scriabin, van Stuten, Tartini, and many more.
How Waldorf Schooling Addresses
the Problems of Society
Brien Masters
ISBN: 9781855842007 Paperback
Rudolf Steiner Press $24.00
240 pages
Is the philosophy we use to educate our children
responsible, at least partially, for the attitudes
and general tone of our societies? According
to experts, those nations that performed best
have created “child-friendly” societies in which,
for example, young people are not pressured
to achieve academically until their teens. In
contrast, educators in the US and UK generally
press toward economic success, using education
as a means of generating—through “No Child
Left Behind” —the high achievers needed, it is
thought, to produce material wealth.
In Steiner Education and Social Issues, Masters
tackles a wide range of modern social issues,
from drugs and nutrition to boredom to the
influence of television and multicultural societies. This is a wise and informative guide
for parents, teachers, and anyone interested in
the future development of our children and
our culture.
Brien Masters, Ph.D., is presently director of the London Waldorf Teacher Training Seminar, as well as a
new seminar in Gran Canaria, the Canary Islands.
Historical context is provided through a brief
overview of dance, from its place in the ancient
mysteries to modern forms of dance and movement. The author explains Steiner’s insight
into the hidden laws of movement—which he
designated as belonging to the etheric realm
of life forces.
Eurythmy provides a way of making speech and
music truly visible. Thomas Poplawski discusses
eurythmy and stage performance, as well as its
importance in education and as therapeutic
eurythmy.
Illustrated in color, Eurythmy: Rhythm, Dance
& Soul is the perfect introduction to a unique
and inspiring art form.
Thomas Poplawski is a eurythmist and practicing
psychotherapist who works in Massachusetts. He has
published articles in various journals on education,
psychology, and the arts.
Educating Children Today
1 essay (GA 34)
Rudolf Steiner, Translated by
Matthew Barton
ISBN: 9781855842069 Paperback Rudolf
Steiner Press $8.00 88 pages
“For the art of education, what is important is
specific insight into the way the human being is
constituted, and how each aspect develops.”
—Rudolf Steiner
In his earliest and most succinct statement
regarding education, Rudolf Steiner describes
the stages of childhood development and explains why it is important to introduce aspects
of the curriculum at specific times. He relates
developmental steps in children to the “births”
of the non-physical aspects of the human
being. Without this knowledge, says Steiner,
well-meaning though misguided educational
theories and practices can cause harm.
This book is a must for eurythmy students,
performers, and teachers.
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Healing the Skin
Holistic Approaches to Treating Skin
Conditions — A Practical Guide
Based on Anthroposophic Medicine
Lueder Jachens,
Translated by A. R. Meuss
ISBN: 9781902636917 Paperback Temple Lodge
$32.00 224 pages 8 pages of color plates
A dermatologist, allergist, and physician, Lueder
Jachens offers his insights into individual conditions, their causes, and how best to treat them,
and also presents a holistic understanding of
the skin itself—the largest human organ—to
help us develop better health and harmony in
the longer term.
Dr. Jachens’ authoritative guide begins with an
anatomy of the skin and its relationship to the
physical and spiritual levels of existence. He then
goes on to study various specific conditions and
their treatment, including psoriasis, dermatitis,
acne, boils, hayfever, abscesses, impetigo, fungal
infections, herpes, head lice, sunburn, diaper rash,
treating children’s skin, birth marks, bumps and
bruises, cuts and puncture wounds, burns and
scalds, insect bites and stings, and much more.
Lueder Jachens, MD, born in Bremen in 1951, specialized in dermatology and allergology before working in medical departments at an anthroposophically
oriented hospital. Since 1992, he has worked in private practice and also developed the Christophorus
Medical Center in Stiefenhofen, Germany.
Reading the Face
Drawing Geometry
ISBN: 9781902636931 Paperback Temple Lodge
$30.00 192 pages
ISBN: 9780863156083 Paperback Floris Books
$20.00 96 pages 26 color and 118 line
illustrations.
Understanding a Person’s Character
through Physiognomy —
A Spiritual-Scientific Study
Norbert Glas
As a boy traveling to school by streetcar, Norbert
Glas often passed the time by studying the faces
of his fellow passengers, pondering the significance of the shapes and contours of their noses,
eyes, and mouths. Later in life, after becoming a
medical doctor and a student of Rudolf Steiner’s
spiritual science, Glas gained greater insight into
the mysteries of human physiognomy.
In Reading the Face, the first translation into
English of his seminal work, Glas begins by
defining the three parts of the human face and
explaining the importance of their relative
proportions to indicate certain personality
traits and specific physiological characteristics.
People with a strong mouth and chin, for example, tend to have a strong will and an active,
driven, and assertive nature.
Norberet Glas, M.D. (1897-1986), was born in Austria. After receiving his medical degree at the Faculty
of Medicine in Vienna, he practiced medicine in Austria and later in England. He wrote numerous books,
which have been published in several languages.
A Primer of Basic Forms for Artists,
Designers, and Architects
Jon Allen, Foreword and
Translated by Keith Critchlow
Geometry is both elegantly simple and infinitely
profound. People in many professions find that
they need to be able to draw geometric shapes
accurately, regardless of artistic ability. In Drawing Geomentry, Jon Allen shows readers how
to draw two-dimensional geometric shapes in
simple step-by-step instructions and provides
step-by-step instructions for constructing twodimensional geometric shapes, which can be
readily followed by a beginner. The book serves
as an invaluable source book for students and
professionals.
Jon Allen has been a
practicing architect for
twenty-five years. He has
worked closely with Keith
Critchlow, a world authority on geometry, and has
developed a particular
interest in the application
of geometry in architectural design. He lives in
London.
Jon Allen
The Schiller File
Supplements to the Collected Edition of Rudolf Steiner — Scientific Research Suggested by Rudolf Steiner
Edited by Paul Eugen Schiller, Translated by Henry Goulden
ISBN: 9780904822168 Comb Binding Paperback Henry Goulden Books $55.00 196 pages Illustrated
“Concerning: Electricity, Terrestrial Magnetism,
Radio Conduction of Heat, Sensitive Flames, Etheric Formative Forces, The Four Ethers, Resonant
Oscillation, Refinement of Peat Fibers, etc.”
sibilities. Therefore, in our research institute,
we will no longer do experiments using the old
methods, for there really is an excess of empirical material available.”
Steiner wanted people to experiments because
of the new views and educational possibilities
that can arise. Consequently, in 1920, an institute was established for physics and biology
in Stuttgart. The purpose of the institute was
described by Steiner: “What we lack is not the
empirical material, but the gathering of pos-
When the institute eventually closed in 1926
Paul Eugen Schiller brought most of the materials to Dornach and set up a laboratory where
he continued to work.
tel
Drawn from Schiller’s notebooks, this important volume describes natural scientific
research by scientists working at the Goethea-
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num and following suggestions from Rudolf
Steiner.
Includes an extensive index.
Paul Eugen Schiller (1900-1992) was an anthroposophist and physicist who worked during the 1920s as
an assistant at the research laboratory in Stuttgart.
Later, he moved to the Goetheanum and devoted
his life to developing Steiner’s indications related to
electricity, earthly magnetism, heat radiation, sensitive flames, etheric formative forces, the four ethers,
resonant oscillation, and much more.
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Birth and Breastfeeding
Rediscovering the Needs of Women
during Pregnancy and Childbirth
Michel Odent
ISBN: 9781905570065 Paperback Clairview Books
$22.00 176 pages
“Just when we thought everything had already been
said about birth and breastfeeding, Odent challenges
us anew with a vision that is both provocative and
compelling. A book you’ll want to discuss even before
you finish reading it.”
—Marian Thompson, president emeritus and
co-founder, La Leche League, International
“This is not just a practical guide to childbirth and
breastfeeding but a philosophically wide-ranging
study.... It should be compulsory reading for mothers,
midwives, doctors, and, not least, hospital administrators and the architects of future birthing places.”
—Esther Culpin, former director La Leche League,
Great Britain
Humanity stands at a crossroads in the history of
childbirth—and the direction we choose to take will
have critical consequences. Until recently a woman
could not have had a baby without releasing a complex
cocktail of “love hormones.” Today, many women give
birth without the release of such a flow of hormones,
giving birth via caesarean section, or using drugs that
not only block the release of these natural substances, but
also do not have their beneficial behavioral effects. “This
unprecedented situation must be considered in terms of
civilization,” says Odent. It gives us urgent new reasons
to rediscover the basic needs of women in labor.
Expectant parents, midwives, childbirth educators, and
those involved in public health will find this a provocative and visionary book.
Michel Odent is popularly known as the obstetrician who
introduced the concepts of birthing pools and homelike
birthing rooms at the maternity unit in Pithiviers (France)
in the 1960s and 1970s. More recently, he founded the
Primal Health Research Centre in London and has developed a preconceptional program to minimize the effects
of intrauterine and milk pollution. He is the author of
dozens of scientific papers and ten books published in
twenty languages.
•
•
What Babies and
Children Really Need
How Mothers and Fathers Can
Nurture Children’s Growth for
Health and Wellbeing
Sally Goddard Blythe
ISBN: 9781903458761 Paperback
Hawthorn Press, Early Years Series
$30.00 224 pages
This book represents a milestone in our
understanding of child development and
what parents can do to give their children
the best start in life. The author uses the
latest scientific research to demonstrate
how a baby’s relationship with the mother
has a lasting and fundamental impact. She
emphasizes ways that changes in society
over the past fifty years—such as delayed
motherhood, the limited practice of
breastfeeding, and mothers’ early return
to work—interfere with important developmental milestones that are essential to
success and wellbeing in later life.
“We need a state,” says Blythe, “that gives
children their parents and, most of all,
gives babies their mothers back.”
What Babies and Children Really Need is
an important book for parents of young
children.
Sally Goddard Blythe is director of The Institute for Neuro-Physiological Psychology,
which researches the effects of neurological
dysfunction in specific learning difficulties,
and devises effective
remedial programs.
She is the author of
Reflexes Learning
and Behaviour as
well as numerous
professional papers
and articles.
Baby’s First Year
Growth and Development from
0 to 12 Months
Paulien Bom and Machteld
Huber, Foreword by
Dr. Marga Hogenboom
$19.95 144 pages
A baby’s first year presents parents with many
different challenges. The initial excitement of
pregnancy is followed by the child’s birth and
subsequent development, but many parents feel
the need for significant support and information related to the everyday areas of life, such
as nutrition and health.
This practical guide takes a holistic approach to
the growth and development of a baby. Written by doctors qualified in both allopathic and
anthroposophically extended medicine, it deals
with all aspects of caring for a small child up to
the age of twelve months.
Baby’s First Year discusses subjects such as feeding and growth, diet and weaning, and bathing
and sleeping. It includes sections on physical and
spiritual development and presents an overview
of childhood vaccinations.
Baby’s First Year is an ideal reference for those
who are embarking on parenthood for the first
time, or as a refresher for those having a second
or subsequent baby. Veteran parents may find
its holistic approach refreshing and inspiring in
comparison to standard baby-rearing texts.
Paulien Bom is a care and nursing consultant in
Amsterdam. She is the author of a number of books
on parenting.
Machteld Huber, M.D. is presently researching organic food quality and health. She was the director
of the Dunamis Institute in Holland for ten years,
providing information on health and organic food,
which resulted in the idea for this book.
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Toby and the Flood
Rebecca Price
ISBN: 9780863156359 paperback Floris Books
$11.95 32 pages
“If he’s used to hearing stories you make up,
they can include symbolic representations
of bed wetting, such as a flooded brook or
overflowing spring that people have to control
with a little boy’s help.” (from “How to help a
child who is wetting the bed,” in A Guide to
Child Health by Michaela Glöckler & Wolfgang
Goebel)
Toby is in trouble. His bed is always
wet. But one night, Toby and
his cuddly toy, Mr. Beaver, find
themselves in a flooded valley.
Will they be able to help before
the village is washed away?
Baking Bread with
Children
Warren Lee Cohen, Foreword by
Tom Herbert
Illustrated by Marjie Rowling
ISBN: 9781903458600 Paperback Hawthorn
Press $30.00 128 pages
“Baking Bread with Children is sure to nourish body, mind, and spirit.” —Edward Espe
Brown, author, The Tassajara Bread Book
“I strongly recommend it!” —Mollie Katzen,
author, Moosewood Cookbook
Delightful illustrations and
an engaging story combine
in a book that will help
young children understand
and overcome bed wetting
in a stress-free and enjoyable way. Parents will find
here, finally, a book that deals with
a common, yet distressing, childhood situation
in an entertaining way. (Ages 3–6)
Goodnight
Baking Bread with Children has everything you
need to share the magic of baking with children
of all ages. The techniques and recipes are
wonderfully seasoned with stories, songs (with
music), and poems.
Here are: fun breads (chapatti, cinnamon rolls,
cheesy snails); festive breads (dragonbread,
challah, hot cross buns); quick breads (Irish
soda bread, gingerbread men, almond rice
muffins); sourdough breads, and leftover bread
(bread and butter pudding, herbed crostini).
A concertina board book
Illustrated by Marjan van Zeyl
Rebecca Price was born in London in 1966. She
studied painting at the Slade School of Fine Art and
animation at the Central St. Martin’s Institute. Her
paintings have been exhibited widely in the UK,
Europe, and the US. She lives in Esher, Surrey.
Included are detailed instructions for building
and using a bread oven, baking projects for
kindergarten and school, information on nutrition, a bibliography, and a list of websites.
Baking Bread with Children is a great resource
for all parents of young children and earlyeducation teachers.
ISBN: 9780946206612 Wynstones Press $19.95
10 pages
Goodnight is a “concertina” board book, with
five sections that fold out to about four feet
long—all in beautiful color.
The soft watercolor pictures by Marjan van Zeyl
follow the child’s journey into sleep, through
the night, and to waking in the morning.
(Ages 3–6)
Marjan van Zeyl was born in Amsterdam. A prolific
artist, she has illustrated numerous books for children, including The Apple Cake; Dora Duck and the
Juicy Pears; The Tree That Grew Through the Roof;
and Little Red Riding-Hood.
Warren Lee Cohen
is director of the
Foundation Studies program at
Emerson College
in England. He has over
20 years experience of
baking bread with children.
He conducts workshops in
the art of baking bread in
Warren Lee Cohen
handcrafted ovens and
over wood fires in England and Europe.
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•
•
The Children’s Party
Book
Papercraft
Angelika Wolk-Gerche
For Birthdays and Other Occasions
Anne and Peter Thomas,
Illustrated by Anjo Mutsaars
ISBN: 9780863152290 Hardcover
Floris Books $25.00 120 pages
This popular and invaluable guide for arranging
a child’s party contains more than 240 ideas for
indoor and outdoor games, plus craft activities
for children from three to twelve years old.
Anne Thomas and Peter Thomas are the authors of
two activity books for children and parents. They
have three children of their own and live in the
Netherlands.
$25.00 112 pages Color throughout
Paper is a remarkably versatile, easy-to-use, and
easy-to-find material for use in arts and crafts.
In this book, Angelika Wolk-Gerche presents
detailed instructions for making hundreds of
things out of paper. Papercraft includes easy-tofollow instructions for cutting out paper stars,
folding birds and animals, making windmills,
masks, and gift-bags. You can even cut a hole in
a postcard that you can climb through!
Anjo Mutsaars was born in
Enkhuizen, Netherlands,
in 1953. She trained as an
illustrator at the Academie
voor Beeldende Kunst.
Finger Strings
A Book of Cat’s Cradles and String
Figures
Michael Taylor
ISBN: 9780863156656 Ringbound Paperback
Floris Books $25.00 144 pages 600+ color
illustrations 2 colored strings included
Finger string games are a wonderful opportunity for today’s children to practice meaningful
movement, explore space, interact with others,
and exercise their creative spirits. They are also
great fun!
String games can be especially useful to children
who struggle at school or are dyslexic, and for
those who are learning the concepts of “left and
right” and “up and down.” Finger Strings contains games that will delight all children, from
the very young to those with greater dexterity.
Ringbound to lie flat. Includes two brightly
colored strings to get you started.
Anjo Mutsaars
Papercraft also includes instructions for making papier mâché and handmade paper and for
working with pulp.
Angelika Wolk-Gerche studied design in Hanover
before becoming an art teacher. She now works as
a freelance illustrator and textile designer,
and leads courses in arts and crafts.
Michael Taylor is a teacher at Michael Hall (Waldorf)
School in the UK. He promotes traditional childhood
games of movement and agility for the classroom,
playground, and gym, and is often called the “String
Man.” He always carries a string with him, and has
been known to share string patterns with strangers
on trains and airplanes. He is the author of Finger
Strings; Pull the Other One! and Now You See It...
Michael Taylor
•
10 •
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he I
Lift t k
oo
Fl ap B
The Elves’ Big Adventure
Daniela Drescher
ISBN: 9780863155949 Hardcover Plus 4-page
foldout Floris Books $17.95 24 pages
Old Redcap is proud of his greatest creation—a
hot-air balloon with wings for steering. But a
fox has nibbled at the ropes that keep the balloon from floating away! Redcap and Bluecap, a
young elf, cannot keep the balloon from rising
into the sky—with the two elves still attached!
What’s Hiding
In There?
Daniela Drescher
ISBN: 9780863156342 Hardcover Floris Books $15.95 16 pages
Young children love exploring the world of elves and fairies, and this time there’s more to discover!
Lift the three or four flaps on each page to discover what’s hiding in the old tree, in the nest, in the
grass, or under the leaves.
The simple text asks “what’s hiding in there?” This unique and entertaining picture book is ideal
for preschool and early grades children. (Ages 3–6)
Eventually darkness falls, along with the balloon. When they awake the next morning,
they find themselves in the land of the fairies.
Now their adventure has only just begun…
(Ages 4–7)
Daniela Drescher was born in Munich and trained
in art therapy before living for a time in America
and Switzerland. She has worked intensively with
children in a therapeutic capacity for ten years and
currently provides illustrations for a parenting
magazine. She has written and illustrated several
children’s books.
In the Land of Fairies
In the Land of Elves
In the Land of Merfolk
ISBN: 0-86315-450-6 Hardcover Floris Books
$13.99 24 pages Fully illustrated in color
Daniela Drescher’s atmospheric illustrations
reveal the secret life of fairies and nature spirits.
Their magic world, hidden within nature, is a
constantly changing tableau, and as we follow
them through the seasons we discover how they
work and play. (Ages 4–7)
The second picture book from Daniela Drescher
is filled with full-spread watercolor illustrations
that reveal the secret world of the elves and their
animal companions among the trees, roots, and
fields. We see them at work and play through
the seasons. (Ages 4–7)
Daniela Drescher’s evocative full-spread watercolor illustrations reveal the secret, watery
world of the merfolk among the lilypads, reeds,
and rushes. Their magical world is shown
through the seasons. (Ages 4–7)
Daniela Drescher
Daniela Drescher
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•
11 •
Thumbelina
Snow White and Rose Red
Hans Christian Andersen, Illustrated by Hsin-Shih Lai
A Grimms’ Fairy Tale
Brothers Grimm, Illustrated by Denise Marshall
ISBN: 9780880105927 Hardcover Bell Pond Books
Enchantmints Studio edition $19.95 56 pages Illustrated in Color
ISBN: 9780880105910 Hardcover Bell Pond Books
Enchantmints Studio edition $17.95 28 pages
Thumbelina is so tiny, she can ride on the wings of a butterfly. Her world
is one of flower petals, wild berries, and ladybugs. She is no larger than
your thumb. But, her life is in peril. First she is kidnapped by a frog and
stranded on a lily pad, and then she seems doomed to marry a mole and
spend the rest of her life in the cold, dark ground below. (Ages 6-9)
The two devoted sisters and forever friends, Snow White and Rose Red
are as lovely and sweet as the delicate flowers that inspired their names.
One winter morning, they hear a knock at their cottage door. A bear!
Snow-covered and half frozen, he begs for a warm place to rest, and they
oblige. The story of this strange guest unfolds with rich imagery, surprise
and adventure. (Ages 6-9)
Hans Christian Andersen (1805–1875) was a Danish author and poet best known
for his fairy tales. His fairy tales have been translated into more than a hundred
languages and continue to be published all over the world.
Denise Marshall earned her Associate of Arts degree in fine arts from the College
of Marin in Kentfield, California. She worked in the studio of Judie Bomberger
for ten years as lead artist in color design and creation of whimsical three-dimensional sculptures, including sculptures for Cirque du Soleil and the Beatles’ Yellow
Submarine. She now
creates watercolor design for Enchantmints,
a company dedicated
to the wholesome development and production of play products
for children.
Hsin-Shih Lai was born in Taipei, Taiwan. Her mother sent Hsin-Shih to a painting
and drawing teacher when she was 4 years old. Since then, Hsin-Shih has not stopped
painting. She went on to study painting and industrial design at the National Taiwan
Academy of Art. After working as a freelance illustrator, she met Anthroposophy
and, in 1999, moved to the U.S., where she completed her eurythmy training in
2004. Hsin-Shih now lives in Spring Valley, New York, and works as an illustrator
and performs with the Eurythmy Spring Valley touring group.
The Bremen Town Musicians
By the Brothers Grimm,
Illustrated by Hsin-Shih Lai
ISBN 978-0-88010-583-5 HARDCOVER BELL POND BOOKS $17.95 32 pages
Here is the classic Grimm’s tale of a run-away donkey, a down-and-out
dog, a cast-off cat, and an about-to-be-cooked rooster who set off together to Bremen to become the town musicians. This story will bring a
smile to young and old alike, with its singularly satisfying happy ending,
made especially delightful by the enchanting illustrations of Hsin-Shih
Lai and the inventive design of Howard Besserman for Enchantmints
Design Studio. (Ages 4-7)
•
12 •
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Little Red Riding-Hood
Hansel and Gretel
ISBN: 9780863156229 hardcover floris
books $17.95 20 pages
ISBN: 9780863156236 Hardcover Floris
Books $17.95 32 pages
This is the classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale of a
little girl who goes through the woods to deliver
food to her grandmother. (Ages 5-8)
In this favorite Grimm Brothers tale, an evil
stepmother sends Hansel and Gretel into the
woods, but birds eat the crumb trail they drop
along the trail to find their way back. Lost and
hungry, they find a tempting house made of
gingerbread...but can they trust the old woman
inside? (Ages 5-8)
A Grimm’s Fairy Tale
Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm
Illustrated by Marjan van Zeyl
The Hut in the Forest
A Grimm’s Fairy Tale
Brothers Grimm,
Illustrated by Anastasiya Archipova
Jacob & Wilhelm Grimm,
Illustrated by Bettina Stietencron
Beautiful, atmospheric illustrations bring this
classic Grimm’s fairytale to life. A woodcutter’s
daughter encounters a small house in the
woods, along with an old man, a hen, a rooster,
and a spotted cow. She makes dinner for the
man but not for the animals — and she doesn’t
return home. The next sister follows, with the
same fate. Finally, the youngest sister discovers
the hut. What will happen to her?
This is a classic fairytale from the Brothers
Grimm about selflessness and looking after
everyone equally. (Ages 5–8)
Anastasiya Archipova is a freelance illustrator living
in Moscow.
Marjan van Zeyl’s luminous illustrations bring the
story to life.
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•
13 •
A Farm
Paintings from a Bygone Age
Carl Larsson
ISBN: 9780863156304 Hardcover Floris Books
$24.95 32 pages Full color throughout
Carl Larsson is one of Sweden’s best-loved artists. His stunning watercolors of his farm, home
and family are acclaimed as one of the richest
and most evocative records of life of his time.
The paintings depict Carl Larsson’s family—his
wife Karin and their eight children—and offer a
fascinating view into Swedish rural and artistic
life during the late nineteenth century. The
descriptive text offers many important details
about Larsson’s life and painting techniques.
A Family
Carl Larsson
$24.95 32 pages full color throughout
A Home
Carl Larsson
$24.95 32 pages Full color throughout
My Village
Hansi, Translation by C. J. Moore
$25.00 40 pages Color Illustrations
There is a little village deep in the countryside of
Alsace in France.... To find it, get off the train at
a small station decorated with flowers and walk
down a narrow road between some orchards. In
the distance, you’ll see the church spire rising
above the wheat fields ...
This was the village where Jean-Jacques Waltz,
known through his books and drawings as “Hansi,” lived. When he wrote My Village, Alsace was
occupied by Germany following the Franco-Prussian War.
His colorful and meticulous pictures show Alsatian adults and children in their traditional dress,
going about their traditional lives in harmony with their surroundings. In contrast, Hansi portrays
the Germans as brash and self-indulgent, imposing petty laws on the villagers and trying to impose
German culture. Hansi’s satire, however, is always humorous, and the book is a joy throughout.
Sharp-eyed readers will enjoy spotting the subtle references in his illustrations. The text is suitable for children
from about eight years old, but adults will appreciate it,
as well.
Carl
Larsson
(1853–1919) was born
into a poor family in
Stockholm, Sweden.
He was accepted at the
Stockholm Academy
of Fine Arts at the age
of thirteen and spent
several years working
as a newspaper and
magazine illustrator.
He moved to Paris, where, as a penniless artist,
he met his wife Karin, also an artist. In 1888,
they moved back to Sundborn in Sweden. Carl
Larsson is best known for his lovely watercolor
paintings of his home and family which were
popularized through a series of books.
Hansi (1873–1951) was a pro-French activist in a German-occupied area following the Franco-Prussian War, where he worked
as an artist and produced satirical drawings that mocked German
authorities. He was imprisoned several times, including in Leipzig
in 1914, from where he escaped back to France to join the military
during World War I. In 1941, the Gestapo nearly assassinated him,
but he fled to Switzerland. He never recovered from his injuries
and died in Colmar in 1951.
C. J. Moore has degrees in modern languages and linguistics
from the universities of Oxford and Edinburgh. He is author
of the award-winning Ishtar and Tammuz (Frances Lincoln),
Peter William Butterblow; The Fire Bird; and Wild Goose Lake
(Floris Books).
•
14 •
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Available december 15
The Fire Bringer
Sam Mills
ISBN: 9780880107006 paperback bell pond
Pancakes for Findus
Sven Nordqvist
ISBN: 9781903458792 Hardcover
Hawthorn Press $22.00 28 pages
“I love the Findus books. I think they’re
enormously inventive, funny and charming.”
—Philip Pullman, author of “His Dark Materials” trilogy, including The Golden Compass
Farmer Pettson wants to bake a birthday cake
for his cat Findus, who has three birthdays a
year. But how will they get the eggs with the
bull in the way?
Findus and Pettson live in a ramshackle cottage
in the country, with a henhouse, workshop,
and woodshed. Their fascinating, magical
world is inhabited
by tiny creatures
who move Pettson’s
things about when
he isn’t looking.
(Ages 5-8)
Sven Nordqvist is a
leading Swedish children’s illustrator and
writer. His books have
won awards in Sweden
and Germany. The
Findus and Pettson
stories draw on his own playful adventures with his
two young sons. Nordqvist’s unique illustrations are
inspired by his delight in
everyday life.
After thirty years of torment, Prometheus has
been released from his punishment for bringing
fire to humankind. He now runs a small school
outside of Athens where he tells his students his
eye-witness account of humanity’s creation.
Meanwhile, up on Mt. Olympus, Zeus casts his
ever-hungry gaze upon one of Prometheus’s
disciples, Chastia, who is engaged to Demetrios,
a fellow student. But, Hera, the jealous spouse
of Zeus, watches his every move.
This book takes you on a journey that brings
the stories of the great Olympian gods and
goddesses back to life. Discover what it means
to be entrusted with the gift of fire, and why
Prometheus betrayed his own king to save a
lowly race of mortals. Learn about our Western
mythological roots and experience these all-toohuman archetypes. (Age 12 and up)
The Demon Slayer
Sam Mills
ISBN: 9780880107013 paperback bell pond
Journey back 5,000 years to the danger-filled
jungles of ancient India in this coming-ofage tale, set in a time when gods and demons
walked on the earth. Meet Abhay, the hunter’s
son, who must face a selfish bully, a man-eating leopard, and a fierce demon in order earn
his manhood. Meet Dayita who must marry
according to the rigid laws of her society rather
than her heart’s choice. Meet Rama, Sita, and
Lakshmana, royalty banished to the wilderness
far away from friends and family.
Please, Can We Keep the
Donkey?
A Collection of Animal Rescue
Stories by the Massachusetts School
of Law Community
Editors, Diane Sullivan, Esq., and
Holly Vietzke, Esq.
Foreword by Betty White
ISBN: 9781590561225 Hardcover Lantern
Books $19.95 176 pages Illustrated
Please, Can We Keep the Donkey? features dozens of personal accounts of successful animal
adoptions and rescues. These entertaining
stories describe rewarding relationships with
animals ranging from dogs and cats to birds, a
snake, and, of course, a donkey.
Meet a rabbit who is an architect, dogs too ugly
to pet, an orphaned cat who bonds with an orphaned girl, an unruly dog
who brings aid to senior
citizens, and many other
animals whose lives have
changed the people who
took them in. These delightful and heartwarming
Diane Sullivan
stories pose the question
that one contributor asks:
“Who rescued whom?”
Holly Vietzke
Learn about Hindu mythology, village life
in ancient India, and what it means to live a
dharmic life, true to your word and respectful
of your obligations and duties. (Age 12 & up)
Sven Nordqvist
Sam Mills
tel
Samuel Mills earned a graduate degree in Transpersonal Counseling at JFK University in San Francisco, and
then served as board president of the Shanti Project. He
helped develop Front Street Pictures, an independent
film company. He is a founding philanthropist and
board member for Equal Access, an NGO that provides
meaningful radio content to audiences in third world
countries. Sam has two grown children and currently
lives in Grass Valley, California.
(703) 661-1594
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Diane Sullivan is a professor
of law at the Massachusetts
School of Law. Ms. Sullivan
created an Animal Law program at the school, teaching a course and hosting a
symposium to educate the
public about animal law issues. She serves as moderator
and producer of MSLAW’s
Educational Forum television series.
Holly Vietzke is an assistant
professor of law and direcBetty White
tor of Writing and Legal
Reasoning at the Massachusetts School of Law. She
is the associate editor of MSLAW’s award-winning
public policy journal, The Long Term View.
Betty White is a five-time Emmy Award-winning
American film and television actor with a career
spanning sixty years.
9-5 est
•
15 •
Picture Books for the Young Child
The Nettle and the Butterfly
Written by Daniel C. Bryan,
Illustrated by Angela Bryan
isbn: 0946206376 Paperback Wynstones Press $10.00 18 pages
Printed in color throughout on 100% recycled paper with
vegetable-based inks
How important the nettles in our gardens are, for they are the caterpillar’s
food! They enable it to grow strong enough to form a chrysalis and make
the miraculous transformation into a butterfly. The main stages of the
development of a Peacock butterfly are accurately and charmingly described in rhyming verse.
Mother Earth’s Children
Written and illustrated by Heather Jarman
isbn: 0946206414 paperback Wynstones Press $12.95 12 pages
Printed in color throughout
After Mother Earth has kept the seeds safe during their Winter sleep, she
now calls for their other friends to come and help them grow. This story
is written in verse and illustrated with soft watercolor illustrations.
The Harvest Story
Written by Elizabeth Reppel, Illustrated by Anne
Stockton, with script by Kristin Ramsden
The Carpenter’s Daughter
isbn: 0946206568 paperback Wynstones Press $14.95 24 pages
Printed in color throughout on recycled paper with
isbn: 0946206384 Paperback Wynstones Press $10.00 22 pages
Printed in color throughout on 100% recycled paper with
In this delightful story, written in verse, we journey through the seasons
with the farmer, from winter rest through to autumn harvesting. Along
the way, we meet the elements as they bring help for the seeds to grow.
Written and illustrated by Daniel C. Bryan
In the Land of the Rising Sun, the Emperor asks a master carpenter to
build a teahouse in the Garden of Tranquility. Permission is granted
for the carpenter’s daughter to accompany him to work, but only after
she promises to show perfect behavior in such a special place. This
story deals with the importance of keeping promises and the sense of
belonging to family and community through one’s work. Written in the
style of a fairy tale, it gives the child a simple introduction to Japanese
culture.
Isabella’s Journey to the Centre
Written by Francis Mougel, Illustrated by
Lailan Morris
isbn: 09462064452 Hardcover wynstones press $19.95 24 pages
Illustrated in color throughout
In the tradition of the best storytelling, Isabella’s Journey to the Centre
takes us through a world of imagination. Apparently simple pictures are
the reflection of deeper realities. The journey of a little girl to the center
of Australia becomes a path within herself. Children and adults alike will
enjoy and benefit from the journey.
Birthday
Written by Norah Romer
Illustrated by Heather Jarman
isbn: 0946206406 Paperback Wynstones Press $12.95 16
pages Printed in color throughout on 100% recycled
paper with vegetable-based inks
This story tells of the young children waiting to travel with
Father Time from Heaven down to Earth on their Birthday.
•
16 •
Books for children
ages 3–6
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Board Books for the Young Child
Four colorful little books form a series of chunky boardbooks without text. The series takes young children through
the four seasons of the year with fun, active pictures. (Ages 1-5)
Autumn
Summer
Floris Books 10 pages Boardbook
ISBN: 0-86315-191-4 $10.00
ISBN: 0-86315-194-9
Autumn portrays children playing in leaves, collecting conkers, flying
kites, and making jam.
Summer portrays children fishing for tadpoles, playing at the beach, eating
ice-cream, and enjoying evening picnics.
Spring
Winter
Floris Books 10 pages
Boardbook
ISBN: 0-86315-193-0
ISBN: 0-86315-192-2
Illustrated by Gerda Muller
Winter portrays children shovelling snow, ice-skating, feeding birds, and
being cozy inside with the Christmas tree.
Spring shows children playing with
lambs, sowing seeds, painting Easter
eggs, and watching baby birds.
Chunky board books from Floris Books
Elly van der Linden; Illustrated by Debbie Lavreys
A set of three chunky board books designed for little hands, this
book explores the different animals that could be household pets.
Very young children will love the bold, clear animal pictures and
bright colored text pages. (Ages 1–3)
The Prickly Hedgehog
ISBN: 9780863156038 board book Floris
Books color illustrations $9.95 12 pages
A prickly hedgehog, a quick squirrel, a friendly robin, a pretty butterfly, a tiny ladybird and
a slow snail.
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The Woolly Sheep
A baa-ing sheep, a neigh-ing horse, a moo-ing
cow, a cluck-ing hen, an oink-ing pig and a
cockerel that says cock-a-doodle doo!
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The Little Hamster
A fat-cheeked hamster, a green-eyed kitten,
a floppy-eared puppy, a long-whiskered
rabbit, a wavy-tailed goldfish and a prettywinged budgie.
17 •
Picture Books
The Last Night of Ramadan
Waldorf Alphabet Book
Maissa Hamed, Illustrated by
Mohamed El Wakil
Illustrated by Famke Zonneveld
Afterword by William Ward
ISBN: 9780880105866 Hardcover Bell Pond
Books $19.95 32 pages Illustrated in Color
ISBN: 0-88010-559-3 Paperback Bell Pond
ISBN: 0-88010-515-1 Paperback
Bell Pond Books $11.95 32 pages
The Last Night of Ramadan is for children and
their families who wish to understand and learn
about Islam and the Muslim culture.
In this delightful, best-selling alphabet and
game book for young children, each consonant
and vowel comes to life in vivid pictures that
show each letter’s unique qualities in the world.
This new expanded paperback edition includes
a complete essay on learning to read and write
in the Waldorf schools by master Waldorf
teacher William Ward.
This radiant picture book was written for
Julianna Margulies—the film actor and former
star of the hit television series “ER”—when
she was six years old. Her father, Paul Margulies, captures the pure openness of a child’s
imagination.
The lively illustrations and text focus on the
traditions of the Holy Month of Ramadan, an
important time of the yearly cycle for Muslims
around the world. (Ages 5–8)
Maissa Hamed is an Egyptian American and a former
staff member of UNICEF. Since 1998, she has been
an Education and Research Consultant for Sesame
Workshop’s International Research Department.
In 2006, she founded Enjoy Islam—an artistically
creative educational and spiritual endeavor to bring
true knowledge of Islam and the Muslim and Arab
culture to American families.
Mohamed El Wakil, an Egyptian-American architect,
has lived and worked in the United States for more
than twenty years. He is a member of the American
Institute of Architects and a member of the American
Society for Muslim Advancement.
This is the alphabet book for
parents and teachers who want to
encourage the most natural development in children. It is ideal both
at home and in the classroom. It
also makes an ideal gift for parents
or a young child. (Ages 4–6)
What Julianna Could See
Story by Paul Margulies
Illustrated by Famke Zonneveld
These reflections on what a small girl sees
around her remind us all, young and old, that
life’s riches can come to
us through our loving
attention to the simple
and “ordinary.” (Ages
5–7)
Famke Zonneveld (1938-2005) was
trained at the Royal Academy of Fine
Arts in The Netherlands. She taught
crafts and the history of architecture
at the Rudolf Steiner School in New
York City before moving to Massachusetts where she was an artist and
teacher for many years. Her art works
are included in numerous public and
private collections.
A Bell for Ursli
Text by Selina Chönz, Illustrated by Alois Carigiet
ISBN: 9780863156144 Hardcover Floris Books $17.95 44 pages
A little boy named Ursli lives in the Swiss Alps, and he must find a big cowbell so that he
can lead the spring procession through his village. He goes alone to his family’s chalet
high up in the mountains and, there, he spends a lonely, scary night. Generations of
Swiss children have grown up with the delightful story of Ursli, and now, for the first
time, his adventures have become available in English.
(Ages 5–8)
Selina Chönz (1910–2000) was a poet from the Engadine
valley in the Graubünden mountains of Switzerland.
Alois Carigiet (1902–1985) was born in the Graubünden mountains in Switzerland. Alpine mountains
became a central theme of his art and he became one of Switzerland’s most popular painters. He won
numerous awards, including the New York Times Choice of Best Illustrated Children’s Book of the Year
1953 and the coveted gold medal of the Hans Christian Andersen Award in 1966.
•
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Picture Books
Peter and Anneli’s Journey
to the Moon
Gerdt von Bassewitz, Illustrated by Hans
Baluschek, Translated by Marianne H.
Luedeking
ISBN: 9780880105842 Hardcover Bell Pond Books $17.95
120 pages Illustraed in color and line drawings
The Sun Seed
Written and illustrated by
Jan Schubert
ISBN: 9780880105859 hardcover bell pond
books $17.95 32 pages illustrated in color
Long ago, a thief, stealing wood in the forest, had accidentally cut off Mr. Zoomzeman’s great-great grandfather’s leg
and was banished to the Moon. Unfortunately, he took the
leg with him and, since then, the family of the Zoomzemans have all had only five legs. Only two good children
can get the leg back, so Mr. Zoomzeman, in search of
goodness, finds Peter and Anneli. The three then set off
together on an astonishing journey, filled with marvelous
encounters, fantastic beings, and exciting events. Finally,
reaching the Moon, they must challenge the ferocious Moon Man and, with the help of
the Nature Forces, they restore the missing leg to Mr. Zoomzeman. (Ages 6–9)
This charming and simple story for a young
child lovingly illustrates the natural cycle of the
plant world. A little Sun Seed follows the cycle
of spring into summer into fall into winter as
she grows from seedling to golden flower. At
last, bowing her head, she gives up her seeds
to Mother Earth who gathers them and wraps
them in a blanket of leaves for their long winter
sleep. (Ages 3–5)
Gerdt Bernhard von Bassewitz (1874-1923), having been a lieutenant in the Prussian militia, a playwright,
and an actor, had his only great success with Peter and Anneli’s Journey to the Moon (Peterchens Mondfahrt),
which began as a successful stage play in 1912 in Leipzig and was issued as a book in 1915. It quickly became
one of the best-loved German children’s books and has been a bestseller in Germany to this day. After his
success, von Bassewitz went on to be assistant stage director in Cologne.
About the Illustrations
The illustrations are made of dyed wool fibers,
felted together to create a solid piece of “fabric.”
Whereas traditional felting is an age-old technique using heat, moisture, and friction to bind
the individual fibers together, Jan has employed
a newer technique known as “dry” or “needle
felting.” In this process, one uses a small hand
tool called a felting needle, which has barbs
along the shaft that catch the fibers and bind
them together as the needle pierces the surface
of the wool. She describes the experience as
“painting with a needle.”
Marianne H. Luedeking, lives in Florida. Peter and Anneli’s Journey to the Moon was one of her favorite
childhood books.
Jan Schubert teaches in the preschool program at
the Davis Waldorf School in California. She has been
a Waldorf Early Childhood educator for 22 years,
founding a preschool program in a one-room schoolhouse on 60 acres in northern California. She has a
lifelong love of handwork and textiles, which comes to
expression in her visual storytelling and puppetry.
Hans Baluschek (1870-1935), is, in fact, much better known than the author. A painter and graphic artist,
he was a member of the Berlin Secession Movement with Max Liebermann and Käthe Kollwitz. A socialist,
he designed many posters and postcards, as well as being a respected painter. Denounced by the Nazis as a
“degenerate artist,” he died in 1935.
Little Red Riding Hood
The Classic Grimm’s Fairy Tale
Illustrated by Patricia DeLisa,
Commentary by Andrew Flaxman
ISBN: 0-88010-571-2 Hardcover Bell Pond Books $14.95 32 pages
This is the well-known children’s tale beautifully illustrated with
a commentary for parents and teachers. Many adults will be
surprised and awakened by this tale of the journey to spiritual
self-awareness. (Ages 5–7)
Patricia DeLisa is an art graduate of the University of Michigan and the
Fashion Institute of Technology. She makes her home on New York’s Long
Island with her husband and their children.
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Picture Books
In Blue Mountains
An Artist’s Return to America’s First
Wilderness
Thomas Locker
ISBN: 0-88010-471-6 Hardcover
“Most of all, he thanked the wilderness for teaching him to see in a new way.”
In Blue Mountains tells the story of an artist
who sets out to explore wilderness and discovers a new way of seeing. Bewildered at first by
the profusion of nature, he gradually learns
to see its wholeness and to trust his feelings.
As he does so, he embarks on an adventure of
learning: about light and shadow, the way color
changes through the day, and how looking at
nature leads to a new understanding of himself
and the world.
This illuminated story is set in America’s first
wilderness, the Kaaterskill Clove in Upstate
New York, made famous by the Hudson River
School of painters—many of whose pictures
are reflected in this book.
At the end of the book is a section that answers
questions both profound and practical: How
were the paintings in this book created? How
were the mountains formed? How can a hemlock tree live on top of a rock? Why do artists
paint the wilderness? (Ages 5–7)
Mr. Goethe’s Garden
Winter, Awake!
ISBN: 0-88010-521-6 Hardcover Bell Pond
Mr. Goethe’s Garden is the story of the friendship between an inquisitive young girl and her
elderly neighbor, the world-famous playwright,
artist, and natural scientist Johann von Goethe.
Set in the 1830s, Anna visits Mr. Goethe in his
well-tended garden, where she is taught
to draw and to look at the world
in a very special way. As their
bonds of friendship grow,
young readers experience
with Anna a new way of
seeing the natural world.
The coming of winter plays an important role
in the cycle of nature. In this delightfully illustrated story, young children can find that for
“every thing there is a season.” Winter, Awake!
tells what happens one year when Winter will
not wake. The tired trees need to rest.
Their fallen leaves have made a leafy
blanket for the sleeping seeds.
All the woodland creatures try
to tell Winter their work is
done. They scold and mock
and urge, but Winter will
not wake, until, at last, the
round red ladybug in her
small, soft voice whispers
something gently in his
ear—and mighty Winter
wakes! (Ages 5-7)
Diana Cohn, Illustrated by
Paul Mirocha
Inspired by Goethe’s life
and his botanical treatise
The Metamorphosis of the
Plant, this book contains
sensitive illustrations and
elegant text that reveal the intricate wonders of the plant kingdom.
(Ages 6–9)
20 •
Linda Kroll has been a storyteller with
a puppet troupe, an elementary school tutor, a
high school English and drama teacher, and a college
literature instructor.
Ruth Lieberherr has exhibited her art work at M.I.T.,
Princeton University, and Northeastern University,
and is included in the collections of museums, galleries, and private collections in the United States,
France, and her native Switzerland.
Thomas Locker, one of the best loved landscape
artists of our time, has produced many books that
bring together an ecological understanding with
beauty and imagination. He has received the Christopher Award for his work in children’s literature
and the John Burroughs Award for best book in
the environmental field. Mr. Locker lives with his
family in Stuyvesant, New York, at the edge of the
Hudson River.
•
Linda Kroll
Illustrated by Ruth Lieberherr
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Picture Books
The Story of the Snow Children
The Story of the Wind Children
ISBN: 0-86315-499-9 Hardcover Floris Books $17.95 24 pages
Poppy is gazing out of the window at the snow when, all of a sudden,
she sees that the snowflakes are really little Snow Children dancing and
whirling in the garden. Soon, they whisk her away to the Snow Queen’s
wintry kingdom. (Ages 3-5)
George is playing with his boats, but there is no wind to make them sail.
Then, one of the wind children comes and blows just for him, and together
they embark on a great adventure.
Sibylle von Olfers
Sibylle von Olfers
The Story of the Root Children
Sibylle von Olfers
The wind child blows dandelions in the meadows, shakes apples from the
tree, blows the leaves around, and eventually blows George back home
on a cloud. (Ages 3–5)
ISBN: 0-86315-106-X Hardcover Floris Books $16.95 28 pages
This is a classic story of the changing seasons. The root children spend the
winter asleep. When spring comes, they wake, sew themselves new gowns,
and clean and paint the beetles and bugs. All summer they play in fields,
ponds and meadows before returning in the autumn to Mother Earth, who
welcomes them home and puts them to bed once more. (Ages 3-7)
Mini edition
ISBN: 0-86315-248-1 Hardcover $9.95
The Princess in the Forest
Sibylle von Olfers
The princess lives in a castle in the forest. The nature folk of the forest are
her friends and companions. Her day begins when the dew maids come
to help her wash and dress. (Ages 3-7)
Sibylle von Olfers (1881-1916) was born in a
castle in east Prussia. Encouraged by her aunt,
she trained at an art college, and when she was
twenty-five she joined an order of nuns. As well
as teaching art in the local school, she wrote and
illustrated children’s books. Her blend of natural
observation and simple design have led to comparison with Kate Greenaway and Elsa Beskow.
The Story of the Snow Children was her first book,
published in 1905, followed by The Story of the
Root Children (1906), The Princess in the Forest
(1909) and The Story of the Wind Children (1910). She died, tragically, at
the age of only thirty-four, from a lung infection.
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Picture Books
Goldie at the Orphanage
Martha Sandwall-Bergström,
Illustrated by Eva Stålsjö
Goldie at the Orphanage introduces a new hero
for children aged 5-7. Shipwrecked as a baby,
Goldie goes to live in an orphanage where her
golden hair gets her into trouble. Then a new
girl called Lotta arrives and Goldie starts to have
more fun, until the time comes for them to be
parted? (Ages 5-8)
The Ice Horse
Little Dolphin’s Big
Adventure
Renne
Renne
“Renne’s wintry tale follows the rite of passage
of a little skewbald horse. After enjoying the
winning combination of snow and horses,
children will certainly want the extra information provided in unobtrusive ‘fact boxes’ about
the adaptation of this special breed to the harsh
Icelandic climate.” —Gillian Lathey,
The School Librarian Journal
One day the little Icelandic horse is chased away
from the herd by a black stallion. He is forced to
roam the grasslands on his own. As winter comes
and the snow starts to fall, will the little skewbald
horse save the day when the herd of Icelandic
horses is endangered by the snow and ice?
In this sequel to Goldie at the Orphanage, Goldie
settles into life on a farm as a maid to the family
that lives there. She longs to go to school, however, just like the other children. Will she get her
wish, or will she be only a maid? (Ages 5-8)
Along with the beautiful illustrations and gripping story, this book is full of interesting facts
about Icelandic horses—their history, appearance, and how they live—which will appeal to
all animal-loving children. (Ages 5-8)
Goldie at the Farm
Martha Sandwall-Bergström,
Illustrated by Eva Stålsjö
$17.95 28 pages
One day, Little Dolphin leaves Sandy Bay, and
follows a ship into the deep ocean. The book
includes fact boxes about dolphins and their behavior, which will appeal to any child’s curiosity
about these gentle, intelligent creatures.
(Ages 4–7)
Little Snow Bear
Hazel Lincoln
$17.95 32 pages
Little Snow Bear was born at the very top of the
world, in a land of snow and ice. He lives with
his mother in a deep, warm cave. When winter
comes, the Sun disappears for long periods of
time. Little Snow Bear wonders what will happen if the Sun never returns?
He sets out on a journey to find the Sun, and
along the way he encounters the northern lights,
Wise Old Caribou, Baby Seal, and Blue Whale.
(Ages 5–8)
•
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Picture Books
Pudding and Chips
Penny Matthews, Illustrated by
Janine Dawson
$17.95 40 pages
Pudding is a cranky goose. Nobody tells Pudding what to do—not even Chips the sheepdog.
But one warm, windy night, a big red fox comes
creeping through the paddocks, dreaming of
chicken dinners, and things start to change.
(Age 5–8)
Pico the Gnome
The Apple Cake
“The whimsical, colorful illustrations in this
book are a perfect complement to the story of
Pico, a kind and gentle soul who bravely confronts a fierce giant and eventually befriends
him. Trouble starts for Pico when he sleeps
through the thundering advance of the giant
on his village. The other gnomes flee in terror,
but Pico, who is left behind, finds himself at
the hands of the giant. Thinking quickly, Pico
asks to be his friend. The giant, shocked by
the gnome’s bravery and offer of friendship, is
transformed into a lovable, gentle creature. This
tale shows children that a little kindness and
open-mindedness can go a long way. This book
is boosted beyond the ordinary by the striking
pastel illustrations, which radiate light and
charm. Children ages 4 to 7 and parents alike
should be captivated.” —Review from Today’s Librarian Short Takes
An old lady wants to bake a cake. She has everything she needs except apples. So she sets off to
the market to buy some apples, taking a basket
of plums to trade along the way, just in case…
Includes Granny’s recipe for a delicious apple
cake. (Ages 5–8)
Illustrated by Martina Müller
Nienke van Hichtum
Go to Sleep, Little Bear
The Little Troll
ISBN: 0-86315-490-5 Hardcover Floris
How many ways can a Little Bear find to
avoid settling down for his long winter
sleep? Lots! But if he goes to sleep late,
will Mother Bear be able to wake him
up in time for spring?
Deep in the forest among fir trees
and lakes, there lived a troll and
his friends. Short and squat with
matted hair and small red-rimmed
eyes, the little troll was very ugly
to look at.
Jan Mogensen
Thomas Berger,
Ronald Heuninck
Children will enjoy Little Bear’s antics
in the snow while parents will recognize
a few of his tricks. (Ages 5–8)
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The touching story of a troll’s transformation by love. (Ages 5–8)
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Picture Books
The Wonderful Adventures
of Nils
Selma Lagerlof
$24.95 96 pages
In this illustrated edition of the classic Swedish
folktale, Nils is shrunk to a tiny size by a dwarf
and is carried off across Sweden by a flock of
wild geese to their summer home in the far
North. (Ages 5–9)
Frog, Bee and Snail
Look For Snow
Uan the Little Lamb
Sandra Klaassen
$16.95 28 pages
On a remote Scottish island, two children find
an abandoned lamb and take her home. They
name her Uan, “little lamb” in Gaelic.
As Uan grows up, the children love playing with
her, and they take her with them wherever they
go. But what will happen when she becomes a
full-grown sheep?
In this charming story told through the eyes of
two young children, Sandra Klaassen depicts the
landscape of the Outer Hebrides in drawings
that brim with life and her love of the land and
the people. (Ages 3–6)
Loek Koopmans
$15.95 28 pages
Frog knows all about water. Bee knows all
about the sky. And Snail knows all about the
earth. So why do none of them know anything
about snow?
Waking from their winter sleep, the three
friends are astonished to hear of something
called snow—and it fell from the sky! Where is
it hiding now? Determined to discover all about
snow, they set off on a journey of discovery that
takes them through the seasons. (Ages 4–7)
The Enchanted Kingdom
Guido Visconti
Illustrated by Maria Battaglia
ISBN: 0-86315-333-X Hardcover Floris Books
$16.95 30 pages
A merchant arrives in a sun-scorched kingdom
that has lost all its trees to become a desert. One of
his tapestries delights the king’s young daughter.
She loves its trees, flowers, and birds, and sets out
to find a painter who will paint birds for her. As
the painter and the child work together, their pictures come to life and eventually fill the kingdom
with the songs of birds and the colors of flowers.
This story and beautiful illustrations will delight
your child’s imagination. (Ages 5–7)
Maria Battaglia was chosen twice to exhibit her work
at the Bologna Book Fair and won the Catalonian
International Prize for Illustration in 1992.
•
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Picture Books
The Tomten
From a Poem by Karl-Erik Forsslund
Adapted by Astrid Lindgren
Illustrated by Harald Wiberg
ISBN: 0-86315-153-1 Floris Books $17.95
32 pages
This classic children’s picture book is an introduction to the fabled Swedish gnome, the
Tomten. He is the one who looks after everything
while the farmer and his family are sleeping. At
night, when all is quiet around the farm—that’s
when the Tomten wakes up. (Ages 5-8)
Any Room for Me?
Am I Really Different?
$14.95 28 pages
$14.95 24 pages
A woodcutter drops his mitten in the forest and
it becomes a warm house for a mouse. Then, one
by one, quite a few other animals want to move
in too! (Ages 3-7)
A ladybird with only one spot can’t help
feeling a bit different. But when you look
more closely, you see that no two ladybirds’
patterns are the same. Just like people. When
you look more closely you see that everyone is
different —unique and special. This is a book
that celebrates diversity.
Loek Koopmans
Illustrated by Gerda Westerink
(Ages 4-6)
The Tomten and the Fox
From a Poem by Karl-Erik Forsslund
Adapted by Astrid Lindgren
Illustrated by Harald Wiberg
ISBN: 0-86315-154-X Hardcover
A sequel to the well-loved Tomten. In this story,
adapted from the Swedish tale by Astrid Lindgren, the sly fox sneaks toward the farm in the
moonlight, hoping to steal a chicken or two.
But he’s forgotten that the old Tomten guards
the farm at night. (Ages 5-8)
Theo, The Blue Rider Pigeon
Christine Sirreau, Illustrated by Rose Tannenbaum
ISBN: 0-88010-561-5 Paperback Bell Pond Books $10.95 20 pages
It was a cold and blustery November night at Blue Rider Stables. The wind howled outside the barn. The
horses were huddled safely inside. The girls who worked at the barn had closed the heavy door against
the storm. What a surprise when, the next morning, a pigeon was found limping around inside.
Join Theo as he slowly becomes a part of the rich and varied family that inhabits Blue Rider Stables.
Luminously illustrated in vibrant watercolors, Theo offers a
delightful glimpse into an amazing world. (Ages 3–5)
Christine Sierau is executive director
and head riding instructor of Blue
Rider Stables. She lives in North Egremont, Massachusetts, with her husband
Tom and their two children.
Rose Tannenbaum lives in the Berkshire hills of Massachusetts with her
husband and two children. She runs
a graphic design business and rides at
Blue Rider.
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25 •
Picture Books – Elsa Beskow
Aunt Green, Aunt Brown &
Aunt Lavender
Elsa Beskow
$17.95 32 pages
This is the first of the classic Peter and Lotta
books, and it is filled with the characteristic
humor and charm that distinguish all of Elsa
Beskow’s books. It tells how Peter and Lotta
come to meet the three colorful sisters known as
Aunt Green, Aunt Brown, and Aunt Lavender.
(Ages 5–8)
Peter and Lotta’s Adventure
Elsa Beskow
$17.95 32 pages
When Peter and Lotta give away one of their
kittens, they find themselves having a day full
of adventures, including the excitement of going to a fair. But will they manage to get home
safely? (Ages 5–8)
Aunt Brown’s Birthday
Uncle Blue’s New Boat
$17.95 32 pages
Another adventure in the bestselling Peter and
Lotta series. For Aunt Brown’s birthday, Aunt
Green and Aunt Lavender want to buy her a new
hat and lace collar to match her dress. But they
need to borrow her dress, and how will they do
that without spoiling their surprise?
(Ages 5–8)
Another book from the classic Peter and Lotta
series. Elsa Beskow illustrates the exciting adventures that Peter and Lotta experience when
they and their three eccentric aunts are invited
to an island for a summer picnic with Uncle
Blue and his new rowboat.
Elsa Beskow
Peter and Lotta’s Christmas
Elsa Beskow
$17.95 32 pages
Peter and Lotta go to live in the country with
Aunt Green, Aunt Brown, Aunt Lavender, and
Uncle Blue. As Christmas approaches, they discover all kinds of new surprises, but the best one
of all is when they discover where Christmas
presents come from. Is it from deep in the forest,
where the tallest fir trees grow? (Age 5–8)
Elsa Beskow
This tale is matched by the charming illustrations that have made Elsa Beskow a
favorite children’s author for at least a century.
(Ages 5–8)
Christopher’s Harvest Time
Elsa Beskow
Christopher meets the little spirit of September
in the garden, and he is introduced to all the
harvest folk. (Ages 4–6)
Around the Year
Flowers’ Festival
ISBN: 0-86315-075-6 Floris Books
Hardcover $17.95 32 pages
$17.95 32 pages
With delightful verses and pictures, Elsa
Beskow takes us through the months
of the year. (Ages 3–5)
A lucky little girl is invited by the flower fairies to join them for their Midsummer festival.
Gathering around Queen Rose, all the flowers
and bumblebees and birds tell their enchanting
stories, while the Dew-cups and Pea-blossom
serve refreshments. (Ages 4–6)
Elsa Beskow
Elsa Beskow
Mini Edition
ISBN: 9780863156489 $9.95
New
dition
Mini E
•
26 •
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Picture Books – Elsa Beskow
New
dition
Mini E
Children of the Forest
Peter’s Old House
Woody, Hazel, and Little Pip
The children of the forest live deep in the roots
of an old pine tree. This book invites children to
follow their engaging adventures through each
season as they play hide-and-seek with the squirrels and throw snowballs in winter. (Age 3–5)
Peter lives in a shabby, little old house in the
village. He builds boats for the children, shows
visitors around in ten different languages, and is
the village doctor and handyman. (Ages 4–5)
This delightful picture book describes woodland scenes in the autumn when the two
acorn children get blown away in the wind.
(Ages 4–9)
Elsa Beskow
Elsa Beskow
Elsa Beskow
Pelle’s New Suit
Elsa Beskow
Ollie’s Ski Trip
ISBN: 0-86315-497-2 $9.95
Peter in Blueberry Land
Floris Books Hardcover
ISBN: 0-86315-092-6 $17.95 30 pages
ISBN 0-86315-050-0 Hardcover Floris Books
$17.95 32 pages
Pelle shears his lamb and gets the wool carded,
spun, dyed, woven and made into a fine new
suit. (Ages 4–9)
This is the story of six-year-old Ollie who is
given his first pair of real skis. When the thick
snow falls at last, he sets off by himself and
meets with all kinds of adventures in the palace
of King Winter. (Ages 4–9)
Mini edition
Elsa Beskow
Peter is looking for blueberries for his mother’s
birthday, but he cannot find a single one. Suddenly he feels a light tap on his shoe, and a
strange, magical adventure begins. (Ages 3–5)
Mini Edition
ISBN 0-86315-498-0 $9.95
Elsa Beskow
Mini edition
ISBN: 978-086315-584-0 $9.95
The Tale of the Little, Little
Old Woman
ISBN: 9780863156472 $9.95
Elsa Beskow
The Sun Egg
$17.95 20 pages
This simple little tale is illustrated in Elsa
Beskow’s timeless style. (Ages 3–4)
Elsa Beskow
A mysterious orange egg has fallen into the
woods. “It’s a sun egg!” declares the elf who
finds it nestled on the forest floor. Soon she
and her friends find out what it really is, but not
before the little elf goes off on one of the best
adventures she has ever had. (Ages 4–9)
Elsa Beskow’s picture books for
children have been known and
loved for over a century.
Mini edition
ISBN: 978-086315-585-7 $9.95
Mini edition
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27 •
Verses and Poems
The Winding Road
Family Treasury of Poems & Verses
Collected by Matthew Barton
Foreword by Jamila Gavin
ISBN: 1-903458-47-1 Paperback Hawthorn
Press, Festivals Series $26.00 224 pages
A Journey through Time in
Verse and Rhyme
Collected by Heather Thomas
$35.00 368 pages
An invaluable collection of poetry for use
by teachers at every stage of school life from
primary school to early adolescence. The
poems are arranged in accordance with the
development of the child from six to fourteen
and provide support for the subject matter of
lessons, from botany and physics to history
and astronomy, and range from ancient Egypt
to modern times.
Works by well-known poets—Shakespeare,
Blake, Wordsworth, Browning—are juxtaposed
with the refreshingly unfamiliar. Sections on
alliterative verse, riddles, tongue-twisters, action verses and the seasons of the year provide
a stimulus for practical activities in the classroom. Also included are meditative verses for
teachers to help them deepen their understanding of the children in their care.
In the Light of a Child
A Journey through the 52 Weeks of
the Year in Both Hemispheres for
Children
Michael Burton
ISBN: 0880104503 Book (Paperback)
SteinerBooks $14.95 62 pages
Children live deeply in the experience of the
seasons. Their unity with nature, initially
unconscious and uncritical, gradually fades
as they become more self-aware and confront
the outer world as I-beings. The verses in this
book help children bridge the gap from their
unconscious connection with nature to a living
feeling for the seasons that will stay with them
through life.
These verses follow the course of the year, as inspired by Rudolf Steiner’s Calendar of the Soul.
The book is arranged so that parents, teachers,
eurythmists, and children can follow the course
of the year in both the northern and southern
hemispheres. (Ages 4–9)
A wealth of more than two hundred poems,
verses, blessings, and meditations on childhood
and growing up. Includes works by ancient and
modern poets, from Gaelic blessings to Navajo
prayers, from William Blake to Eleanor Farjeon
and Brian Patten. This rich anthology comes
from folk sources, poets, and many different
religious traditions.
The Key of the Kingdom
A Book of Stories and Poems for
Children
Collected by Elizabeth Gmeyner
and Joyce Russell
Books $15.00 100 pages Illustrated
This is a much-loved collection of stories, legends, fairytales, fables, and poems for young
children. The authors range from Shakespeare
and Robert Herrick through Blake, Keats,
Tennyson, Walter de la Mare, and anonymous
authors of folk tales and old carols. All were
chosen because of their ability to fill the heart
and mind with their rhythms, words, and images. Charming and delightful, this book has
already lifted and warmed the hearts of two
generations of readers. (Ages 7–9)
Spring Summer Autumn Winter Spindrift Gateways
Poems, Songs and Stories for Young Children
paperbacks Wynstones Press
Spring ISBN: 9780946206476 $14.95 87 pages; Summer ISBN: 9780946206469 $14.95 111 pages; Autumn ISBN: 9780946206483 $14.95 87 pages;
Winter ISBN: 9780946206490 $14.95 95 pages; Spindrift ISBN: 9780946206506 $17.95 222 pages; Gateways ISBN: 9780946206513 $14.95 95 pages
Written specifically for the Waldorf kindergarten movement, this series
of six books is an invaluable resource for any parent or teacher of young
children.
Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter contain a wide variety of poems,
songs and stories for each season, with many contributions for use at
festivals. The Spindrift volume comprises general and miscellaneous
material for use the whole year round, including over forty stories, many
of which come from different cultures around the world. Gateways has
sections on morning, evening, birthdays and fairytales.
•
28 •
First published over 20 years ago, these books are now in their third
edition, and after a thorough re-editing, much new material has been
included. In addition, the music has been comprehensively edited, with
most songs now in the scale of D-pentatonic, particularly suitable for
pentatonic lyres, but quite capable of being played on any traditional 7- or
12-note instrument. Each volume includes a most enlightening introduction to music in the Mood of the Fifth, written by Jennifer Aulie.
“This is a rich resource for anyone working with young children.”
— Joan Almon, Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America.
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Folk Tales
Swedish Folk Tales
Illustrated by John Bauer
Translated from Swedish by
Holger Lundburgh
Floris Books Illustrated in color $30.00
240 pages
John Bauer’s original and evocative illustrations
bring these classic Swedish folk tales to life.
Those who love Swedish tales won’t want to
miss this beautifully illustrated book of timeless
stories. This is a great gift for anyone at any time
of the year! (Ages 7-10)
Favourite Grimm’s Tales
Illustrated in color by Anastasiya
Archipova
$24.95 ($30.00 after 1/1/2009) 200 pages
More than 150 years ago, the Grimm brothers published their famous collection of folk
tales, including “Little Red Riding Hood,”
“The Frog Prince,” “Sleeping Beauty,” “Snow
White,” “Cinderella,” and many more of which
are included here in this collection of favorites.
(Ages 7-10)
Favourite Tales from
Hans Christian Anderson
Illustrated in color by Anastasiya
Archipova
Included are “The Little Mermaid,” “The
Little Match-Seller,” “The Swineherd,” “The
Princess and the Pea,” “The Brave Tin Soldier,”
“The Snow Queen,” “The Fir Tree,” and “The
Emperor’s New Suit.” (Ages 7-10)
The Fables of La Fontaine
A Selection in English
Jean de La Fontaine, Illustrated by Jean-Noel Rochut,
Translated and introduced by C. J. Moore
Unashamedly borrowing his inspiration and material from Aesop’s fables, Jean de La Fontaine wrote his stories in
French verse during the late seventeenth century. His fables have been popular with children and adults alike ever
since. These are timeless stories of country folk, heroes of Greek mythology, and familiar creatures. Each tale contains
a moral for living, as relevant today as they were 300 years ago.
This large-format volume gathers more than a hundred of La Fontaine’s most beloved fables for children. Jean-Noël
Rochut has illustrated his magical fables in color, while C.J. Moore has faithfully translated them into flowing English
verse to delight the ears of both young and old.
This classic family favorite is fully illustrated in color throughout. The fables in this collection include favorites such
as “The Grasshopper and the Ant,” “The Crow and the Fox,” and “The Wolf and the Lamb.” (Ages 8–11)
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29 •
Folk Tales
Celtic Wonder Tales
Myths of the World
ISBN: 0-86315-350-X Paperback Floris Books
$25.00 224 pages
ISBN: 0-86315-365-8. Paperback
Floris Books 328 pages $25.00
21 black and white illustrations
Padraic Colum, Illustrated by
Boris Artzybasheff
& Other Stories
Ella Young
This combined collection of wonderful tales
from Ella Young’s classic retelling of Celtic
stories has been selected from her Celtic Wonder Tales, The Wonder Smith and His Son, The
Tangle-Coated Horse, and The Unicorn with
Silver Shoes. (Ages 7-10)
“The interest of this book lies in its scope and
in the engaging way in which the myths are
recounted. Suitable for bedtime reading either
to yourself or your children.” —Scientific and
Medical Network
Here is a comprehensive collection of tales that
have carried deeply human meaning through
the centuries. You will find all the legendary
heroes and tragic characters of ancient times—
Iris, Osiris, Gilgamesh, Hercules, Pandora, and
many more.
The King and the Green
Angelica
Stories and Poems from Old Norse
and Anglo-Saxon Times
Isabel Wyatt
ISBN: 9780906155035 Hardcover Lanthorn
Press $17.95
Children will love this collection of epic tales
about Norse heroes. Saxo Grammaticus (1150–
1220) and other Scandinavian writers compiled
many of the tales, which complement perfectly
the better-known stories of Norse Gods.
Old Norse motifs, drawings and carvings are
the bases for the illustrations, which bring life
and dramatic atmosphere to the stories and
poems. (Ages 7–12)
Padraic Colum shows the close relationship
between past cultures by including stories
from ancient Egypt, Babylon, Greece, Rome,
Ireland, Iceland, China, Japan, New Zealand,
Mexico, and Peru.
This classic collection will entertain and
enlighten children of all ages. (Ages 7-10)
Tales the Harper Sang
Medieval Stories
Isabel Wyatt
ISBN: 9780906155004 Hardcover Lanthorn Press $17.95 136 pages
This wonderful collection of stories for children includes many of King Arthur and his
Knights of the Round Table, drawn from the Welsh, English, Breton, and French traditions.
They are full of swords, castles, jousts, gallant knights and beautiful damsels, wise counsel,
and reckless adventure. (Ages 7–12)
Isabel Wyatt (1901-1992) was born in England and spent many years teaching young children. Until
her retirement in 1965, she was codirector of studies at Hawkwood College, Gloucestershire. She
wrote numerous books for children.
•
30 •
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Story Books
The Seven-Year-Old
Wonder Book
The Book of Fairy
Princes
Floris Books
$15.95 144 pages
Isabel Wyatt
Sylvia lives with her mother in a
white cottage at the edge of the
woods. In the evening, Sylvia’s
mother tells her wonderful stories, and during the night, the
Rhyme-Elves paint pictures and
write poems in her WonderBook.
Isabel Wyatt
A collection of stories that
transports us to ivory towers,
great forests, golden lands, and
kingdoms of beautiful colors.
(Ages 7-10)
King Beetle-Tamer
And Other Lighthearted
Wonder Tales
Isabel Wyatt
ISBN: 0-86315-526-X Paperback
A collection of 15 fairy tales
written by the “weaver of magic,”
Isabel Wyatt, filled with unicorns
and fairies, magic and wonder.
(Ages 7-10)
Thorkill of Iceland
Viking Hero Tales
Isabel Wyatt
The Vikings were the world’s
greatest adventurers and undertook astonishing journeys
recorded in the ancient sagas.
These stories are beautifully and
dramatically retold from the old
sources. (Ages 7-10)
Meet Sister-in-the-Bushes, the
Black Imp, the Lordly Cock,
Hugin and the Turnip, Rufusi
Ryneker, and many others who
have delighted children for almost
fifty years, taking them through
the highlights and festivals of the
year. (Ages 7–9)
The Wise Enchanter
A Journey through the Alphabet
Shelley Davidow, Illustrated by Krystyna Emilia Kurzyca
A wonderfully adventurous
“learn-the-alphabet” story for
ages 6–8.
Once upon a time, on a magical
island that could be reached only
sometimes and by very few people,
lived a Wise Enchanter. Now, this
Wise Enchanter was the last of
the Wise Enchanters. He knew the
time would come when he would
go to the Everlasting Islands, and
new wise men and women would
be needed to oversee the lands
and make sure that Wisdom did
not die.
“Every letter, every sound must be
found anew and made bright again.
We must find those who are young
enough to rediscover the world.
Children who are still full of wonder,
who are kind and true, are neither
selfish nor unkind—and who will be
brave enough to go on this quest.”
Shelley Davidow
Krystyna Kurzyca
“Their task will be to rediscover the alphabet and bring back what is being
lost. They must listen to stories, listen to the old people, ask questions, and
heed answers. Only then will the darkness be overcome. Then and only then
will wise men and women return to the world.”
Shelley Davidow is originally from South Africa. She was a nominee for the first
Macmillan Writer’s Prize for Africa in 2002, and is the author of numerous books
for children and young adults. She is a teacher at the Sarasota Waldorf School in
Florida.
Krystyna Emilia Kurzyca was born, raised, and art-educated in post-World War II
communist Poland. In 1981, her spiritual quest brought her to the United States,
where she has immersed herself in the illustrating of children’s books.
One day the Wise Enchanter looked out over the wide
oceans. His heart felt heavy. In the distance, just above the
horizon, hung a single dark cloud. “It is happening just as I
feared,” he said to his beautiful daughter. “Wisdom is fading
in the world. Words are disappearing. The brightness in the
sky is vanishing and the dark Cloud of Ignorance has grown
suddenly dense. Someone is being created in the deep. He
will grow stronger every minute. If he is not stopped, he will
rise up and devour every word and sound. The earth will
become a cold, silent place, too terrible to imagine.”
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31 •
Young Adult
The Beejum Book
Spirit of the Mountain
ISBN: 0-88010-505-4 Hardcover Bell Pond Books $24.95 304 pages
ISBN: 0-86315-427-1 Paperback Floris Books,
Flyways $10.00 144 pages
Alice O. Howell
Shelley Davidow
“As Alice in Wonderland magically mirrored the Victorian world, so
The Beejum Book mirrors ours.” —Marion Woodman, author of Bone:
Dying into Life
“A new classic. Wise and funny, startling and exuberant, it offers us new ways
of being.” —Jean Houston, author of Jump Time
“This book is destined to become a classic. Both young and old will find
enchantment and nourishment for the soul.” —James Redfield, author of
The Celestine Prophecy
Alice O. Howell
“Sheer magic and pure delight. This book breaks upon one like a revelation.”
—Philip Zaleski, editor of The Best Spiritual Writing series
The Beejum Book offers a journey
into a world of fantasy that, deep
down, each of us knows and longs
for. It tells the story of Teak, a child
living abroad between the two
World Wars. Teak’s mother tells her
not to worry about being left alone,
because every night, when she goes to sleep, they can meet in Beejumstan. (Ages 8-11)
Teak’s travels to this magical realm bring her face to face with Lonesome, a well-attired rabbit and
Beejumstan’s “ambassador without portfolio”; Figg Newton, the alchemist; the witches Rudintruda
and Idy Fix; Gezeebius, the Wise Old Man; and many other fascinating characters.
“A fine, strong, delicate story of a girl in mortal
danger, who is saved because she brings herself to
ask help from powers she does not understand.
Emily lives in South Africa, but the voice in
her diary is utterly recognizable half the world
away—funny and agonizingly true.” —Ursula
K. LeGuin, author of The Earthsea Cycle
The hot South-African summer is getting to
Emily. She escapes to her Uncle Tim’s farm
where she meets green-eyed Joey and can relax.
But Emily has an eating disorder, and each day
she slips further away from those around her.
Only Anna can help her—Anna the healer,
the herbalist, who possesses the wisdom of
ancient customs and traditions. Anna offers
Emily knowledge of a world she could scarcely
imagine. (Ages 10-13)
Shelley Davidow is also the author of The Wise Enchanter (see page 31).
Alice O. Howell is a wise woman who can present deep truths in simple and engaging ways. Through this
enchanting tale, she suggests that within us are many worlds as real and compelling as the one we know
outside.
Lara’s First Christmas
Alice O. Howell, Illustrated by
Maggie Mailer
Lara, along with her refugee parents, finds herself marooned in an isolated
little hotel in snowbound Norway before World War II. Left all alone, she
finds two eccentric old English guests who teach her to ski. And she discovers deep love and wisdom from the grandfatherly carpenter Andreas, who
teaches her that Christmas really is a universal event, open to every heart and
every faith.
A warm, luminous story about the real meaning of Christmas. (Ages 8–11)
•
32 •
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Young Adult
Sula
Lavinia Derwent
ISBN: 0-86315-487-5 Paperback Floris
Books, Kelpies $10.00 144 pages
The island of Sula is the whole world to
Magnus Macduff. He loves every inch of
it and knows all the animals and birds. He
is not like the other children on the island.
Often, instead of going to school, he makes
his way up the shore to visit Old Whiskers
the seal, or up Heathery Hill to sit with Mr.
Skinnymalink the hermit in his cave.
Magnus is afraid that Mr. Murray, the new
teacher on the island, will spoil his fun. But
Mr. Murray is nervous too. He is an outsider.
Life threatens to become difficult for both
of them—until Mr, Murray discovers that
Magnus has a wonderful gift for drawing,
“seals, birds, dogs—so fresh and life-like that
the creatures seem to be crawling across the
arithmetic book.”
Claude and Medea
The Hellburn Dogs
Zoe Weil
Return to Sula
Lavinia Derwent
ISBN: 9781590561058 Paperback Lantern
“Youthful idealism, initiative, and humane
sensitivity come together seamlessly in this
animal-themed mystery caper, which is sure to
have riveting appeal for young readers.”
—Wayne Pacelle, President & CEO,
The Humane Society of the United States
Magnus Macduff is lured away from his
beloved island of Sula when he wins a painting competition and goes to the mainland
to collect his prize. But Magnus is fiercely
independent and escapes back to the remote
island at the first opportunity, followed by
a new friend—a wild Duke whose ability
with music matches Magnus’ own skill at
drawing and painting.
“In Claude and Medea we are introduced to
two incredible characters whose very different
lives are intertwined by their shared willingness
to open their hearts and minds and see past
prejudice. This charming story reminds us of
the passion that welled inside of all of us when
we learned of the injustices that take place in
the world. Weil’s engaging book helps us appreciate the creativity of children and the desire
that we all have to make a positive difference in
the world—no matter our age. I look forward
to reading more about the adventures of Claude
and Medea.”
—Lauren Ornelas, Founder, Viva! USA
Familiar characters, including Magnus’s Gran
and Old Whiskers, reappear in this second
collection of Magnus’s exciting adventures.
The Boy From Sula
Lavinia Derwent
Claude and Medea aren’t expecting an odd
substitute teacher to change their lives. Nor
are they anticipating the dangerous adventure
in store for them. They seem like normal kids.
But are they?
Claude has famous parents and sticks to the
rules. Medea’s got a scholarship to a fancy
private school and can’t get in trouble. How
is it that they are thrown together, trying to
outsmart Manhattan criminals? And why do
they care so much about the weird Ms. Rattlebee? Find out what makes this unlikely pair
begin to view the world differently, and to risk
everything.
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Song of Sula
Lavinia Derwent
Snow is not the only surprise in store for
Magnus on his return to the island of Sula,
after his friend the Duke’s triumph in London with his Sula Symphony.
As well as a dangerous blizzard, Magnus has
to contend with his terrible jealousy—for
the Duke has a new friend, Lionel....
ISBN: 0-86315-400-X Paperback Floris
This is the fourth in the popular series of
books featuring Magnus Macduff and the
colorful inhabitants of Sula.
This is the third of four books about life on
the tiny west coast island of Sula and the
(All books ages 9-12)
Claude and Medea: The Hellburn Dogs is a riveting story that will make kids eager for more
while offering them true heroes for today’s
world. This is a book that gives kids not only
what they most want but also what they most
need—protagonists who embody courage,
compassion, and care. (Ages 8-11)
(703) 661-1594
adventures of Magnus Macduff. When he is
on the mainland, Magnus misses the island
and the colorful characters there, such as Mr.
Skinnymalink the Hermit and Old Whiskers
the seal. When he returns to the island, however, he discovers that his beloved Sula is in
danger of becoming a tourist trap.
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Zoe Weil is the President of the Institute for Humane Education, and the author of several books
for students, educators and parents including So,
You Love Animals. Claude and Medea is Weil’s first
foray into fiction.
33 •
Young Adult
The Underground City
Hox
Kelpies Series $11.95 192 pages
On the eve of his return to Scotland, Lewis
Grant is dared to spend the night at a haunted
desert oasis. Even the Bedouin refuse to visit Al
Antara at night, knowing that a mighty djinn
lives there. But this doesn’t worry Lewis, who
promptly rises to the bait.
Faced with a cold Saturday afternoon and being stuck at the Institute for Animal Research,
Robbie is angry and frustrated at yet another
weekend ruined by his father’s job. Then a disturbing encounter in the animal house thrusts
him into a perilous journey through the stunning but inhospitable landscape of a Highland
winter—alone, except for two enigmatic traveling companions.
Anne Forbes
Will the MacArthurs get back from their holiday
in time to avert disaster? Enjoy a third outing
for them and their dragon, as monsters and
mayhem return in a breathtaking tale of magic
and nightmare. (Ages 8-12)
Anne Forbes was born in Edinburgh and trained as
a teacher. In 1966, she moved to Kuwait and worked
for many years in an Anglo-American School. She
is married with one daughter and currently divides
her time between homes in Scotland and Kuwait.
Dragonfire was her first novel.
First Aid for Fairies and
Other Fabled Beasts
Lari Don
Helen has absolutely no interest in becoming
a vet like her mother. So she isn’t best pleased
when asked to help an injured horse. Only
this horse isn’t entirely normal... nor are his
friends.
First Aid for Fairies and Other Fabled Beasts offers a wonder-filled mixture of fable and fiction,
woven into an exciting race through Scotland’s
diverse landscapes and accompanied by an array of creatures from legend
and folklore. (Ages 8-12)
Lari Don was born in Chile and
grew up in northeast Scotland.
As a young woman, she worked
as the press officer and as a producer for BBC Radio, Scotland.
She has had several short stories
published in anthologies and
magazines. She was winner of
the Canongate Prize in 2001.
•
34 •
Annemarie Allan
Robbie’s world implodes as he tries to make
sense of a hostile environment, his old life
slowly unravels, and a shocking realization
emerges. (Ages 9-12)
Annemarie Allan studied at Stirling University and
worked as a teacher and librarian near London.
Returning to Scotland, she took up a post at the
Scottish Arts Council and started writing fantasy
and science fiction for children in her spare time.
Hox, Annemarie’s first published novel, won the 2007
Kelpies Prize, awarded by Floris Books, Edinburgh.
Catscape
Mike Nicholson
Kelpies $9.99 192 pages
Fergus can’t believe it when his brand-new
digital watch starts going backward. Then he
crashes (literally) into gadget-loving Murdo,
and a second mystery comes to light—all
around the neighborhood, cats are missing.
This book is the winner of the Kelpies Prize
2005. Sharply and wittily observed, it’s a story of
unlikely friendships, unexpected allies
and cat surveillance. (Ages 10–13)
Dragonfire
Anne Forbes
Stroppy pigeons in Edinburgh’s Old
Town. It’s not a normal part of daily
life—but things are never going to be
the same again. Clara and Neil have
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always known the MacArthurs, the little people
who live under Arthur’s Seat in Holyrood Park,
but they are not quite prepared for what else
is living under the hill. Feuding faery lords,
missing whisky, magic carpets, firestones, and
ancient spells ... where will it end? And how
did it all start? Set against the backdrop of the
Edinburgh Fringe and Military Tattoo, this is
a fast-paced comic adventure, full of magic,
mayhem and mystery—and a dragon. (Ages
10–13)
The Wings of Ruksh
Anne Forbes
The Sequel to Dragonfire
“Strange as it may seem, as he came in to land at
Edinburgh Airport last year, the captain of the
London flight reported sighting a dragon...”
A year on, and life has calmed down for Neil
and Clara MacLean. A quiet meal in the Sultan’s
palace restaurant. What could go wrong? But
they hadn’t counted on the mirror!
From an Edinburgh literally cloaked in tartan,
through the forbidding Highland hills, Neil
and Clara set out with old and new friends on
a perilous journey full of danger, daring—and
a reluctant broomstick. (Ages 9–12)
Chill
Alex Nye
Samuel is trapped by huge snow drifts in an
old, remote house. And that’s not the only thing
causing a cold shiver to creep down his spine.
He feels that the ghostly figure in the locked
library has a message ... but for whom? Fiona
lives in the big house, but will that help the two
of them to break the curse on her family? As the
ice sets in, they uncover a centuries-old tale of
betrayal and revenge. Set on bleak Sheriffmuir
near Stirling, Scotland, this is a spooky tale of
the past returning to haunt the present. (Ages
9–13)
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Young Adult
The Hill of the Red Fox
The Cat Who Decided
Flash the Sheepdog
Young Kelpies series $11.95 5 ¼ x 7 ¾ inches
160 pages
Allan Campbell McLean
It is the time of the Cold War. Soviet spies are
feared and secrets traded. And people disappear.
Thirteen-year-old Alasdair lives in London and
knows nothing of that world. He can’t wait
to begin his long summer holiday on the Isle
of Skye, away from his mother and aunt. But
things don’t go quite as planned. On the journey, a stranger gives him a mysterious note before jumping from the train. Even worse, Alasdair immediately suspects the sinister Murdo
Beaton—the man with whom he’s staying—of
being up to no good. Gradually adjusting to life
on the small farm, Alasdair is unprepared for
the web of danger and espionage that begins to
unfold around him. (Ages 10–13)
The Witches’ Mark
Kathleen Fidler
Why doesn’t anyone want the mixter-maxter
kitten? The little striped cat is on a journey—
sent from the farm to the city and passed from
owner to owner. No one seems to love him
just as he is.
Finally, he moves into the tall house in Edinburgh and finds his name—Mac—and life
gets more interesting. He makes friends with
two musical ladies next door and discovers he
likes Bach, as well as cat treats. He has many
adventures as he explores. Then, just when he
begins to feel settled, unsettling things start to
happen. Will he ever find someone to love him
for always? (Young Kelpies – Ages 6–8)
Quest for a Kelpie
Donald Lightwood
Frances Mary Hendry
Superstitious anglers; corrupt, feudal property owners; starving tenants—and an old lady
who talks to the birds and animals and who is
branded as a witch by the local villagers.
When fifteen-year-old Murdo befriends Old
Pheemie, he discovers the hard way that the
seventeenth-century East Neuk of Fife is not
a good place to be if you are associated with
anyone thought to be a witch.
Caught up in matters beyond their control,
Murdo and his friend Alex find themselves
in a race against time to save Pheemie before
Silas Pow, the witch hunter, arrives to find her
witches’ mark.
This is a gripping tale set against a backdrop
of witch trials, superstition, and smuggling.
(Ages 9–12)
Margaret Forrester
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It is 1745, and young Jeannie Main is a tough
fisher lass in Nairn in northeast Scotland,
where she lives a simple, quiet life—until a
gypsy warns her of a greater fate than she ever
dreamed.
Jeannie Main, a poor working girl, would decide the fate of two kings. As she tries to come
to terms with her destiny, Jeannie is plunged
into adventure and danger that could determine the future of her country. One final test
remains—risking her life by riding the Kelpie,
the most feared monster in all of Scotland.
“The technicalities of sheepdog training and the
suspense of the trials are conveyed in an accessible and entertaining manner, and Tom and
Flash’s adventures in the fog and the rescuing
of the sheep in the winter storm create dramatic
tension. The characters of his uncle and aunt
are presented with warmth and humor and the
rural setting is convincingly portrayed.”
Tom Stokes is an orphan. His sister is going
to America to get married—but where can he
go? They remember an uncle and aunt they
scarcely know living in the borders of Scotland.
After the city bustle of London, Tom finds his
uncle’s farm barren and lonely. How can he
adjust to such a life? Help comes in the form of
a sheepdog puppy, and his loneliness is quickly
forgotten as Tom realizes the dog is his to love
and train—maybe to be a champion!
And so begins his adventurous and challenging
life on the hill farm with his new friend Elspeth
and sheepdog Flash. Then his sister writes that
Tom can come and live with her in America,
and he is faced with the most difficult decision
of his life... (Ages 6–9)
Kathleen Fidler has enthralled generations of readers. She is the author of more than eighty books for
children, many of which were broadcast on BBC
Radio’s Children’s Hour and Schools’ Programs.
The Kathleen Fidler Award stands as a memorial
to her deep interest in children and writers. She
died in 1980.
Quest for a Kelpie is a fast-moving, thrilling
story that takes place at a crucial moment in
Scotland’s history. (Ages 9–12)
Frances Mary Hendry won the first BBC “Quest for
a Kelpie” competition and has gone on to write more
than a dozen books for children—most recently the
Gladiatrix trilogy. She lives in Nairn, Scotland.
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Young Adult
The Green Snake and
the Beautiful Lily
A Fairy Tale
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe,
Illustrated by Hermann Linde,
Edited by Joan deRis Allen,
Afterword by Paul Marshall Allen,
Translation by Julius E. Heuscher
ISBN: 0-88010-570-4 Hardcover SteinerBooks
$25.00 56 pages 12 illustrations in Color
The Green Snake and the Beautiful Lily is one of
the most important stories of the Anthroposophic and Rosicrucian streams. It is a timeless,
allegorical tale of initiation and had a profound
impact on Rudolf Steiner and on the formulation of his teachings. He called the fairy tale a
kind of “secret revelation,” an “apocalypse.” As
the authors point out in The Time Is At Hand!
Goethe’s fairy tale begins with a specific image:
a river separating two lands that contrast each
other, as do the sensory world and the spiritual
world. The story ends with a bridge, created
through sacrifice, that spans the river between
the two lands.
Indeed, Rudolf Steiner was so deeply impressed
by Goethe’s fairy tale, that he used it as the
model for his first mystery drama, The Portal
of Initiation.
This is a fairy tale for meditation—and for
building bridges of the soul and spirit.
The twelve paintings in this book represent the
soul experiences of the “Youth” in the fairy tale.
They are the fruit of an intense collaboration
between Hermann Linde and Rudolf Steiner,
who commissioned the work. Steiner visited
Linde’s studio every day and gave him detailed
indications for the treatment of the various
motifs.
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The Three Candles of Little
Veronica
The Story of a Child’s Soul in this
World and the Other
Manfred Kyber, Illustrated by
Iris Guarducci, Translated by
Rosamond Reinhardt
Housatonic Press $19.95 194 pages
5 full-page color illustrations
* short 20% discount to booksellers
This remarkable story in the Grail tradition
begins with Veronica’s early youth when she can
see beyond the physical appearance of things
and converse with a hedgehog, a blackbird,
and other residents in The Garden of Spirits.
She grows beyond innocence and into the life
of the House of Shadows, the Baltic town of
Halmar, the cursed Castle Irreloh, and those
whose destiny intersects hers. The events of joy
and terror lead her to a real understanding of
the mystery of the three candles that mark the
turning points in her life.
The Dream Song of
Olaf Asteson
An Ancient Norwegian Folksong of
the Holy Nights
Preface by Jonathan Stedall,
Introduction by Andrew Welburn,
Illustrated by Janet Jordan
Parzival
The Quest for the Holy Grail
Illustrated by David Newbatt
ISBN: 978094626544 hardcover Wynstones
Press 112 color illustrations $75.00
224 pages
Parzival is one of the great classic stories of
the last millennium, a colorful tale from the
time of knighthood, full of romance, love and
adventure.
David Newbatt’s illustrations in this book bring
a refreshingly vivid and direct interpretation of
the Quest for the Holy Grail. The accompanying
text gives a brief introduction to some of the
many characters and events portrayed in this
epic tale, in a clear and concise way.
Parzival is a great story for reading by the
fireside. It is also a deep and intense piece of
literature in which is portrayed an individual’s
archetypal biography, which can speak to us
today in our own search for the modern Grail
Temple.
David Newbatt is an artist and teacher who lives and
works at a Camphill Community for young adults
with special needs in Aberdeen, Scotland. He also
teaches art at the Aberdeen Waldorf School. He has
illustrated various books and is also a prolific mural
painter. His works have been exhibited throughout
Europe.
ISBN: 978-086315-620-5 hardcover
10 color illustrations
The Dream Song of Olaf Åsteson is a folksong
which only came to light in 1850 when a clergyman called Landstad heard it in a lonely valley
in Telemark, Norway. No one knows how long
it had existed, but it’s an epic narrative telling
the story of a young man who slept for twelve
nights in the depths of winter, and then awoke
to share the wondrous sights he had seen.
This edition is illustrated with Janet Jordan’s
striking paintings which give life to Olaf and
help the modern reader engage with the ancient saga.
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Christmas Stories
A Child Is Born
Jindra Capek
The Christmas Owls
The Way to the Stable
ISBN: 0-86315-305-4 hardcover Floris Books
$16.95 32 pages
The Christmas Owls is a charming introduction for young children to the Christmas story
through the eyes of two lovable owls, Owl Soft
and Owl Feather, who live together at the top of
a bell tower inside the village church.
There once was a shepherd who lived in the hills
near Bethlehem... But this shepherd was surly
and unhappy because he was lame and could
only walk with crutches. So he kept to himself,
tending the fire… until the amazing night when
the angel voices led the other shepherds away to
Bethlehem, leaving him alone on the hillside.
(Ages 4–7)
Judy West
Illustrated by Gerda Westerink
A shepherd boy follows the three kings on their
journey to Bethlehem. On his way, he gathers
the simple gifts of poor people for the newborn
child. Here is a beautifully illustrated Christmas
legend, retold for young readers. (Ages 4-7)
Mary’s Little Donkey
and the Flight to Egypt
Gunhild Sehlin
ISBN: 0-86315-064-0 Paperback Floris Books
$12.00 158 pages
One of our most loved Christmas stories, this
stubborn little donkey is of no use to anyone in
Nazareth, but he becomes a quick and willing
helper under Mary’s care. (Ages 6-10)
On cold winter nights they snuggle close together and hope that the children will come
soon to light the candles, which always makes
them feel warmer. But they are very puzzled
when their quiet church suddenly becomes a
beehive of activity.
A Christmas Story
Max Bollinger, Arcadio Lobato
Owl Soft and Owl Feather flutter down to see
what is going on and share the wonder of the
Christmas celebration. (Ages 5-8)
New!!
The Miracle in Bethlehem
A Storyteller’s Tale
Sarah Burton, Illustrated by Katriona Chapman
The storyteller’s tale is one we all think we know—the story of Mary and Joseph and the birth of a very
special baby. However, do we really know it? The Miracle in Bethlehem offers a unique retelling that weaves
largely forgotten, ancient nativity legends into today’s more familiar narrative.
The short chapters make it ideal for nightly Advent readings or bedtime stories. Children and parents, too,
will find it moving and surprising, hearing the traditional narrative through fresh ears. (Ages 6–9)
Sarah Burton has written and reviewed for publications as varied as BBC History Magazine, the Spectator, and the Independent, as well as for stage and radio. She lives near Ely in Cambridgeshire.
Katriona Chapman is a young illustrator based in London. Her work has been published in Illustration magazine, Leisure
Painter, and Artists & Illustrators, and she has taken part in various exhibitions. In 2005, she won first prize in Derwent’s
Illustrate a Fairytale competition.
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37 •
Christmas Stories
New!!
The Christmas Story Book
Collected by Ineke Verschuren
$30.00 430 pages
These stories tell of the experience of people who
lived at the time of the birth of the Christ child,
and who—each in their own way—sought to
worship the newborn king. This book is a colorful collection carefully chosen to show the spirit
of Christmas in many different facets.
The stories are divided into five sections: Advent, the birth of the Christ child, Christmas
night, Christmas in the world, and the time of
the three kings. Included are stories by Hans
Christian Andersen, Leonid Andreiev, Jane
Clement, Maxim Gorki, Gerhard Klein, Selma
Lagerlöf, Jeanna Oterdahl, Peter Rosegger,
Ruth Sawyer, Edzard Schaper, Jakob Streit,
and Henry Van Dyke. (Ages 5-12)
The Emperor’s Vision
The Christmas Angels
Else Wenz-Viëtor
and Other Christ Legends
Selma Lagerlof
$12.95 224 pages
Previously Published As: Christ Legends
and other stories
Selma Lagerlof ’s classic telling of the lives of
some of the men and women whose destinies
were changed forever by the events of Christ’s
life—from the surly shepherd of Bethlehem
to the cruel Emperor Tiberius. These tales are
imaginatively drawn on the colorful history and
landscape of the Holy Land, from the time of
Jesus to the Crusades. (Ages 7-12)
Books $17.95 32 pages Color throughout
It is Christmas Eve, and most people are safely
tucked in their beds. However, the Christmas
angels know who needs help on this holy night,
and they are ready to fly down to help those who
are lost, lonely, and weary.
Small children will love the row of cutout angel
heads that reveal the features of each little angel.
This beautiful and inspiring picture book heralds the Christmas message of loving kindness
with every page. (Ages 3–6)
Else Wenz-Viëtor (1882-1973) was probably the
best known children’s book illustrator in 1920s
and 1930s Germany. She was born in Sorau, now in
western Poland, and it was from her grandfather that
she acquired her love of plants and animals which
became favorite themes in her pictures.
Christmas Plays from Oberufer
Paradise Play | Shepherds Play | Kings Play
Edited by Hélène Jacquet
ISBN: 9781855841840 Paperback Rudolf Steiner Press $16.00 128 pages Color Illustrations
For hundreds of years, ordinary people in the small Austrian village of Oberufer on the Danube
gathered in the local tavern at Christmastime to perform these plays for their neighbors. With
their roots lost in medieval times, the plays gradually evolved
to incorporate a unique blend of folk humor and profound
reverence in their celebration of the birth of Jesus.
The Paradise Play, acting as a preface, presents the expulsion of
Adam and Eve from Paradise, but with the promise of future
salvation through Christ. The Shepherds Play portrays the birth
of Jesus in a stable, where he is sought out by a group of shepherds. The Kings Play depicts the visit of three wise kings to the
birthplace of the King of Humanity, as well as the murderous
attempts by Herod to thwart Jesus’ mission.
The Holy Night
Selma Lagerlof, Illustrated by
Ilon Wikland
$17.00 40 pages
“What that shepherd saw, we might also see,
for the angels fly down from heaven every
Christmas Eve, if we could only see them.”
—from The Holy Night
This revised edition of the plays—suitable for both amateur and
professional players—offers a clear layout of the texts, greatly
elaborated makeup and director’s indications, stage and lighting
directions, and detailed costume designs.
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38 •
This is a colorfully illustrated edition of Selma
Lagerlöf ’s classic Christmas tale. (Ages 5-8)
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Christmas Stories and Activities
Christmas Stories Together
Estelle Bryer
Here is a treasure trove of 36 tales for children.
The stories range from Advent through Christmas ending with the Holy Family’s flight into
Egypt—in fact, tales for the whole year.
With 28 individual stories, this book may be
used as an “Advent Calendar,” with the first
week’s stories relating to the mineral world,
the second week’s stories to the plant world,
followed by the animal kingdom and finally to
the human beings. The accompanying Advent
Calendar may be purchased also.
Christmas in the Family
These stories will soon become family favorites,
with their imaginative yet down-to-earth language and lively illustrations. (Ages 3–9)
Isabel Marion
The Light in the Lantern
A collection of activities, crafts, songs, and stories for families to enjoy during the Christmas
season. Included are activities suitable for very
young children with adult supervision as well as
crafts for older children to enjoy on their own.
The author describes things to do and make,
from Advent calendars, gold foil decorations,
and Nativity transparencies to baking Christmas biscuits and making colorful Christmas
stars to hang in the window.
Stories for Advent
Written by Georg Dreißig
isbn: 978094620230 Paperback Wynstones
Press Full color cover $12.95 78 pages
In the days leading up to Christmas, Mary and
Joseph’s path to Bethlehem is fraught with difficulties, but as the stories in this book reveal, a
small miracle happens on each day. The story of
each miracle brings us a little closer to Christmas, until we finally reach the stable in Bethlehem where the light in the lantern is waiting in
anticipation of the Christ Child’s birth.
$20.00 120 pages
Celebrating Christmas
Together
Nativity and Three Kings Plays with
Stories and Songs
Estelle Bryer, Janni Nicol
ISBN: 1-903458-20-X Paperback Hawthorn
Create the wonder of Christmas with your
children at school or at home—starting with
a simple Advent Calendar and Crib Scene. The
Nativity Play is spellbinding—whether told as a
story in verse, narrated as children act the parts,
or performed entirely by children.
This Christmas treasury includes the Nativity
Play, with staging directions and instructions
for simple costumes and props; songs and music
to accompany the play; how to create a Crib
scene; making an Advent Calendar; the Three
Kings Play and Christmas stories.
Parents and caregivers will find this an invaluable resource for activities that keep children
happily occupied throughout the holiday
season.
New!!
A Waldorf Doll Nativity
Petra and Tom Rosenberg
ISBN: 9780863156649 Book (Hardcover)
Color throughout
Petra and Tom Rosenberg, authors of numerous craft and activity books, bring the
traditional Christmas story gently to life through a beautifully rendered tableaux of
Waldorf dolls made of felt and wool, set in colorful backgrounds. Young children will
love the various patterns and textures in the pictures, and parents will enjoy an alternative depiction of the well-known story. (Ages 3–6)
Petra and Tom Rosenberg have written many craft and activity books for children and families.
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39 •
Celebrating Irish Festivals
Ruth Marshall
Celebrating festivals enlivens the soul and
brings a sense of rhythm and meaning to the
seasons. Reaching back to both the ancient
traditions and Celtic Christianity, this calendar
of Irish festivals is a rich treasury for children,
families and communities. Beautifully illustrated, Celebrating Irish Festivals brings together
imaginative stories, poems, traditions, food,
outdoor activities, games, dances and songs to
create that special occasion.
The Islamic Year
Suras, Stories, and Celebrations
Noorah Al-Gailani, Chris Smith
illustrates the core values underlying Islamic
culture with gentle humor and wisdom. This
is a unique resource for educators and parents
who want to share the spiritual wealth of Islam
with children.
Festivals Together
Festivals, Family, and Food
ISBN: 0-950706-23-X Paperback Hawthorn
A resource guide with activities and recipes for
observing special days according to traditions
based on many cultures, including Buddhist,
Christian, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, and Sikh.
Diana Carey, Judy Large
This family favorite is a unique, well-loved
source of stories, recipes, things to make, activities, poems, songs, and festivals. Each festival,
such as Christmas, Candlemas, and Martinmas,
has its own illustrated chapter. Also included are
sections on birthdays, rainy days, convalescence,
and a birthday calendar.
The perfect present and fun for the whole
family, it explores the numerous festivals that
children love to celebrate.
Celebrate the Islamic year with your children!
You are invited to explore Muslim festivals with
this inspiring treasury of stories, suras, songs,
games, recipes, crafts and art activities. The
Islamic Year describes the major festivals vividly,
together with attractive projects that engage
children creatively. A selection of folk tales
A Guide to Multi-Cultural
Celebration
Sue Fitzjohn, Minda Weston,
Judy Large
The Easter Story Book
Collected by Ineke Verschuren
$19.95 237 pages
This classic collection of over thirty stories,
legends, and folk tales reflects the season
around Easter and early summer. The stories
are arranged in four parts, following the cycle
of the festivals from Holy Week to Easter and
Pentecost to the midsummer festival of St. John.
Here are luminous stories for children from
the Grimm Brothers, Tolstoy, Chekhov, Selma
Lagerlöf, and others, as well as excerpts from the
gospels of Matthew and John. (Ages 6-12)
The Big Summer Activity Book
Anne and Peter Thomas
ISBN: 0863155456 Hardcover Floris Books $30.00 224 pages 500 color illustrations
For parents, summer holidays can seem to stretch out endlessly. There is constant pressure to keep
the children physically occupied and mentally engaged, which can be especially difficult for single
and working parents, who may not get many holidays themselves.
Here is a handbook that can help alleviate some of that pressure. Based on many years experience
of keeping children busy and happy, Anne and Peter Thomas have compiled a huge collection of
summer activities that will help keep boredom at bay and help parents feel better, knowing that
their children are busy having wholesome fun.
The authors include both indoor and outdoor activities, things to make, things to see, and things
to do. It is packed with handy tips on food (like sweets for car journeys), health (such as sunburn),
and safety. The Big Summer Activity Book covers everything from simple games that parents might
themselves have played as children, to inspiring projects that will challenge the whole family.
Fully illustrated in color throughout, this is an indispensable handbook that every parent will want
to keep handy throughout summer vacations.
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All Year Round
a connection and helps children become aware
of natural rhythms and cycles.
Ann Druitt, Christine FynesClinton, Marije Rowling
This practical book brims with stories, poems,
activities, things to make, songs, and helpful
drawings. The authors show that observing a
round of festivals can be an enjoyable way to
bring rhythm into children’s lives, providing
meaningful landmarks to look forward to each
season. Parents are encouraged to develop their
own traditions, using this helpful book as a
springboard.
The Children’s Year
Crafts & Clothes for Children &
Parents to Make
Stephanie Cooper, Christine
Fynes-Clinton, Marije Rowling
Here is a book that hopes to give the possibility
to adults and children alike to rediscover the
joy and satisfaction of making something that
they know looks and feels good and that can be
played with imaginatively. It takes us through
the seasons with appropriate gifts and toys to
create, including full, clear instructions and
illustrations.
The Singing Year
Songbook and CD for singing with
young children
Candy Verney
ISBN: 1903458390 With Audio CD Paperback
Hawthorn Press, Festivals Series $33.00
192 pages
Singing with babies and young children is one
of the joys of being a parent. It is a lifetime gift
from you that children love. This handbook will
bring increased awareness of children’s natural
surroundings. Singing about the seasons creates
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The Singing Year, which includes a learning CD
and illustrations, is arranged by season and contains more than 100 songs. Some are traditional,
and many are composed by Candy, with poems
by Nicola Wickstead and Julie Tonkin. Included
are songs about animals, plants, and seasonal
phenomena that appeal especially to children.
Each section ends with suggestions for seasonal
crafts and games.
To emphasize the connection with the natural
world, the book also includes lists of plants that
can be grown easily in any nursery garden.
Candy Verney studied music at the University of
Bristol. Her greatest learning, however, came from
raising her three sons, cultivating a garden, and
teaching music to all ages, and she draws her inspiration from Waldorf teaching methods. Candy leads
workshops with parents, teachers, and toddlers. She
has also leads community choirs and helped coordinate a midsummer festival: “Singing Round the
Town,” which celebrates the spirit of place—structures, the natural environment, and its residents.
Visit Candy’s website, Singing in the Round.
The Birthday Book
African and Caribbean
Celebrations
Gail Johnson, Illustrated by
Caroline Glanville
Press, Festivals series $30.00 224 pages
illustrated
African and Caribbean Celebrations offers a
unique introduction to the rich and varied
festival traditions of the African diaspora. The
book blends information with practical activities, allowing readers to engage creatively with
the subject. The author provides the history
and traditions of Junkonnu, Carnival, Crop
Over, and the other key events of the festival calendar—all beautifully illustrated and brought
to life with stories, songs, games, recipes, crafts,
and activities. Contents include Festivals and
Food; Music, Dance, and the Oral Tradition;
Rites of Passage; and a bibliography of resources
for further reading.
Gail Johnson was born in England, the daughter of
a Jamaican father and English mother. She works
as a teacher in a children’s center in Gloucester. In
2001, she won an award for Services to Education
in Gloucestershire.
Celebrations for Everyone
Ann Druitt, Christine
Fynes-Clinton, Marije Rowling
Birthdays are milestones on our journey
through life. The authors say, “We wrote this
book for the many people who wish to find
ways of bringing beauty, meaning, and a touch
of magic into the celebration of birthdays.”
Packed with recipes, stories, songs and games,
and ideas for cards, decorations, and presents,
The Birthday Book is spiced with quotations
from famous birthday celebrants and amusing
historical anecdotes.
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•
41 •
Gardening With young Children
Soul Development through Handwriting
ISBN: 9781903458389 Paperback Hawthorn Press Early years series
$27.00 156 pages illustrated
ISBN: 9780880105873 Paperback SteinerBooks $20.00 128 pages
Beatrys Lockie
Here is a lively, imaginative and practical guide to a child’s experience of
a year in the garden. Simple growing activities are interwoven with ideas
for things to make with berries, seeds, and leaves; easy recipes; and stories,
songs, and poems about insects, birds, and animals of the gardening world.
Basic gardening techniques for every stage of the growing cycle from seed
sowing to harvesting are clearly explained and illustrated. For those with
limited space there is an abundance of ideas for gardening on a small scale
such as a balcony, window sill, or even on a plate!
Beatrys Lockie spent many years working as a kindergarten teacher and also
lectured widely on early childhood education. She has been a passionate gardener
since childhood. She now tends an organic garden in the Scottish Borders.
The Waldorf Approach to the Vimala Alphabet
Jennifer Crebbin
Soul Development through Handwriting cultivates the noble qualities
to which Waldorf education has long been devoted through the use of
specific forms for shaping letters. The Vimala Alphabet was meticulously
designed to support independent thinking, engaged willpower, balance,
tolerance, honor, and intuition, as well as strengthening the developing
soul forces of children.
This book considers personal characteristics, which can be transformed
through certain letters. Soul Development through Handwriting includes:
• A summary the Waldorf method of teaching writing to young children
• Ideas for introducing the Vimala Alphabet into different grades
• Details on using the Vimala Alphabet as a transformative tool for children
Puppet Theatre
Maija Baric, Color illustrations by Kristiina Louhi
ISBN: 9781903458723 Paperback Hawthorn Press $30.00
88 pages Color illustrations
With wit and ingenuity, Maija Baric shows how to transform wooden
spoons, pieces of string, holey socks, outgrown clothes and other scrap
materials into beautiful, durable, and functional theatrical puppets. When
your puppets are ready to perform, discover how you can bring them to
life. You’ll learn to build staging, scenery, and props and how to create
sound effects and devise performances.
Also included are descriptions of the letters and their qualities, practice pages, letter forms to avoid, and practical tools to assist in teaching handwriting. Soul Development through Handwriting is a valuable
resource for all Waldorf teachers, home schoolers, and others working
with children. For more information, visit the author’s website at www.
changeyourhandwriting.com.
Jennifer Crebbin, Life Coach and Certified Handwriting Consultant, has devoted
her career to sharing this work. With more than twenty years in Waldorf education,
Jennifer blends her understanding of Waldorf pedagogy with the Vimala Alphabet
to help parents, educators, and children express their True Selves.
Your puppet creations will bring real magic into the everyday world. Use
them to transform storytelling at home or in the classroom, ease children’s
bedtime rituals, and make a birthday and other occasion truly special.
This is a great activity with your children, who will certainly want to create
characters and stories of their own.
Maija Baric studied puppetry at the Prague Academy of Performing Arts and is the
artistic director of Nukketeatteri Sampo (Puppet Theater Sampo), a professional
theater company based in Helsinki and founded in 1977 by Maija and Bojan Baric.
She leads courses in puppetry, directs and performs puppet shows, and designs
and creates theatrical puppets.
Kristiina Louhi (b. 1950) is one of the most popular illustrators in Finland. For
many years Louhi has brought to life space bunnies, giants, trolls, princesses, and
many other memorable characters that generally reflect the spirit of her home
country of Finland.
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42 •
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A First Book of Knitting for Children
Knitted Animals
Bonnie Gosse and Jill Allerton
With photography by Dave Gosse and Bryan Anderson
ISBN: 0-946206-55-4 Wynstones Press paperback color photographs
and illustrations throughout $19.95 96 pages
This is a knitting book with a difference. Rhymes and photos show in
detail the basic steps of knitting. A thorough introduction to knit stitch
and purl stitch is followed by simple, enticing patterns for animals. The
patterns are easy to make and the completed projects are fun to play
with. Although written for children, this book is a valuable resource and
inspiration for handwork teachers, parents and grown-ups wishing to
learn how to knit.
Anne-Dorthe Grigaff
ISBN: 1903458684 Hardcover Hawthorn Press Color photographs
$29.95 64 pages
This book provides instructions for making more than twenty different knitted animals, including a mother duck and ducklings; a family
of rooster, hen, and chicks; a shaggy brown bear; lambs; teddy bears;
cat and kittens; dog; squirrel; goose; rabbit; horse; fox; pig and piglets;
hedgehog; and mice. These projects are suitable for anyone with basic
knitting skills, even children and beginning knitters. Beautifully illustrated with full-color photographs throughout.
Knitting for Children
A second book
Bonnie Gosse and Jill Allerton
ISBN: 0-946206-53-8 Wynstones Press paperback. Numerous color
photographs and illustrations $24.95 108 pages
This second book, the authors bring many new
skills and a further variety of patterns for both
children and adults to make. Each pattern is given
with clear instructions and illustrated by artistic
photographs. Recommended for all ages!
Creative Felt
Felting and Making Toys and Gifts
ISBN: 9780863156137 Paperback Floris Books $16.95
96 pages 17 color illustrations 70 line drawings
For three thousand years, people made felt without specialized tools.
This book shows, step-by-step, how to make felt in easy stages. Helpful
photographs and diagrams accompany the text.
The second half of Creative Felt contains
a wealth of ideas for what to make with
felt, from toys and dolls to beautiful
accessories and gifts.
Angelika Wolk-Gerche is a freelance illustrator and textile designer, as well as leading
courses in arts and crafts. She lives near
Stuttgart.
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43 •
Magical Window Stars
Magic Wool
The Nature Corner
$20.00 96 pages
$15.95 80 pages
$15.95 88 pages
By using special paper-folding techniques,
colored tissue paper can be transformed into
magical window stars for every season.
Activities with colorful, unspun sheep’s wool
offer a wide range of creative possibilities that
will stimulate the creative imaginations of
children and adults alike. Dagmar Schmidt and
Freya Jaffke combine their craft and teaching
talents and experience to show how to create
beautiful figures and animals using a variety
of techniques.
Seasonal nature tables are an invaluable way of
making young children aware of the changing
cycle of the year. With simple materials and
basic knitting and crocheting skills, a series of
colorful and effective tableaux can be made at
home or in school for depicting the seasons and
major festivals.
More Magic Wool
Brunhild Müller
Frédérique Guéret
Frédérique Guéret provides step-by-step
instructions for making twenty-five window
stars. Each is graded for difficulty, to allow the
beginner to progress easily. She also shows how
the stars can be painted with additional color
accents that allow the sunlight to create a dazzling veined effect.
Dagmar Schmidt, Freya Jaffke
Making Dolls
Sunnhild Reinckens
Creating Figures & Pictures with
Dyed Wool
$15.95 56 pages Revised edition.
$15.95 80 pages
This little book, with its many color photographs and simple diagrams, describes how
to make seventeen different kinds of dolls—a
cuddly doll for toddlers, a large baby doll, finger
puppets, gnomes, dolls for a doll’s house, and
many others.
This is a sequel to the popular Magic Wool by
Dagmar Schmidt and Freya Jaffke on creative
activities with plant-dyed sheep’s wool. In More
Magic Wool Angelika Wolk-Gerche offers full
instructions for making subtle figures and pictures with the colorful, unspun sheep’s wool.
Included are clear instructions on how to form
the head, create various hairstyles, draw facial
features, and form the doll’s body.
M. V. Leeuwen, J. Moeskops
Painting with Children
$15.95 48 pages Color photographs
Revised Edition
A vital factor in every child’s development is the
stimulation of active imagination and creativity.
This book presents ideas that encourage self-expression through the medium of watercolors.
Fundamental and practical, this book is based
on Goethe’s color theory, showing that painting
with children is more than merely a form of
self-expression—Brunhild Müller encourages
the reader to understand children’s fantasies
and inner being through their artworks.
This is an essential guide for both parents and
teachers. It covers preparation, color stories and
poems, and painting the moods of nature and
seasons of the year.
This useful book will provide hours of creative
fun for parents and children.
Rose Windows
and How to Make Them
Helga Meyerbröker
$15.95 80 pages
Following the same patterns as the medieval cathedrals but using simple materials, the author
shows how to make decorative transparencies
to hang in the window. Includes step-by-step
instructions for creating designs from flower
and star shapes, as well as the more complex
and magnificent rosettes.
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Making Waldorf Dolls
A Waldorf Doll-Making Handbook
Maricristin Sealey
ISBN 1-903458-58-7 Paperback Hawthorn
“Maricristin’s book is a fine source for the
beginner doll maker. It is a valuable primer,
full of practical tips, simple designs and clear,
easy to follow instructions.”—Sara MacDonald,
Magic Cabin Dolls Company
This comprehensive guide for beginners and
experienced doll makers shows how to create many different kinds of handcrafted dolls
from natural materials. Handmade dolls with
their simplicity of expression and design leave
children’s imaginations free, rather than being
confined by perfectly finished dolls made of artificial materials. Instead, these dolls encourage
the magic of creative play and bring children the
gift of imagination in which they see themselves
as “makers.”
Crafts Through the Year
Thomas Berger, Petra Berger
$25.00 118 pages
Simply made decorations for home or school
are an absorbing way for children to become
involved in celebrating the yearly festivals. The
authors show how to make almost 200 different
things: decorated Easter eggs and candles, corn
dolls, straw horses, and Christmas transparencies to brighten winter windows. This is a
completely revised compilation of the authors’
very successful Christmas Craft Book, Easter
Craft Book, and Harvest Craft Book.
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Toymaking with Children
Freya Jaffke
$17.95 160 pages New Enlarged Edition
Color Illustrations
The toys that surround children during their
first five years are essential tools for their
awakening imaginations. Out of her long
experience as a kindergarten teacher, Freya
Jaffke provides many helpful suggestions
for selecting age-appropriate toys for young
children. Here are also directions for making
a variety of simple, engaging toys, as well as
sections on the meaning of play and how to
help children play.
Button, Button, Who’s Got
the Button?
101 Button Games
Hajo Bücken
$15.95 70 photographs 80 pages
Buttons are easy to find, fun to collect, and they
provide the family with lots of games to play.
The author takes a light-hearted look at a 101
games, from very easy ones to the more challenging. They include simple guessing games,
games using boards or table-tops, and games
of imagination, wit, and creativity.
Earth, Water, Fire, and Air
Playful Explorations in the Four
Elements
Walter Kraul
Feltcraft
Making Dolls, Gifts and Toys
Petra Berger
$16.95 88 pages
Feltcraft, an old creative art, is being revived in
many schools and homes. Felt is a durable, flexible material made from recycled woolen scraps.
Because it does not fray, it is ideal for children to
work with. It is available in many bright colors
from most craft and sewing shops.
This is an excellent guide for handwork and
kindergarten teachers and for parents who want
to engage their children in creative activities.
The Gnome Craft Book
$16.95 120 pages New color edition
Children are drawn instinctively to play with
the elements of water, air, fire, and earth. This
book shows how to encourage and develop
this tendency in children. Written primarily
for parents and teachers, it describes the construction of many toys, such as paddle-wheel
boats, propeller planes, and hot-air balloons,
among others, with easy-to-follow instructions,
diagrams, and photographs. The projects in
this book also encourage older and younger
children to play together and create in a healthy
and constructive way.
Thomas Berger, Petra Berger
$15.95 180 pages
Gnome crafts offer a wealth of possibilities
for children, appealing to
their imagination in vivid
and entertaining ways. This
book shows how to make
gnomes out of a variety of
media, including walnuts,
twigs, wool, and paper. There
are plenty of different types
of gnomes to keep children
amused for hours.
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Pull the Other One!
Now you see it…
String games are played all over the world, and
are often accompanied by songs and stories. In
this book, ingenious tricks and tales are developed and taught with utter simplicity, making
them suitable from age 5 upwards. Includes
an introduction, a section on origins, hints
for teachers and performers, an “invented by
children” section, and a Rainbow String.
Following the success of Pull the Other One!,
this second book has string games from ancient
cultures, as well as new figures such as computers, space shuttles, and trampolines that have
been invented by children today.
String Games and Stories, Book 1
Michael Taylor
Child’s Play 1 & 2
Games for Life for Children
Wil Van Haren, Rudolf Kischnick
For younger children—suitable for nursery, kindergarten, and grammar schools, camps, parties,
and family occasions. Includes 172 games, with
descriptions and backgrounds to games with
their accompanying movements, which relate
to the developmental stages of the child.
The Genius of Play
Celebrating the Spirit of Childhood
Sally Jenkinson
What do children express through play? How
does play help develop imagination, empathy,
and social skills? Why do children need adults
who encourage play? The
author discusses the nature and secrets of play,
its importance, and why
it is threatened today.
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46 •
String Games and Stories, Book 2
Michael Taylor
Jabulani!
Ideas for Making Music
Carol Shephard, Bobbie Stormont,
Foreword by Annie Davy
ISBN: 190345851x Includes CD Paperback
Hawthorn Press Festivals series $32.00
This book is for all those who ever wanted to
make music but thought they couldn’t. Jabulani! gives you all the tools you need to feel confident about creating music and leading music
activities. Teachers, play workers, parents, and
frustrated air-guitar players of all ages will find
a wealth of inspiration in this practical, userfriendly guidebook that is packed with musical
activities and games, and useful tips.
Come Follow Me
Lorraine Nelson Wolf
ISBN: 7-267797-239-25 41 minutes Audio CD
Come Follow Me Productions $16.95
A 2004 Parents’ Choice Approved Award Winner
A collection of 25 delightful songs including:
Come Follow Me, Morning is Come, A Basket
Full of Nuts, Come Little Leaves, Michaelmas,
When Mary Goes Walking, The North Wind
Doth Blow, White Coral Bells, I Had a Little
Sailboat, Lula-lula-bye, and more. All songs
are beautifully arranged with piano, accordian,
harp, or guitar accompaniment.
Come Follow Me Volume 2
Lorraine Nelson Wolf
ISBN: 700261245645 $16.95 audio cd
Come Follow Me Productions
Volume Two in the award-winning series presents more delightful songs including: Early One
Morning, All the Birds, I Had a Little Nut Tree,
Blow Wind, Blow, The Pine Tree Swing, I Walk
With My Little Lantern, Saint Martin, Autumn
Goodbye, On a Frosty Morning, Chickadee,
Sleep, O Sleep, Whippoorwill, and more. Simply
and beautifully arranged with harp, piano, accordion, or guitar accompaniment.
Set Free Childhood
Parents’ Survival Guide for Coping
with Computers and TV
Martin Large
The Future of Childhood
Alliance for Childhood Articles
Edited by Sally Jenkinson,
Martin Large, Christopher Clouder
Presents striking research on how the TV “tunes
out” the brain; why doctors and educators say
later is better for electronic media use; and
strategies for preventing
electronic addiction.
The Alliance for Childhood is a forum for
people and organizations who work in a
global effort to improve
children’s lives. This collection offers stimulating
insights into how you can
help protect the rights of
children everywhere.
Includes many useful
references, contacts, and
resources.
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Early Childhood
Heaven on Earth
A Handbook for Parents of Young Children
Sharifa Oppenheimer
Photography by Stephanie Gross
ISBN: 0-88010-566-6 Paperback SteinerBooks $25.00 256 pages
“The important child-development information is exquisitely combined with the
best ‘How-to’s’ I have seen in any book for parents. This is absolutely a must read for
parents, grandparents, teachers, and perhaps everyone who will ever touch the life of a
child.” —Carla Hannaford, Ph.D., international educational consultant and author of
Smart Moves and Awakening the Child Heart.
As we witness the shifting of old forms that once stood as the foundation of our daily
lives, parents—who must prepare the next generation to meet this changing world—have more questions
now than ever before. Although our culture and the nature of the family may be changing, the atmosphere in the
home continues to create the foundation of a child’s life. In Heaven on Earth, parent and educator Sharifa Oppenheimer reveals how to make the
home environment warm, lively, loving, and consistent with your highest ideals.
Heaven on Earth balances theoretical understanding of child development with practical ideas, resources, and tips that can transform family life.
Readers will learn how to establish the life rhythms that lay the foundation for all learning; how to design indoor play environments that allow
children the broadest skills development; and how to create backyard play spaces that encourage vigorous movement and a wide sensory palette.
Through art, storytelling, and the festival celebrations, this book is a guide to build a “family culture” based on the guiding principle of love. Such a
culture supports children and allows the free development of each unique soul.
What Is a Waldorf Kindergarten?
Compiled and Introduced by Sharifa Oppenheimer,
Edited by Joan Almon, Afterword by Cynthia K. Aldinger
ISBN: 9780880105767 Paperback SteinerBooks $15.00 112 pages FULL COLOR
PHOTOGRAPHS THROUGHOUT
Here is the perfect companion to Sharifa Oppenheimer’s Heaven on Earth: A Handbook for Parents of
Young Children, which answers the initial and most pressing questions of parents of young children.
Inevitably, a big decision arises: How and where should my child be educated?
The authors in What Is a Waldorf Kindergarten? describe from experience the numerous aspects of the
“Steiner school” approach to early childhood education. Readers will learn what lies behind the Waldorf kindergarten method and the practical ways in which it is applied by teachers in the classroom.
Throughout the book, the reader is guided by the sure and compassionate hand of longtime kindergarten
teacher Sharifa Oppenheimer as she introduces each topic.
Given the confusing array of educational approaches available today, this book serves to clarify one of the most dynamic and successful
approaches to beginning young children on the path of education and life in the world.
Free to Learn
Introducing Steiner Waldorf Early
Childhood Education
Lynn Oldfield
Preface by Dr. Cathy Nutbrown
Foreword by Sally Jenkinson
Illustrated by Rachel Oldfield
Free to Learn is a unique guide to the principles
and methods of Steiner Waldorf Early Childhood education. The author draws on kindergarten experience from around the world, with
stories, helpful insights, lively observations
and pictures. This inspiring book will interest
parents, educators, and early years education
students. It is up to date, comprehensive, and
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contains many illustrations, including a 16-page
color section.
Helping Children to
Overcome Fear
The Healing Power of Play
Russell Evans
Full of touching and useful examples, Helping
Children to Overcome Fear serves to remind us
that these principles are relevant not only to
the critically ill but can be used to support all
children, everywhere.
Press $19.95 128 pages Illustrated
The insights of Jean Evans, a play leader, have
become core principles for preschools, play
therapy, childcare, and pediatrics. These include
child development through play and imitation;
captivating children’s interest; encouragement
as a basis for healing; guidelines for helping
children feel safe and happy; and helping dying
children and caring parents.
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Early Childhood
Kindergarten Education
Freeing Children’s Creative Potential
Betty Peck
The Well Balanced Child
Movement and Early Learning
Work and Play in Early
Childhood
Freya Jaffke
Press, Early Years Series $27.00 224 pages
$15.95 80 pages
“This is an astonishing, impressive and
magnificent work. ... this is must reading for
every parent, would-be parent and teacher
world-wide.” —Joseph Chilton Pearce, author
of Magical Child
“A thought-provoking and helpful book that
makes a vital contribution to understanding
child development.” —Ewout Van-Manen,
Waldorf educator, Michael Hall School, UK
Rhythm and repetition, example and imitation,
are the pillars of early learning. Jaffke applies
these principles as well as planning the day,
festivals, rhythms, play, stages of development,
environment, and temperament.
“Pure inspiration for teachers and parents.”
—Nancy Mellon, author of Storytelling with
Children
“Every once in a while one meets a ‘real’
Kindergarten teacher—one of those rare souls
who shake their arms and Kindergarten magic
comes flying out. Betty Peck, whom I’ve known
and loved for years, is one of those.” —Joan
Almon, US Alliance for Childhood
What can children gain from the treasured
world of childhood that will enrich their adult
lives? Educator Betty Peck celebrates the power
of Kindergarten to help children find their creativity and imagination, opening the door to a
passionate relationship with learning.
This is an essential resource for teachers and
parents who want to give their children a more
meaningful education.
Ready to Learn
From Birth to School Readiness
Martyn Rawson, Michael Rose
A guide for understanding how a young child
learns to play, speak, think, and relate; how
language and the senses develop; when a child
is ready to learn to read; the difference between
the ways boys and girls learn; and simple tests
for school readiness. Both authors are consultants in teacher training in England and
have written numerous articles and books on
Waldorf education.
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48 •
Sally Goddard Blythe thoroughly explains why
movement is so important for the healthy development of babies and young children. She
describes movement, balance, reflexes, learning,
and behavior in early education and how music
affects brain development. The book includes
songs, games and, activities that encourage
learning at key stages of development.
Freya Jaffke is a kindergarten teacher at a Waldorf
school in Germany. She lectures widely on early
childhood education. Her highly popular books
include Work and Play in Early Childhood; Toymaking with Children; and, with Dagmar Schmidt,
Magic Wool: Creative Activities with Natural Sheep’s
Wool.
Here is a unique and holistic approach to the
senses, the brain, play, and movement. It is
also a valuable resource for helping parents
and professionals assess children with learning
difficulties and for dealing with learning and
behavioral problems through movement.
Storytelling with
Children
Nancy Mellon, Foreword by
Thomas Moore
Highly recommended for all early education
teachers and parents of young children.
“This is a treasure trove for professionals and
beginners—a book born of years of experience, written from the heart, and stirring to
the soul. Reading it, I feel the urge to pull my
own children close, to light a candle, to begin....
Nancy Mellon inspires us all to be storytellers.”
—Katrina Kenison, author of Mitten Strings
for God: Reflections for Mothers in a Hurry
ller!
Bestse
You Are Your Child’s First Teacher
What Parents Can Do with and for
Their Children from Birth to Age Six
Rahima Baldwin Dancy
ISBN: 0-890879-67-2 Paperback Celestial Arts
$16.95 396 pages
“Here is an extraordinary work for those who
want to develop a truly intelligent child and in
the process unlock new levels of their own intelligence and spirit.” —Joseph Chilton Pearce
Rahima Baldwin Dancy is nationally known as
a midwife, Waldorf early educator, and founder
of Informed Homebirth/Informed Birth & Parenting. She offers conferences on alternatives in
birthing, parenting, and education for parents
throughout the country.
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Storytelling with Children awakens wonder and
creates special occasions for children, whether
at bedtime, around the fire, or on rainy days.
Nancy Mellon encourages you to spin golden
tales and shows you how to become a confident
storyteller.
Every early childhood schoolteacher and all
parents of young children need this book.
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Education and Child Development
Phases of Childhood
Growing in Body, Soul and Spirit
Bernard Lievegoed
$19.95 208 pages
The author of this book tells us that our children
cannot become happy, wise, and skilled adults
unless their education—from the very beginning—takes into consideration the development
of body, soul, and spirit. Drawing on the educational ideas and philosophy of Rudolf Steiner,
Goethe, and Schiller, the author describes the
three main stages of child development and the
genetic and biographical potential revealed at
each stage. He goes on to explore the practical
application of these insights as an educational
method in harmony with the child’s developing
relationship with the surrounding world.
This is the essential, classic resource for all
parents, teachers, and caregivers.
Your Reincarnating Child
Welcoming a Soul to the World
Gilbert Childs, Sylvia Childs
Rudolf Steiner Press $20.00 192 pages
“One of the main purposes of this book,” write
the authors, “is to demonstrate that human beings are primarily of spiritual nature, and only
secondarily of bodily nature.” They explain how
these two natures complement each other in the
processes of maturation and development, from
the period before birth and incarnation into
maturity. With a firm philosophical grounding, the authors discuss key questions related
to prenatal and antenatal phases, including
those connected with clothing, food, play, work,
technology, and discipline.
Star Children
Understanding Children Who Set Us
Special Tasks and Challenges
Georg Kuhlewind
ISBN: 1-902636-49-X Paperback Temple Lodge
$25.00 160 pages
Who are the star children? Recently, much has
been written about “gifted” children with special abilities, sometimes called indigo or crystal
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children. It is said that they are coming to earth
to help humanity develop. Based on extensive
research, Kühlewind asserts that this is one of
the most important events of our time.
Children and Their Temperaments
Marieke Anschutz
Unlike many contributors to this discussion,
the author takes us consciously and scientifically into the realm from which we all enter the
world as babies, “trailing clouds of glory.” We
all possess the tools he describes for taking this
path: our thoughts, our heart forces, and our
willpower. By using these faculties with full
attention—by focusing our attentiveness and
eliminating everything else—we can enter the
realm of the spirit where the prevailing laws
are different from those on Earth. The author
helps us by closing each chapter with themes
for contemplation and meditation.
“This book is our personal favorite for learning
more about temperaments.”
—www.waldorfhomeschoolers.com
Star Children is a compelling addition to the
literature on “special children,” offering a
unique perspective based on spiritual science
and research.
The book includes examples from home and
school and discusses how these ideas may be
used to manage, and relate to, groups and individuals. This is a valuable tool for teachers,
parents, and care providers, especially when
dealing with “problem” children.
The Recovery of Man in
Childhood
A Study of the Educational Work of
Rudolf Steiner
A. C. Harwood, Introduction by
Douglas M. Sloan
ISBN: 0-913098-53-1 Paperback The Myrin Institute $14.95 208 pages New Edition
The classic work on Waldorf education, this is
an excellent place to begin for an understanding of Rudolf Steiner’s educational principles
and practices. Written by a teacher with more
than thirty years experience, this book is highly
recommended for both new and experienced
teachers and, especially, for parents who are
wondering what Waldorf is all about.
Topics include: growth and consciousness; the
threefold relation of body and mind; the map
of childhood; the first seven years; the small
child at home and school; the heart of childhood; teacher and child; the first school years;
from nine to twelve; the twelfth year and after;
foreign languages; practical work; music and
eurythmy; the temperaments; adolescence;
and each high school grade.
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$13.95 128 pages 2nd edition
Drawing on an ancient tradition, Rudolf Steiner
spoke of four fundamental types, or temperaments, belonging to the human personality,
each of which has a different personal need
and means of relating socially. Through her
experience of working with children, the author,
provides a guide to children’s temperaments
and their role in the development of character,
health, and personality.
raising waldorf
The Building of the Waldorf School
on the Roaring Fork
ISBN 978-0-9789735-0-6 PAPERBACK WALDORF
BOOK PROJECT $40.00 224 PAGES FULL COLOR
PHOTOGRAPHS THROUGHOUT
Raising Waldorf is a beautifully produced, heartfully written book that tells the story of the birth
and building of a Waldorf school. This particular
Waldorf school began fifteen years ago as a small
initiative by a small group of parents in a small
town on the upper reaches of the Roaring Fork
River watershed in the Rocky Mountains of
western Colorado. The biography of the Waldorf
School on the Roaring Fork is the sum of many
stories that have become one. It is a tale told in
many different voices not
just about the
building of
buildings, but
the building
of community and committment.
49 •
Adventures in Steiner
Education
An Introduction to the Waldorf
Approach
Brien Masters, Ph.D.
The Developing Child
Sense and Nonsense in Education
Willi Aeppli
Previously published as: Rudolf Steiner Education and the Developing Child
In Adventures in Steiner Education, Brien Masters draws on his rich and varied experience
to paint a vivid picture of Waldorf education
in practice. With many personal stories and
anecdotes, he brings to life the theory behind
this increasingly popular educational approach,
from the early years through to the Lower and
Upper Schools.
This is simply a gem of a book about real education. Master Waldorf teacher Willi Aeppli takes
everyone—parent, teacher, and child—with
him to the core of the task of education. His is
a picture of education as service to each child
and to our culture. Out of years of practical
experience, Aeppli describes the details of a
curriculum that can make this possible.
This lively book serves not only as an informative and entertaining introduction, but also as
a helpful refresher course for those seeking to
become fully acquainted with the basic principles of Steiner Education.
Renewing Education
Writings on Steiner Education
Francis Edmunds
Anthroposophic Press $16.95 224 pages
Education: An Introductory
Reader
A collection
Rudolf Steiner
Edited by Christopher Clouder
ISBN: 1-85584-118-5 Paperback Rudolf Steiner
Press, Pocket Library of Spiritual Wisdom
Series $17.95 224 pages
The name of Francis Edmunds will always be a
part of the Waldorf School movement. He traveled widely and his talks and writings, emphasizing the responsibility of adults and educators
toward children, have inspired and educated a
worldwide audience. This collection of essays
covers many different aspects of a Waldorf
school and will be invaluable to all concerned
with the spiritual basis of an individual’s development from childhood onward.
The Incarnating Child
Joan Salter
Even in today’s modern technological world,
the miracle of birth stirs within many people
a sense of wonder. This book is full of practical advice for one concerned with childcare.
Joan Salter addresses physical and spiritual
development, environment, immunization
and health, and the acquisition of skills and
thinking ability.
The First Three Years of the Child
Karl König
$17.95 138 pages
Karl König examines the first three years of the
life of the child in relation to the three major
achievements of that time: learning to walk, to
speak, and to think.
These three basic faculties are what make us
human, and their acquisition, König argues, is
“an act of grace” in every child. He goes on to
provide a detailed analysis of this extraordinarily complex process.
This is a classic by the founder of the Camphill Movement, an international movement
of therapeutic intentional communities. It is
a must-read for every new parent and earlychildhood teacher.
Topics include: a social basis for education;
the spirit of the Waldorf school; educational
methods based on anthroposophy;
children at play; teaching through
Teaching as a Lively Art
the insights of spiritual science; adoMarjorie Spock
lescents after the fourteenth year;
ISBN: 0-88010-127-X Paperback Anthroposophic Press $14.95 140 pages
science, art, religion, and morality;
the spiritual basis of education;
The author, an experienced Waldorf teacher and eurythmist, radiates her
the role of caring in education; the
enthusiasm and sense for beauty as she takes us through the various stages of
roots of education and the kingdom
development of the child. She shows us that “ripeness is all,” that nothing can
of childhood; address at a parents’
be taught to a child until the child is ready to receive it or knowledge will sprout
evening; and education within the
prematurely and wither early.
broader social context.
Marjorie Spock grew up in New Haven, Connecticut. She was a student of anthroposophy
from her teenage years when she met Rudolf Steiner in Dornach, Switzerland, in 1923,
and trained there to become a eurythmist. She earned a M.A. in Education at Columbia
University, writing her thesis on Waldorf education. For the next two decades she taught in Waldorf and private
schools, and in her later years established two bio-dynamic farms. She wrote and translated numerous books. She
died at the age of 103 on January 23, 2008.
•
50 •
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Rhythms of Learning
What Waldorf Education Offers
Children, Parents & Teachers
Selected Lectures by Rudolf Steiner
Rudolf Steiner, Edited and
Introduced by Roberto Trostli
ISBN: 0-88010-451-1 Paperback SteinerBooks
$29.95 400 pages
Roberto Trostli, an experienced Waldorf
teacher, has selected Rudolf Steiner’s key
lectures on children and education. In each
chapter, Trostli explains Steiner’s concepts and
describes how they work in the contemporary
Waldorf classroom.
This book will serve as an excellent resource
for parents who want to understand how their
child is learning. Parents will be better prepared
to discuss their child’s education with teachers,
and teachers will find it a valuable reference
source and communication tool.
Educating through Art
The Steiner School Approach
Agnes Nobel
$30.00 308 pages
Agnes Nobel examines the importance of art
in the development of the child and looks for
some answers to the vital question: what is
education for? She goes on to investigate why
Waldorf schools attach such importance to art
in education. She describes Steiner’s picture of
the developing child, his views on the imprint of
early experience in the child’s whole being and
the importance of living relationships and community in the Waldorf school. She shows how
these ideas were expressed in the curriculum of
the schools. There have been many books written on the Steiner approach to education, but
they have usually been written from within the
Steiner educational movement. This book takes
an independent view of Waldorf education and
critically assesses its unique qualities, successes
and relevance to the modern day.
Waldorf Education
Encountering the Self
Christopher Clouder, Martyn
Rawson
$14.95 160 pages Illustrated
This essential introduction to the practice of
Steiner’s ideas in education explains Waldorf ’s
innovative approaches to child development
and education. The authors discuss the practical
aspects of classroom teaching, festivals, child
development, early education, high school,
environmental education, and much more.
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This is an accessible introduction to Waldorf
education for parents who are exploring methods of education for their children.
Children first experience their individuality
around age nine. This experience is sometimes precipitated by a child’s first encounter
with death and the first inkling that life
is fragile and temporary. Koepke, a Swiss
Waldorf teacher, provides a clear and highly
readable explanation of the outer signs and
symptoms of this essential turning point in
the life of a child.
Educating As an Art
What Is Waldorf Education?
Essays on Waldorf Education
Edited by Carol Ann Bartges,
Nick Lyons
Three Lectures
Rudolf Steiner, Introduction by
Stephen Sagarin
ISBN: 0-88010-531-3 Paperback Rudolf Steiner
School NYC $25.00 208 pages Color plates
throughout
Twenty-five years ago at the Rudolf Steiner
School in New York City, Ekkehard Piening
and Nick Lyons edited a collection of articles
on Waldorf education. Their efforts resulted
in Educating as an Art, published in celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Rudolf
Steiner School.
Twenty-five years later in 2003, the Rudolf
Steiner School celebrated its seventy-fifth
year as well as seventy-five years of Waldorf
education in North America. This new edition
commemorates the work of the faculty members whose articles comprised the first edition,
many of whom helped to establish the Waldorf
movement in the US. Contributions have also
been added from the newer generation of teachers in the New York City School and Waldorf
teachers from around the country. This book
is written by teachers whose deepest thoughts
and actions are concerned with the work in
the classroom.
Agnes Nobel is an educational psychologist
working in Uppsala University, Sweden.
Transformation & Destiny in the
Ninth Year
Hermann Koepke
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$12.00 128 pages
This is a reader-friendly Waldorf “taster,” with
three public lectures by Rudolf Steiner on
Waldorf education and a thought-provoking
introduction by a Waldorf teacher and longtime
student of Steiner’s pedagogy.
These lectures by Steiner present what he sees
as the “fundamentals” in a matter-of-fact,
objective, non-dogmatic way. The introduction, wide-ranging and informative, speaks of
Waldorf education and methodology in general,
explaining that, before all else, a Waldorf School
is a good school.
Steiner relates the following anecdote in the
middle lecture of this small collection: “Whenever I come to Stuttgart to visit and assist in the
guidance of the school, I ask the same question
in each class, naturally within the appropriate
context and avoiding any possible tedium, ‘Children, do you love your teachers?’ You should
hear and witness the enthusiasm with which
they call out in chorus, ‘Yes!’ This call to the
teachers to engender love within their pupils is
all part of the question of how the older generation should relate to the young.”
51 •
Addiction’s Many Faces
Tackling Drug Dependency amongst
Young People: Causes, Effects, and
Prevention
Felicitas Vogt
Our Twelve Senses
Wellsprings of the Soul
Albert Soesman
The senses nourish our experience and act
as windows on the world. Our Twelve Senses
presents a lively way of experiencing and understanding the human senses.
Soesman explores not the usual five senses, but
twelve senses. These are the senses of touch, life,
self-movement, balance, smell, taste, vision,
temperature, hearing, language, the conceptual,
and the ego senses. The development, expression, and functioning of each sense is described.
The senses are discussed in physical, soul, and
spiritual/social groups, contrasted as polarities,
distinguished as “inner” or “outer.” Soesman
relates each sense to the signs of the zodiac.
“A classic work, a foundation for the development of spiritual psychology. Even more, meditating deeply on the content of this remarkable
book can bring us to embodied, conscious soul
life that is receptive to the spiritual worlds.”
—Robert Sardello, Ph.D., co-founder of The
School of Spiritual Psychology and author of
Facing the World with Soul.
Freeing Education
Steps towards Real Choice and
Diversity in Schools
Edited by Fiona Carnie, Martin
Large, and Mary Tasker
Covering the key questions of how to develop
diversity in education, this is a book for policy
makers, teachers, governors, and
parents to use to bring about
positive change. Leading educators from Britain and the United
States give the case for diversity of
school provision. Three case studies from Christian, Muslim, and
Waldorf schools give guidance on
the problems of “opting in” to the
•
52 •
state system. The rights of parents, children,
and teachers to greater choice within a more
equitable state system are thoroughly explored.
The book arose from the Oxford University
1995 conference on educational choice and
freedom in Europe.
On the Threshold of Adolescence
The Struggle for Independence in
the Twelfth Year
Hermann Koepke
ISBN: 0-88010-357-4 Paperback Anthroposophic Press $19.95 160 pages
Suzanne, a young Waldorf teacher, struggles
with changes in her class, and the problems she
and the parents face are given names and faces.
Readers join in teachers’ meetings, parents’
evenings, home visits, as well as conversations
between Suzanne and an experienced teacher.
She learns to cope with her class’s transition,
and readers learn how parents, teachers, and
friends must all accommodate the steps young
people are taking.
Thirteen to Nineteen
Discovering the Light
Julian Sleigh
Drugs are pervasive—pushed at school, at parties, in the street. Young people have to make
choices about drugs as a fact of everyday life.
Ideals, protest, demanding school work, the
need for emotional intimacy, the natural desire
to experiment, wanting to appear cool—can all
make drug taking seem attractive.
So what are the secrets of helping young people
learn about the many faces of addiction? What
lessons do addictions have for us? And what
about all forms of often socially sanctioned addiction such as shopping, sex, or fame? Here are
young people and parents who speak powerfully
from personal experience. They offer practical
insights into prevention, how to cope with family drug problems and treatment options.
In Place of the Self
How Drugs Work
Ron Dunselman
Ron Dunselman has written a very important
book on drugs that sheds a clear light on what
drugs are and what it means to be addicted. In
collaboration with doctors and therapists, and
drawing on extensive research with drug users
and his rehabilitation work as a psychologist,
Dunselman offers remarkable insights into:
• Why drugs, and the changed states of consciousness they induce, are so attractive to users
$11.95 120 pages
• The origin and history of drugs, and their profound effects on human consciousness
The author sheds light on the familiar problems of adolescents: loneliness, meeting with
others and relating to them, difficulties with
parents, awakening of sexuality, drinking, and
drugs. Writing directly for parents,
Julian Sleigh shows how the young
person is awakening to make decisions out of his or her own sense
of responsibility and feelings. If
parents are sufficiently
aware at this time of
trial and error, they can
give support and show
trust and confidence
in the emerging personality.
• The physical, psychological, and spiritual effects
of alcohol, LSD, marijuana, hashish, opium,
morphine, heroin, methadone, cocaine, amphetamines, ecstacy, and designer drugs.
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• How drugs undermine personal identity at a
time when people are becoming more open to spiritual
experiences.
Ron Dunselman, Ph.D., helped
pioneer ARTA, a leading Dutch
therapeutic community offering a holistic, anthroposophical approach to helping people
overcome drug dependency.
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School As a Journey
The Eight-Year Odyssey of a Waldorf
Teacher and His Class
Torin M. Finser, Ph.D.
An inspiring account of one teacher’s odyssey.
Along the way, he reveals the secrets of good
education in any setting: effective partnership with parents, a strong sense of collegiality
among the staff, and—above all—the presence
of dedicated teachers who are motivated by a
sincere love and respect for their students.
—Ernest Boyer, President,
Carnegie Foundation
This is a lively, colorful, and absorbing account
of a class teacher’s journey with his class, from
first grade through the eighth grade in a Waldorf school.
School Renewal
A Spiritual Journey for Change
In Search of Ethical Leadership
If not now, when?
$19.95 192 pages
Torin considers the crisis in ethical leadership,
bringing his unique approach to the problems
we face. He takes us on a journey of discovery by
asking hard questions about the breakdown in
ethics and leadership as evidenced by the shooting at Columbine and the financial debacle at
Enron and other companies—not to mention
the ongoing war in Iraq. He helps us see the roots
of this loss of ethical leadership and a way out of
the situation by applying the spiritual principles
of Anthroposophy.
Silence Is Complicity
A call to let teachers improve our
schools through action research
— Not NCLB *
* No Child Left Behind
ISBN: 0-88010-493-7 Paperback Anthroposophic Press $16.95 176 pages
ISBN: 9780880105804 Paperback SteinerBooks
$15.00 5 x 8 inches 112 pages
“I want to rush out and buy a copy of this book
for every teacher and parent I know.”
— Eric Utne of Utne Reader
Society debates, legislates, and regulates education more than it does any other profession. We
allow politicians to set specific standards and
test scores for our children, forcing teachers
to endure countless commission reports and
endless political debates about what should
happen in our schools.
“Splendid ... not just teachers, but parents, students, and just plain stressed-out citizens would
benefit from the wisdom, information, and
insight Finser offers.” —Joseph Chilton Pearce,
author of Evolution’s End
A school involves much more than education;
it is also a community—one that may or may
not be healthy. In School Renewal, Torin addresses many of the problems and challenges
that school communities face, using fairy tales,
myths, and personal experience. He describes
how teachers and parents can come to grips
with the all-too-common problems of burnout, conflicts, and routine. Most important, he
stresses that an educational community must
address the unseen dimensions of individuals.
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What if the voices of our teachers
were heard equally in today’s public discourse? Teachers work with
children every day and have always
understood intuitively the materials
and curriculum needed. Teacher
research, however, allows teachers to
go beyond intuitive understanding
to a level of documented inquiry. In Silence Is
Complicity, Dr. Finser offers teachers the tools
needed to speak out and be heard, empowering
their advocacy for educational change.
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Organizational Integrity
How to Apply the Wisdom of the Body
to Develop Healthy Organizations
ISBN: 9780880105828 Hardcover SteinerBooks $30.00 268 pages Color and b/w
illustrations
ISBN: 9780880105781 Paperback $25.00
268 pages Color and b/w illustrations
Organizational Integrity attempts to reclaim
and reconcile organizational dynamics with
living systems. The wisdom found in human
organs, minerals, planets, and even sacred
geometry is used to reinvent organizations.
Organizations are supposed to serve, and their
forms and structures should mirror the living
systems of those who have come together with
common purpose. We need to change our ideas
of organizations and establish a new paradigm
so that future organizations will be worthy of
the people in them.
Dr. Finser makes the case that we need a new
ecology of organizations, and that now is time
for a new revolution that creates dynamic, living
organizations by the people and for the people.
Moreover, he shows us how to achieve this seemingly impossible task by “organ-izing” organizations. Just as democracy has transformed much
of the world, through the genius of the human
body we can transform organizations into living
systems that serve and protect human interests.
Torin M. Finser, Ph.D., is Director of the
Waldorf Teacher Education Program at
Antioch University New England and
founding member of the Center for Anthroposophy, Collaborative Leadership
Training, and Templar Associates in New
Hampshire. He has been an educator for
three decades and has been a keynote
speaker at conferences in Asia, Europe,
and throughout North America. He has consulted
with many public and Waldorf schools in areas of
facilitating change, designing mentoring and evaluation programs, and leadership development.
53 •
Foundations of Waldorf Education Series
The first free Waldorf school opened in September 1919 under the auspices of Emil
Molt, director of the Waldorf Astoria Cigarette Company, who was a student of Rudolf
Steiner’s spiritual science and was especially affected by Steiner’s call for social renewal.
Molt responded by creating a school for his workers’ children.
Since that time, nearly a thousand schools have opened around the world, making the
Waldorf movement the largest independent educational movement in the world. There
are more than 125 Waldorf schools in the United States, Canada, and Mexico alone.
The true foundations of the Waldorf method and spirit are Steiner’s many lectures on education and child development. From 1919 until 1924, he worked tirelessly to disseminate
his ideas on Waldorf education. He gave numerous lectures to teachers, parents, children,
and the public as new schools were established and the movement grew.
The Foundations of Human
Experience
14 lectures, Stuttgart, 1919
(GAs 293 & 66)
Rudolf Steiner, Foreword by
Henry Barnes, Introduction and
translation by Nancy Whittaker
and Robert Lathe
ISBN: 0-88010-392-2 Paperback Foundations
of Waldorf Education (vol. 1) $20.00
356 pages
These first lectures to the first Waldorf teachers are some of Steiner’s most remarkable and
significant statements on education and human
development. Because this may be his most
concise and detailed account of human nature,
these lectures are also fundamental for anyone
who wishes to understand Anthroposophy and
its view of the world. Steiner provides a powerful, convincing, and profound phenomenological “anthropology,” or human spiritual psychology, for parents, psychologists, and counselors.
This is a primary text for Waldorf education.
Also available as Study of Man
Practical Advice to
Teachers
14 talks, Stuttgart, Aug.-Sept. 1919
(GA 294)
Rudolf Steiner, Translated, revised
& edited by J. Collis, Introduced
by Astrid Schmitt-Stegmann
224 pages
During an intensive two weeks, Steiner gave
three simultaneous educational courses to those
who would become the first teachers of the
original Waldorf school, including this course,
The Foundations of Human Experience, and Discussions with Teachers. This volume integrates
theory with the nuts and bolts of teaching, offering practical advice for the classroom.
•
54 •
Steiner spoke of new ways to teach reading,
writing, geography, geometry, languages, and
much more. His approach is tailored to the
spiritual and physical needs of the children,
not to an arbitrary curriculum based solely on
external results.
Discussions with Teachers
15 discussions, Stuttgart, Aug.-Sep.
1919 (GA 295); 3 additional lectures
Craig Giddens
224 pages
For two weeks before the first Waldorf school
opened in Stuttgart, Steiner prepared teachers
intensively to become its first teachers. At 9 a.m.
he gave the course published as The Foundations
of Human Experience; at 11, Practical Advice to
Teachers; and, after lunch, from 3 to 6, he held
these spontaneous and relaxed discussions.
Steiner does not prescribe specific methods but
discusses various topics and situations, simply
giving guidelines. Then practical assignments
are given, which are taken up and discussed
at the next session. The discussions are filled
with insights and indications in many areas of
teaching—history, geography, botany, zoology,
form drawing, and mathematics are all touched
upon. Also included are speech exercises and,
for the first time in English, three very important lectures on the curriculum.
Education As a Force for
Social Change
6 lectures, Dornach, Aug. 9-17, 1919;
3 lectures, Stuttgart, May 11 & 18,
and June 1, 1919 ( GAs 296 &192)
Rudolf Steiner
272 pages
These radical lectures were given one month
before the opening of the first Waldorf school
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and following two years of intense preoccupation with the social situation in Germany
as World War I ended and society sought to
rebuild itself. Well aware of the dangerous
tendencies in modern culture that undermine
true social life—such as psychic torpor and
boredom, universal mechanization, and the
loss of idealism—Steiner saw that any solution
must address not only economic and legal issues, but also that of a free spiritual life. Only
the proper nurturing of the virtues of imitation,
reverence, and love at the right times in a child’s
development can create mature adults who are
prepared to fulfil the demands of a truly healthy
social life and assume the responsibilities of
cultural freedom, legal equality, and economic
brotherhood.
Also includes three additional lectures on the
social basis of education and a lecture to the
workers of the Waldorf Astoria Cigarette Company (after which he was asked to form a school),
and a lecture to public school teachers.
The Spirit of the Waldorf
School
6 lectures, Stuttgart and Basel,
1919 (GAs 297, 24)
Robert Lathe and Nancy Whittaker
208 pages
An inspiring introduction to Waldorf education. These lectures outline the goals and intent
of the Waldorf school, explaining its guiding
principles and how parents must participate
with understanding and interest in awakening
their children’s creative forces. Includes “The
Intent of the Waldorf School,” “The Spirit of
the Waldorf School,” “Spiritual Science and
Pedagogy,” and “The Pedagogical Objective of
the Waldorf School in Stuttgart.”
Rudolf Steiner in the
Waldorf School
Lectures and Conversations
Stuttgart, 1919-1924 (GA 298)
Catherine E. Creeger
224 pages
Steiner’s talks in the Stuttgart school from
1919–1924. Included are speeches at school
assemblies and parents’ evenings where Steiner
spoke spontaneously, with warmth and enthusiasm. This is a unique glimpse into Steiner’s
views on the school and the educational philosophy he brought into being.
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The Genius of Language
6 lectures, Stuttgart, Dec. 1919-Jan.
1920 (GA 299)
Gertrude Teutsch & Ruth Pusch
ISBN: 0-88010-386-8 Paperback Foundations of
Waldorf Education (vol. 7) $16.95 144 pages
Steiner demonstrates how history and psychology combine to form languages and how this
power has dwindled, but also how the seed
of language—the penetration of sense into
sound—can be accessed today.
Faculty Meetings with
Rudolf Steiner
Vol. 1: 1919–1922 (GA 300a–300b);
Vol. 2: 1922–1924 (GA 300b–300c)
864 pages
Steiner worked with teachers on every detail of
the first Waldorf school—lesson plans, religious
education, schedules, resources, administration,
finance, and child study. Guiding the faculty, he
moved toward his goal of creating a vehicle for
social transformation.
Steiner deals with frustrations, successes, and
failures. This look behind the scenes will captivate anyone interested in the early stages of
the Waldorf school movement.
The Renewal of Education
14 lectures, 2 talks on Eurythmy,
Basel, April–May 1920 (GA 301)
Steiner outlines the child’s gradual development,
aided by spiritual forces and enlightened educational practices which are the basis for Waldorf
education. He describes the problems that face
educators today and gives practical solutions. He
explains the effects of morality on true freedom
and how the development of a child’s moral
capacity leads to free, flexible thinking. He also
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describes how teaching methods in the early
grades have a lifelong effect on children.
These lectures cover a broad range: the threefold
human being; the responsibility of teachers toward their students’ futures; arts such as music
and eurythmy; problems in teacher training;
zoology, botany, language, geography, and history. These lectures provide accessible and practical ideas for renewing modern education.
Education for Adolescents
8 lectures, Stuttgart, 1921 (GA 302)
Rudolf Steiner, Translated by Carl
Hoffman
In this important collection of lectures, originally delivered in 1921 to teachers at the first
Waldorf school in Stuttgart, Steiner discussed
his ideas about the developmental stages of children and approaches to teaching adolescents.
Throughout these lectures, Steiner stresses the
unity of human life and the task of Waldorf
education—to help mature, responsible beings
enter the “real world” and work for the common
good. An essential addition to the literature on
adolescent education.
Soul Economy
Body, Soul, and Spirit in Waldorf
Education. 16 lectures in Dornach,
Switzerland, Dec. 23, 1921-Jan. 7,
1922 (GA 303)
Roland Everett
384 pages
Steiner shows how Waldorf education emphasizes the efficient use of children’s inner energies, a method Steiner calls “soul economy,”
based on knowledge of the whole human being
in body, soul, and spirit. He explains how to
nurture children through their natural stages of
development, giving them just what they need
at the right time. These detailed and accessible
lectures give parents and teachers alike the keys
to a much-needed renewal of education.
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Balance in Teaching
9 lectures: Stuttgart, Sept.–
Oct. 1923 (GA 302a)
Rudolf Steiner, Translated by René
Querido and Ruth Pusch
ISBN: 9780880105514 Paperback Foundations
of Waldorf Education (vol. 11) $24.95 220
pages
Speaking to the teachers at the first Waldorf
school in Stuttgart, Steiner asserts that the
unfortunate presence of dishonesty and alienation in society today cannot be addressed
without a completely renewed and holistic
education. Successful teaching requires a
living synthesis of the “spiritual gymnast,” the
“ensouled rhetorician,” and the “intellectual
professor.”
“It’s impossible for true teaching to be boring,”
declares Steiner, and he offers several examples
of how teachers
can observe a natural phenomenon
so intimately that
its creative life
can flow into the
children through
a teacher’s own
words in the classro o m . He a l s o
describes how the
actions of teachers directly affect
the physiological
chemistry of their students. From this perspective, education is really therapy, transformed
to a higher level, and should be seen as closely
related to the healing arts. Steiner also shows
how the perception of hidden relationships
between education and the processes of human
development can kindle a heartfelt enthusiasm
and a sense of responsibility in teachers for the
far-reaching health effects that educational
activities can produce.
55 •
Waldorf Education and
Anthroposophy 1
9 public talks, 1921-1922 (GA 304)
René Querido
272 pages
Steiner presented his ideas to the public with
surprising directness. He emphasized that
teaching should be artistic and improvisational,
not dogmatic, and that the great battle concerns
the spiritual nature of children. Themes include
the role of health and illness in education and
the three major phases in childhood: imitation,
authority, and freedom. Includes two lectures
given in England on Shakespeare and new ideals
in education.
Waldorf Education and
Anthroposophy 2
12 public talks, 1923-1924 (GA 218b,
304a)
René Querido
244 pages
By the time of this second collection of public
lectures, the Waldorf school movement was
gaining increasing recognition. As in the previous volume, Steiner is outspoken about the
spiritual nature of human beings and Waldorf
education.
The Spiritual Ground of
Education
9 Lectures, Manchester College,
Oxford, 1922 (GA 305)
Christopher Bamford
160 pages
Given at a conference attended by many prominent people of the time, Steiner’s Oxford lectures gave him a rare opportunity to present the
principles of Waldorf education at the highest
cultural level. According to
The Manchester Guardian:
needed by the teacher, a knowledge of the
being of man and of the world, which is at the
same time scientific and also penetrates into
the most intimate inner life, which is intuitive
and artistic.
These lectures are among the best introductions
to Waldorf education.
The Child’s Changing
Consciousness
As the Basis of Pedagogical Practice
8 lectures, Dornach, Switzerland,
1923 (GA 306)
Roland Everett
232 pages
In 1923, Steiner gave these lectures to an audience of Swiss school teachers, most of whom
had little knowledge of Anthroposophy. These
lectures are among his most accessible on the
subject of education and are ideal for those approaching this method for the first time.
A Modern Art of Education
14 lectures, Ilkeley, England, August
5–17, 1923 (GA 307)
Rudolf Steiner,
Introduction by Christopher
Bamford
256 pages
Here is a comprehensive introduction to
Steiner’s philosophy, psychology, and practice
of education, describing the union of science,
art, religion, and morality, which was the aim
of all his work and underlies his concept of
education. Against this background, Steiner
develops a new developmental psychology.
Having established how children’s consciousness develops, Steiner discusses how to present
various subjects so that they grow inwardly.
Only when children absorb the right subject
in the right way at the right time can real inner
freedom—so necessary for modern life—become second nature.
Dr. Steiner ... spoke to us
about teachers who, freely
and unitedly, unrestricted
by external prescription,
develop their educational
methods exclusively out of a
thorough knowledge of human nature. He spoke to us
about a kind of knowledge
•
56 •
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The Essentials of Education
5 Lectures, Stuttgart, 1924 (GA 308)
Rudolf Steiner
128 pages
These are the last public lectures Steiner gave
in Germany. Along with The Roots of Education
(given three days later), these lectures present
a synthesis of Waldorf education. The Waldorf
experiment was five years old and had become
an established, concrete reality. Steiner had
guided the school from its beginning, and here
he distills his observations into the essentials of
Waldorf education.
The Roots of Education
5 lectures, Berne, 1924 (GA 309)
Rudolf Steiner
128 pages
Steiner offers deep insight into the mystery of
the soul and spirit forces involved in childhood
development. He describes the transformations
that take place as these forces unfold, explaining how teaching relates to these fundamental
changes and prepares children to become citizens of both the physical and spiritual worlds.
By recognizing our spiritual citizenship, we can
become truly social on earth and fully creative
in building new worlds.
Teaching Language Arts in
the Waldorf School
Rudolf Steiner,
Edited by Roberto Trostli
ISBN: 9781888365566 Paperback AWSNA $18.00
316 pages
Here is a useful compendium of excerpts from
The Foundations of Waldorf Education series
by Rudolf Steiner. Compiled by Roberto Trostli,
editor of Rhythms of Learning: What Waldorf
Education Offers Children, Parents & Teachers,
this compendium aids Waldorf teachers by
offering comments from Rudolf Steiner on
teaching the language arts, including spelling,
reading, composition writing, handwriting,
left-handedness, literature, grammar, speech,
and recitation—all culled from The Foundations of Waldorf Education series published
by SteinerBooks.
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Human Values in Education
10 Lectures, Arnheim, Holland, 1924
(GA 310)
Christopher Bamford
224 pages
The underlying thesis of these lectures is that
true education must be based on knowledge of
the whole human being and that such knowledge cannot be attained without love. On this
basis, Steiner presents his understanding of
every aspect of child development—bodily,
psychological, and spiritual. At the same time,
he shows that, to prove worthy of their calling,
teachers must begin a process of inner development. In Steiner’s view, it is human beings who
give value and meaning to the world. Modern
education, however, is gradually undermining this meaning. These lectures demonstrate
that education can heal that lack of meaning
and restore the meaning of humankind for
the world.
Steiner also discusses the practical, day-to-day
operation of the school. He talks about styles
of teaching, teacher conferences, parent-teacher
meetings, and how Waldorf education is related
to the anthroposophic movement.
The Kingdom of Childhood
Introductory Talks on Waldorf
Education. 7 lectures, Torquay,
England, 1924 (GA 311)
Christopher Bamford
160 pages
These talks are perhaps the best-known introduction to Steiner’s ideas on Waldorf education.
Given to a small group on his last visit to England in 1924, Steiner shows the need for teachers
to develop themselves by transforming their
natural gifts, and how teachers can use humor
to keep their teaching lively and imaginative.
Above all, he stresses the grave importance
of doing everything with the awareness that
children are citizens of both the spiritual and
the physical worlds.
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The Light Course
Toward the Development of a New
Physics. 10 Lectures, Stuttgart, Dec.
23, 1919-Jan. 3, 1920 (GA 320)
Rudolf Steiner, Translated by Raoul
Cansino
224 pages
“The natural scientist has studied only this one
thing: the observation of outer nature, solely for
the purpose of tracing it back to the central forces
and for driving out of nature everything that
could not be determined by means of central forces
and potentials. Now the time has actually arrived
when ... we have a subconscious glimmering of
the impossibility of the modern approach to nature and some sense that things have to change.”
— Rudolf Steiner
This course on light explores color, sound,
mass, electricity, and magnetism. It presages
the dawn of a new view in the natural sciences
that turns our notion of the physical world
upside down.
This first course in natural science, given to the
teachers of the new Stuttgart Waldorf School as
an inspiration for developing the physics curriculum, is based on Goethe’s approach to the
study of nature. Steiner corrects the mechanistic
reductionism practiced by scientific positivists,
emphasizing instead the validity of human
experience and pointing toward a revolution
in scientific paradigms that would reclaim
ground for the subject—the human being—in
the study of nature.
in 1907, represents the earliest expressions of
his ideas on education. He lays out the soul
and spiritual processes of human development
and describes the need to understand how
children develop in their being through successive “births,” beginning with the physical body
and culminating when the I-being emerges at
adulthood. Includes several early lectures on
education, given between 1906 and 1911.
NEW!
Education, Teaching, and
Practical Life
Rudolf Steiner
ISBN: 9781888365719, $25, 144 pages, AWSNA
Available in English for the first time, these
lectures by Rudolf Steiner describe a way of
educating and teaching children and youth
that aims toward educating the whole person
according to body, soul and spirit in a balanced
way. Such an education can be carried out only
if the educator is aware how in evolution the
physical is formed out of the soul and spirit.
For one can participate in the education of a
being only if one understands the laws of this
education. This book is filled with gems to be
mined by teachers, parents, students of spiritual
science, and scholars.
The Education of the Child
And Early Lectures on Education
A collection of writings and lectures
Christopher Bamford
160 pages
Around 1884, while tutoring a boy with special
needs, Steiner acquired an interest in applying
spiritual knowledge to practical life. The essay
at the core of this book, originally published
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57 •
Curative Education
Aspects of Youth Guidance
those in the field who are cultivating a spiritual
approach.
Using detailed case studies, Steiner describes
various illnesses, therapeutic methods, and
medical treatments, as well as valuable advice
for developing teaching abilities. Includes color
plates and an index.
Cornelius Pietzner
Focusing on young adults with special needs,
the authors look at the transition from adolescence to adulthood. This textbook describes a
fundamental approach to healing.
Contributors include: Cornelius Pietzner,
Elizabeth Amlen, Rev. Gregg C. Brewer, Carlo
Pietzner, Gregg Davis, Rev. Julian Sleigh and
Clemens Pietzner.
Autism
A Holistic Approach
Bob Woodward and Marga
Hogenboom
$45.00 288 pages
Autistic children present a challenge for educators and care providers. Through an extensive
program of physical, sensory, social, and play
therapies, autistic children can begin a path
toward self-discovery and healthy social skills.
This is essential for everyone involved with
autistic children.
Education for Special Needs
The Curative Education Course
12 Lectures, Dornach, June 25-July 7,
1924 (GA 317)
Rudolf Steiner
In 1924, when attitudes toward people with
special needs were radically different, Steiner
gave this seminal course to a small group of
teachers and doctors as a basis for their work.
The movement he inspired
has grown enormously,
with hundreds of homes
around the world for children and adults with special
needs. The revolutionary
approach and far-reaching
perspective of these lectures
remains an inspiration to
•
58 •
Foundations of Curative
Eurythmy
Margarete Kirchner-Bockholt
$50.00 192 pages
Previously Published As: Fundamental
Principles of Curative Eurythmy
In 1921, Rudolf Steiner delivered a series of
lectures on curative eurythmy. Over the following years, when his advice was sought in cases
of illness, he added to the initial therapeutic
exercises and indications. For those who were
unable to attend the original courses, Dr. Kirchner-Bockholt published the basic principles and
an authentic collection of Steiner’s advice.
This is Dr. Kirchner-Bockholt’s comprehensive handbook. It is both a guide for curative
eurythmists in their therapeutic work as well
as an introduction to this effective mode of
therapy.
Barbara Denjean-von Stryk
and Dietrich von Bonin
$50.00 192 pages
Written for speech therapists and doctors, this
book gives a precise, practical summary of
anthroposophical therapeutic speech.
Speech formation, or
creative speech, is based
on the ancient art of
recitation and drama,
and was revived and
fundamentally redeveloped by Rudolf and
Marie Steiner in the
early 1920s. This thera-
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To a Different Drumbeat
A Practical Guide To Parenting
Children with Special Needs
P. Clarke, H. Kofsky, J. Lauruol
Written by parents, for parents, this book offers
suggestions in such areas as sleep, feeding, incontinence, play, behavior, growth, siblings, clothing,
travel, and more. It addresses the emotional
needs and development of child and adult.
Michael Luxford
A concise, illustrated introduction to Steiner’s
ideas on the education of children with special
needs. These insights have led to the creation
of special schools, communities, and villages
throughout the world, collectively known as the
“curative education movement.” An important
part of this network is made up of the Camphill
schools and communities in twenty countries.
Holistic Special Education
Anthroposophical
Therapeutic Speech
peutic work is based on speech exercises and
indications on how to use them, as given by
Rudolf Steiner.
Camphill Principles and Practice
Robin Jackson
$30.00 228 pages
Camphill’s holistic approach embraces education and therapy—from nutrition and daily
skills to bedtime routines—and craft work and
medical treatment. Camphill philosophy holds
that the relationship between the child and
the adult coworker should be one of mutual
teaching and learning. It recognizes parents
as equal and active partners, while striving
to develop the physical, mental, and spiritual
aspects of a child.
Written by people who are actively involved in
holistic special education on a daily basis, this is
an honest and informative manual that will be
valued by parents and professionals alike.
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Crying and Restlessness
in Babies
The Vaccination Dilemma
Christine Murphy
A Parent’s Guide to Natural Sleeping
Ria Blom
Lantern Books $15.00 144 pages
Christine Murphy has compiled a book that
presents the vaccination dilemma from multiple
perspectives. It clearly describes the immune
system and its workings—and what science does
and does not know about them. It offers suggestions and resources for parents whose children
are sick, whether from a common childhood
illness or from a vaccination reaction.
$16.00 188 pages
Ria Blom is an expert in swaddling—ways of
wrapping babies securely and helping them
relax naturally into sleep. Swaddling works by
inducing a sense of safety and comfort for the
baby—and it can work wonders for the parent as well. This insightful book offers quick
solutions for parents under stress, as well as
plenty of background information on sleeping
patterns and baby routines.
Sound Sleep
Calming and Helping Your Baby or
Child to Sleep
Sarah Woodhouse
Many babies and young children experience
sleep problems. Most problems can be solved,
and this step-by-step method of “timed settling”
is a unique way of helping babies sleep.
Vaccination
A Guide For Making Personal
Choices
Dr. Hans-Peter Studer, Edited by
Dr. Geoffrey Douch, Translated by
Matthew Barton
$12.50 96 pages
This book will help educate parents about the
vaccination dilemma and prepare them to
make, in consultation with one or more health
professionals, educated vaccination decisions
for their children.
Iscador
Mistletoe and Cancer Therapy
Edited by Christine Murphy
Christine Murphy gathers together the work
of doctors and clinicians who have been using
Iscador today. Dr. Richard Wagner, a German
physician, answers questions about Iscador
asked him by his patients during his many
years of practice as an oncologist in general
practice, treating cancer patients with both
conventional and alternative therapies. Dr.
Thomas Schuerholz, a medical doctor specializing in cancer, offers an overview of the
terms, procedures, and different approaches
to cancer.
The mistletoe plants are
checked and cleaned
by hand before selected
parts undergo lactic
acid fermentation.
Many parents are quite willing to follow official recommendations for child immunization, while others avoid every vaccination for
their children. This guide helps parents reach
informed decisions based on clear information.
It explains the levels of danger of various diseases, which may relate to a child’s age. It also
describes the ways in which vaccinations work
and explores their benefits and potential risks.
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From Early Childhood to Adolescence; With Practical Exercises
Anne-Maidlin Vogel, Preface by
Michaela Glockler, Edited by Norman Francis Vogel
ISBN: 9780880105682 Hardcover SteinerBooks $45.00 264 pages
Therapeutic Eurythmy for Children is a collection of exercises gathered by Anne-Maidlin
Vogel from 1968 until 1998. Many arose from
lectures the author attended, given by experienced therapeutic eurythmists, as well as
medical doctors and colleagues, with some of
the exercises created from her own work with
children for over thirty years.
As a form of movement therapy, eurythmy
has been very effective in treating physical and
mental developmental disorders. This book is
a rich source of information for professional
eurythmy therapists, physicians, and teachers
of children up to fifteen years of age. Therapeutic Eurythmy for Children provides not only
examples for exercises, but also offers useful
references for personal development and additional training for therapists.
It will inspire and enrich the work of therapists,
provide a means to more holistic pediatrics,
give teachers a better understanding of how to
approach their students through movement,
and encourage parents toward a more effective,
holistic aid to their children’s overall health and
development.
Anne-Maidlin Vogel (d.1999) became one of the
three leading teachers of the Therapeutic Eurythmy
Training at Peredur, East Grinstead, England. She was
active there for fourteen years, training more than
500 eurythmists.
Twice a year, the summer and winter extracts
are combined in a
specially designed process
for extraction of the
natural medicine.
This affordable guide is for all parents who
are looking for the facts and for unbiased
guidance.
Therapeutic Eurythmy for
Children
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59 •
A Guide to Child Health
Wolfgang Goebel, Michaela
Glöckler
Here, in a completely revised new edition, is the
classic guide for parents on children’s physical,
psychological, and spiritual development. It
combines medical advice with the essential
issues of raising and educating children. The
authors outline the connection between education and healing and discuss its implications for
raising healthy children. Medical, educational,
and spiritual questions often overlap, and, when
looking for the significance of any illness, it is
necessary to study a child as a whole being of
body, soul, and spirit.
The authors base their theory and practice on
seventeen years of experience in the children’s
outpatient department at the Herdecke Hospital
in Germany, which is guided by the principles
of anthroposophic medicine.
Part one covers childhood ailments and home
care. Part two looks at the healthy development
of children and how to create and maintain
ideal conditions for them. The authors also examine issues of raising and educating children
and how this affects them later on in life. This
book is extremely practical. It presents cases of
conflict and crisis and possible solutions. This
new edition lists medical and health practices
in North America, Southern Africa, Australia,
and New Zealand.
Healthy Medicine
A Guide to the Emergence of
Sensible, Comprehensive Care
Robert Zieve, M.D., Forewords by
Dietrich Klinghardt, M.D., Ph.D.,
James Oschman, Ph.D.
Dr. Zieve presents a new paradigm for health
care that shows us how to go beyond the limita-
•
60 •
tions and severe deficiencies of our current sickness care system. It embraces and synthesizes
the emerging models of integrative medicine,
energy medicine, and energy psychology into
an effective and affordable approach to healing
for everyone.
This guide is for both those who wish to provide
a more complete form of health care for their
patients and also for those individuals who are
prepared to make the necessary changes in daily
life in order to initiate or maintain a movement
toward healing.
A Child is Born
A Natural Guide to Pregnancy, Birth
& Early Childhood
Wilhelm zur Linden
Today’s prospective parents are confronted by
a huge selection of guidebooks on pregnancy,
birth, and early childhood, and many of them
offer sensible advice and sound information
that can help mothers and fathers. Nonetheless,
Dr. zur Linden’s long-established natural care
book offers an important additional dimension.
In clear, accessible language he explains what
newborn babies and small children need to harmoniously develop the full potential of body,
soul, and spirit. Based on a broad perspective,
he offers many practical suggestions.
Beginning with the growing embryo during pregnancy, the author guides the reader
through the birth; the postnatal period and
breastfeeding; care of newborn babies; meals
for babies; and caring for children when they
are sick. He includes useful sections on bottlefeeding, almond milk, and water quality.
Primal Health
Understanding the Critical Period
Between Conception and the First
Birthday
Michel Odent
Clairview Books $24.00 240 pages
Odent shows how the period between conception and a child’s first birthday is critical
to lifelong health. In this prophetic book, he
asserts that various aspects of the “primal adaptive system” develop, regulate, and adapt during
fetal life, birth, and infancy. Everything during
this period of dependence on the mother influences primal health.
The author suggests that later well-being as
adults and the ability to withstand hypertension,
cancer, alcoholism, and failures of the immune
system resulting in AIDS, allergies and viral diseases, can all be traced back to society’s ignorance
of the vital importance of the primal period. This
is essential reading on the health of our children
and the health of society as a whole.
The Breathing Circle
Learning through the Movement of
the Natural Breath
Nell Smyth
Press, Early Years Series
$28.00 224 pages
The Breathing Circle brings practical new ways
to understand how responsiveness, expression,
and learning all depend on the rhythm of inhalation and exhalation, which carry children into
the world and back into themselves.
This new edition has been expanded to include
matters of contraception, drugs, a father’s presence during birthing, thumb sucking, sleep, crib
death, overheating, and more.
The Breathing Circle offers movements, verses,
and stories for children, working directly with
their unfolding senses and the cycle of natural
breath. These techniques can be used with children, from toddlers through seven years.
Dr. zur Linden’s commentary on these issues is
the fruit of a lifetime of experience as a pediatrician and general practitioner. Parents will find
his indications for proper care, nutrition, and
raising children a real resource and support.
Here is an essential handbook for early years educators, preschooler parents, and caregivers, as
well as storytellers, drama teachers, breathwork
teachers and practitioners, and those involved
in the many other somatic disciplines.
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The Waldorf Kindergarten
Snack Book
Lisa Hildreth, Illustrated by
Jo Valens
ISBN: 0-88010-563-1 paperback Bell Pond
Books $12.95 64 Pages
A compendium of recipes, informations, and
anecdotes, Waldorf kindergarten teacher, Lisa
Hildreth, has written a rich book for teacher,
parent, or caretaker. Create soups, bread, or
fruit dishes with your child. Learn how foods
affect us differently and how to use them. This
is a book to use and treasure. Whimsically and
joyously illustrated by kindergarten teacher Jo
Valens, you’ll find yourself pouring over this
book time and again. Includes a chapter on
birthday and festival foods.
The Lantern Vegan Family
Cookbook
Brian McCarthy
ISBN: 1-590560-87-6 Paperback Lantern Books
$20.00 336 pages
Now that you’ve become a vegan, you’re learning lots of ways to prepare tofu, but you or
someone you love is really starting to miss
macaroni and cheese, turkey dinners, pumpkin
pie and birthday cake. Maybe you and your
family feel self-conscious (and hungry) at
holidays, picnics, and parties. Or maybe just one
person in the family is vegan, but you need to
create meals that everyone will eat.
Jo Valens teaches kindergarten at the Rudolf Steiner
School in Great Barrington, Massachusetts.
Since the day Brian McCarthy and his wife,
Karen, chose a vegan diet for their family ten
years ago, Chef McCarthy has created over 400
simple vegan recipes with easy-to-find ingredients for traditional favorites like biscuits, corn
bread, stews, pastas, pizzas, cakes, pies, and even
egg(less) nog. All the recipes come from the
McCarthy home kitchen and have passed the
test of many family meals.
the Waldorf School Book
of Soups
The Biodynamic Food &
Cookbook
Lisa Hildreth holds an MS Ed in Waldorf Early
Childhood Education and an MA in English. She is
currently a kindergarten teacher at the Susquehanna
Waldorf School.
Collected by Marsha Post,
Introduced and arranged by
Andrea Huff, Illustrated by Jo
Valens
Whether as a quick snack, part of a full-course
dinner, or as the whole meal, there is nothing
quite like a good bowl of soup. Many Waldorf
school teachers, staff, parents, alumni, and
friends of the Waldorf school movement have
contributed their favorite recipes to make up
this collection. You will find everything from
stocks and broths to selections of vegetable,
bean, cream, tomato, seafood, chicken, beef,
and dessert soups. And no cookbook of soups
would be complete without Stone Soup! There
is something here for everyone.
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Real Nutrition that Doesn’t Cost
the Earth
Wendy E. Cook
ISBN: 1-90557-001-5 Paperback Clairview
Books $39.00 256 pages color Illustrations
Illustrated with hundreds of color photographs,
The Biodynamic Food & Cookbook explains the
principles behind biodynamic methods and
places it in the context of food and cooking
through the ages. Wendy Cook takes us on a
journey through the four seasons with more
than 150 delicious recipes based on many years
of working with biodynamic nutrition. She
considers the ethics of food, the foundation of
a balanced diet, and conjures up the color and
vibrancy of Mallorca, which has contributed so
much to her personal approach. Included are
supplementary sections on breads, sauces, salads,
desserts, drinks, and much more.
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Foodwise
Understanding What We Eat and
How It Affects Us
Wendy E. Cook
Clairview Books, Health and Healing Series
$34.00 352 pages
Foodwise presents ideas, advice, and commentary inspired by the work of Rudolf Steiner.
Wendy Cook relates human evolution and
changes in consciousness to different foods,
considering topics such as agricultural methods, the importance of grasses and grains, the
mystery of human digestion, and vegetarianism. She discusses carbohydrates, minerals, fats
and oils, dairy products, herbs and spices, salt,
sweeteners, stimulants, legumes, nightshade
foods, bread, water, and dietary supplements.
She ends with practical tips on cooking, planning menus, children’s food, and sharing
meals—plus mouth-watering recipes!
The Vegan Diet as Chronic
Disease Prevention
Evidence Supporting the New Four
Food Groups
Kerrie K. Saunders, Ph.D., M.S.,
L.L.P.
ISBN: 1590560388 Paperback Lantern Books
$20.00 220 pages
“A wonderfully practical guide to using nutrition to prevent and treat a huge range of health
problems. Knowledgeably and clearly written,
this book will be a useful resource for many
years to come.”—Neal D. Barnard, M.D., President, Physicians Committee for Responsible
Medicine; Author, Foods That Fight Pain
“The Vegan Diet as Chronic Disease Prevention is a compelling and concise argument
for the overwhelming benefits to the human
being of a pure vegetarian diet. Doctors and
scientists should know these facts, and every
person should live by these principles.” —John
McDougall, M.D., Director, McDougall Residential Program; Author, McDougall Program
books
61 •
Boys Will Be Boys
Breaking the Link Between
Masculinity and Violence
Myriam Miedzian
Homemaking As a Social Art
Creating a Home for Body, Soul,
and Spirit
Veronika van Duin
The Parent and Child Group
Handbook
A Steiner/Waldorf Approach
Dot Male
“Insights into why America’s crime rates lead
the industrialized world.” —Los Angeles
Times
Today, social and economic pressures affect the
traditional role of the homemaker. Emphasis is
placed on the working world instead of home life,
and many struggle to function in several roles at
once. This increasingly hectic climate has tended
to downgrade of the work of the homemaker.
Press, Early Years Series
$30.00 192 pages
“A strongly argued indictment of our cultural
stereotypes of masculinity.” —Suzanne Gordon,
Boston Globe
In this book, Miedzian provides a thorough
investigation of the numerous factors influencing aggression and violence in American males.
In addition, she also provides descriptions and
proposals for interventions, social action, and
solutions to break the link between masculinity
and violence. The book is separated into three
major parts: 1) The Problem: The acceptance of
violence as a way of life; 2) Toward a Solution:
Raising sons for the twenty-first century; 3)
Conclusions: Beyond the masculine mystique.
Myriam Miedzian holds a Ph.D. in philosophy from
Columbia University and a masters degree in clinical
social work from Hunter College, City University of
New York. She has been a professor of philosophy
at a number of universities, including Rutgers and
the City University of New York. She lives in New
York City.
Bringing the Best Out in Boys
Communication Strategies for
Teachers
Lucinda Neall
These time-tested communication strategies
help get the best out of boys. The tips for
tackling difficult behavior will result in more
classroom co-operation and learning—so that
everyone benefits. Lucinda Neall works with
teachers and schools to identify what helps boys
learn. The result is this teachers’ handbook,
packed full of techniques, examples, and tips.
•
62 •
Taking a spiritual perspective inspired by
Rudolf Steiner, Veronika van Duin suggests
that homemaking needs to be undertaken
consciously as an honored and valued area of
work, as nothing less than a “social art.” She
asserts that, by elevating our regard for the
homemaker, we can enjoy a happier and more
contented family and home life.
The author does not claim any blueprint for
perfect homemaking, but offers principles and
observations based on a study of the seven “life
processes” and how they affect us. She addresses
the significance of rhythm, relationships, artistic environment, caring, self-development, and
much more in this invaluable book.
“This unique and much-needed book gives
a convincing argument for the value of these
groups, for both parent and child. Both inspiring and immensely practical, it offers the group
leader the insight and means to create a truly
meaingful and appropriate experience within
a parent-and-child group setting.” —Lynne
Oldfield, director of the London Waldorf Early
Childhood Training Course and author of Free
to Learn
This resource draws on the author’s case studies
from Waldorf parent and child groups. Contents
include Steiner’s theory of child development;
structuring a session; appropriate toys and activities; the shared meal; circle time; festivals; health,
safety and legal issues; marketing, publicity and
fund-raising.
Dot Male, a kindergarten teacher, organizes and leads
Steiner parent and child groups.
The Spiritual Tasks of the
Homemaker
Manfred Schmidt-Brabant
ISBN: 0-90469-384-8 Paperback Temple
Lodge $12.95 48 pages
What will become of the family and home
that have been the foundation of society
for centuries? With the birth of human
individuality, previous assumptions based
on old cultural traditions increasingly need
revising; tasks and roles need to be reinterpreted. The author offers advice and ideas
for enlivening the tasks of homemaking
with spiritual knowledge. We can discover,
for example, how to work with the nonphysical aspects of the household—its etheric and astral natures— and with different
spiritual beings connected to the home.
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Millennial Child
Transforming Education in the
Twenty-First Century
Eugene Schwartz
In assuming that children can assimilate a conceptual framework that was once considered fit
only for adults, we have indeed turned children
into “little adults” who (it would appear) can
think logically, make decisions for themselves,
and express precocious sexual desires.... Is there
any way for childhood to be regained?
—Eugene Schwartz
Schwartz shows how the errors of the nineteenth century still haunt us. He carefully
examines Freud’s tragic misunderstanding of
childhood and its consequences for parents
and educators, then directs us to a radically new
paradigm of childhood, Waldorf education.
Parents, teachers, and child psychologists will
find a wealth of insight on such subjects as play,
ADHD, computers, and the power of love and
imagination in education. This is probably the
best case for Waldorf education and an excellent
gift for parents trying to make decisions about
their children’s education.
Lifeways
Working with Family Questions
Edited by Gudrun Davy, Edited by
Bons Voors
Lifeways is about children, about family life, and
about being a parent. But most of all it is about
freedom—and how the tension between personal
fulfillment and family life may be resolved.
Lifeways originated among groups of women (and
some men) who were seeking a renewed spirit in
family life. They wanted to create a new vision of
the purpose of mothers and fathers—a new eye
for the meaning of home as a place that supports
everyone involved.
Here is a valuable resource for parents and
kindergarten teachers and playgroup leaders,
as well as for women’s support groups.
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More Lifeways
Sharing Parenting & Family Paths
Patti Smith, Signe E. Schaefer
Twenty-seven articles include subjects such as
listening and the art of relationship, inner development, money issues, sex, power, spirituality,
single parenting, fathering, mid-life, dying, and
much more.
A Thought Is Just a Thought
A Story of Living with OCD
Leslie Talley, Foreword by Michael
A. Jenike, M.D.
ISBN: 1-59056-065-5 Paperback Lantern Books
$10.00 B&W illustrations 32 pages
Powerfully illustrated, this is the compelling
and sympathetic story of Jenny, who suffers
from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
It describes visits to a doctor, who notices that
Jenny is afraid to stop tapping the wall with
her fingers for fear that her sister won’t come
home, and that she is afraid to walk on the
white squares of a tiled floor. Dr. Mike helps
Jenny overcome her fears by showing her how
to rethink the bad thoughts, and eventually she
stops dwelling on the thought and its irrational
consequences, realizing that, after all, a thought
is just a thought.
This is the first book for children that addresses
OCD, a common childhood illness. An excellent
resource for parents and doctors.
Why Children Don’t Listen
A Guide for Parents and Teachers
Monika Kiel-Hinrichsen
$19.95 224 pages
Here is an invaluable handbook for parents
and teachers on how to communicate better
with children. It covers all aspects of talking
and listening to children, including speaking to
children of different ages, the effect your voice
has, and understanding the wider situation in
which the conversation is taking place.
The author translates the theory into practical,
everyday solutions. She argues that it’s not what we
say, but how we say it—and more important, how
well we listen to the answers—that matters.
How I Feel
A Book About Diabetes
Michael Olson
ISBN: 159056037X Paperback Lantern Books
$15.00 80 pages 40 black and white illustrations
When Michael Olson’s seven-year-old brother Steven came down with juvenile
diabetes, Michael and his family were shocked to find out how little information was available to help explain the disease to a child. Michael, who was in
third grade at the time, resolved to learn as much as he could about the illness
and to write and illustrate his own book based upon Steven’s experience. His
hope was that hospitals and clinics would give the book to children and families who must suddenly face this life-long illness.
In wonderfully evocative cartoons and illustrations that capture the frightening but ultimately hopeful
journey on which Steven embarked, Michael depicts Steven’s experience. He describes what Steven
went through before the disease was discovered, how he felt in hospital and during the recuperation
period, and how his life changed once he became a child who would now be insulin dependent.
Michael’s book not only presents a definitive understanding of juvenile diabetes in a charming,
easy-to-understand way, but it is an invaluable resource for those—children, parents, teachers, and
doctors—who are dealing with juvenile diabetes.
Michael Olson is currently a freshman at Rutgers University in New Jersey. His brother Steven attends high
school in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
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63 •
Talking with Angel About Illness, Death, and Survival
Evelyn Elsaesser Valarino
ISBN: 0-86315-492-1 Paperback Floris Books $19.95 208 pages
Where Are You?
Coming to Terms with the Death of
My Child
Karin V. Schilling
A touching account of Karin Schilling’s long
odyssey to understand the death of her fourteen-year-old daughter, Saskia. The path was
not easy, but she awoke to experience the reality
of Saskia’s spiritual presence.
Children Who Communicate
Before They Are Born
Conversations with Unborn Souls
Dietrich Bauer, Max Hoffmeister,
Hartmut Goerg
ISBN: 1-902636-68-6 Paperback Temple Lodge
$26.00 256 pages
Expectant mothers have a deep connection to
their unborn children. Through such experiences, they may know something of the child’s
appearance, character, or life path, even though
the baby’s body is still being formed within the
womb. Many mothers are protective of such
experiences and are unwilling to speak of them.
The accounts here, gathered by three medical
doctors, are all the more precious.
In addition to the many remarkable case studies
of souls who communicate before they are born,
the authors offer a comprehensive analysis that
addresses difficult issues such as abortion and
contraception, and the spiritual and scientific
aspects of conception and birth.
•
64 •
“Honestly, I was very moved by the story’s emotional power and the depth of the
teachings it conveys. I found the story gripping from the very beginning, but I think
what hit me the most was the account Evelyn Elsaesser-Valarino wrote, in epistolary
form, of James’ near-death experience. It is simply one of the best and richest accounts (even if it is
fiction) of an NDE I’ve ever come across.”
—Dr. Kenneth Ring, Professor Emeritus of Psychology, University of Connecticut
This is the moving story of a young girl battling leukemia. She realizes she is going to die and
receives hope and comfort through nightly conversations with her favourite doll Angel, who helps
her embrace a new perspective on dying and the possibility that consciousness may survive after
death. Her fear of death is ultimately lifted by new-found spiritual wisdom and by the account of
a near-death experience told to her by a young companion.
Evelyn Elsaesser Valarino’s extensive knowledge of near-death experiences informs this astonishing
book. It will be of great benefit and comfort to those facing their own death, or for parents and
carers of those with serious illnesses. It will also enrich anyone who is reflecting on this essential
aspect of life.
Muddles, Puddles, and Sunshine
Your Activity Book to Help When
Someone Has Died
Diana Crossley, Illustrated by Kate
Sheppard, Winston’s Wish
This activity book offers invaluable, practical,
and sensitive support for bereaved younger
children. Beautifully illustrated, it suggests a
helpful series of activities and exercises accompanied by the friendly characters of Bee
and Bear. Muddles, Puddles, and Sunshine
offers a structure and an outlet for the many
difficult feelings which inevitably follow when
someone dies.
Muddles, Puddles, and Sunshine is a useful activity book for an adult and child to complete
now. For the child, it will become a very special
keepsake in the years to come.
Winston’s Wish is a national charity based in
Gloucestershire that helps bereaved children and
young people rebuild their lives after a family death.
Their website is www.winstonswish.org.uk
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Out of the Blue
Making Memories Last When
Someone Has Died
Winston’s Wish
Press $16.00 32 pages Illustrated in color
Every year, thousands of young people face life
after someone important to them has died. Created by Winston’s Wish, Out of the Blue is a collection of tried and tested ideas to help young
people remember the person who died and help
them express their thoughts and feelings about
that event.
Written and designed specifically
for teenagers, the
book’s aim is to
help support them
through the bereavement process
using a range of
activities. This is a companion volume to the
popular Muddles, Puddles, and Sunshine.
By adding photos, drawings, and words, the
workbook will become a lasting personal record
of a loved one. Each activity
features the words and stories
of those who have experienced
bereavement, reinforcing the
message that “I’m not alone.”
Out of the Blue can be completed by a teenager alone, with
the help of a family member,
or with the appropriate professional.
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Waldorf Education Resource Series
The Age of Discovery
Charles Kovacs
$20.00 224 pages
The author presents an overview of world
history from the time of the Crusades to the
Renaissance. Subjects include Saladin, Joan of
Arc, Columbus, Magellan, Queen Elizabeth, and
Sir Francis Drake. Kovacs’ extensive lesson notes
have proven to be useful and inspiring resource
materials for many teachers. (Ages 13–14)
The Age of Revolution
Charles Kovacs
Parsifal and the Search for the
Grail
Charles Kovacs
Muscles and Bones
Charles Kovacs
$15.95 128 pages
$20.00 128 pages
The Parsifal story stands between the past age
that looked for secrets of the spirit and the
coming age that would search for the secrets
of matter. Class 11 (Ages 16–17)
Mathematics Around Us
John Blackwood
$25.00 144 pages
$19.95 240 pages
A valuable overview of world history, from the
eighteenth to twentieth centuries, including the
French, American and Industrial revolutions.
Kovacs chooses pertinent stories to create a rich
tapestry that shows the development of humankind, from medieval times—when every person
had a fixed place in the social hierarchy—to the
awakening of individuality in modern times.
Class 8 (Ages 13–14)
Ancient Rome
Charles Kovacs
$19.95 224 pages
This book includes stories of the founding of
Rome; early battles with Carthage and Hannibal; Julius Caesar and the conquests of Gaul and
Britain; Antony and Cleopatra; and the decline
and fall under the Huns and the beginning of
the “Dark Ages.” Class 6 (Ages 11-12)
Ancient Greece
Charles Kovacs
$17.95 160 pages
John Blackwood describes four Waldorf block
periods covering: geometry in nature, Pythagoras, platonic solids, rhythm and cycles. Class 7
(Ages 12–13).
Botany
Charles Kovacs
$16.95 112 pages
Charles Kovacs describes various plants, from
fungi, algae, and lichens to the lily and rose
families. He demonstrates the parts of each
plant and their growth cycles.
This teaching aid is recommended for the SteinerWaldorf curriculum, classes 5-6 (Ages 10-12).
Mathematics in Space and Time
John Blackwood
$25.00 Full color throughout 128 pages
John Blackwood describes four Waldorf block
periods covering geometry in nature; Pythagoras; Platonic solids; and rhythms and cycles.
Mathematics Around Us is a companion to
Mathematics in Space and Time, both intended
specifically for Waldorf math teachers in Class
8 (Ages 13–14).
This book contains legendary stories of mythical heroes and historic figures from the dawn
of Western civilization, through the fearless
deeds of Heracles, Theseus, and Odysseus, to
the Golden Age of Athens and the conquests
of Alexander the Great. Kovacs’ vivid narrative portrays our human journey from the
mysteries of antiquity to the birth of modern
medicine, science, and philosophy. Class 5-6
(Ages 10-12)
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An overview of human physiology and anatomy, including health and hygiene. A resource
for Steiner-Waldorf teachers of Class 7–8 (Ages
12–14).
Ancient Mythologies
India, Persia, Babylon, Egypt
Charles Kovacs, Illustrated by
David Newbatt
ISBN: 9780946206520 Paperback Wynstones
The meaning of some of the world’s great myths
and legends springs to life in this collection of
stories. Through the epic adventures of colorful
characters—from kings and beggars to gods and
demons—the reader may glimpse the ancient
wisdom of early humankind.
Spanning the centuries from Atlantis to the civilizations of India, Persia, Babylonia, and Egypt,
the author portrays human development, from
primitive hunters to builders of magnificent cities
and the great pyramids. Buddha, Krishna, Rama,
Zarathustra, Gilgamesh, Isis, and Osiris are just
a few of the lively participants in the unfolding
historical narrative. For Class 5 (Ages 9–12).
The Human Being and the
Animal World
Charles Kovacs
New
$18.00 144 pages
A resource book for teaching about animals in
relation to human beings. It is recommended
for Waldorf school classes four and five (ages
9 to 11).
Charles Kovacs was born in Austria. He left his native country in 1938 at the time of the Anschluss
and joined the British Army in East Africa. After
the War, he settled in Britain, and in 1956
he took over a class at the Rudolf Steiner
School in Edinburgh, where he remained a
class teacher until his retirement in 1976. He
died in 2001. His extensive lesson notes have
been a useful and inspiring resource material
for many teachers.
9-5 est
•
65 •
Teacher Resources from AWSNA
The Art and Science of Teaching
Composition
Dorit Winter
ISBN 978-1-888365-18-4 $13.00 50 pages
An English Manual
Dorothy Harrer
ISBN 978-1-888365-48-1 $17.00 134 pages
Teaching Language Arts in the
Waldorf School
Rudolf Steiner
ISBN 978-1-888365-56-6 Paperback $18.00
315 pages
Copernicus: Struggle and Victory
Heinz Sponsel
Senderos: Teaching Spanish in
Waldorf Schools
ISBN 978-1-888365-49-8 Paperback $17.00
131 pages
ISBN 978-1-888365-29-0 illustrated $25.00
156 pages
Barbara Dawson Betteridge
Allegro: Music for the Eurythmy
Curriculum
Elisabeth Lebret
ISBN 978-1-888365-08-5 $17.00 50 pages
David Mitchel, ed.
33 pages
C. R. Mirbt
Physics Is Fun
ISBN 978-0-9642760-4-8 Spiralbound $33.00
286 pages
Basic Sculptural Modeling
Hella Loewe
ISBN 978-1-888365-16-0 $27.00 250 pages
At the Source
Fee Fi Fo Fum
ISBN 978-1-888365-58-0 Paperback $19.00
232 pages
ISBN 978-1-888365-63-4 Hardcover $13.00 144
pages
Waldorf Education–An Annotated
Bibliography
Geron and Virtus
Harlan Gilbert
David Mitchell
ISBN 978-1-888365-06-1 $8.00 38 pages
We Will Build a Temple
Jakob Streit
ISBN 978-1-888365-55-9 Paperback $19.00
103 Pages
Leaving Room for the Angels
Eurythmy and the Art of Teaching
Reg Down
ISBN 978-1-888365-00-9 Paperback $19.00
240 Pages
The Teenage Edge
Ted Warren
ISBN 978-1-888365-51-1 Paperback · $19.00
254 pages
Awakening Intelligence
Magda Lissau
ISBN 978-1-888365-57-3 Paperback $18.00
152 Pages
The Music of the Spheres
John Trevillion, Merwin Lewis
ISBN 978-1-888365-38-2 $18.00
105 pages
The Spirit in Human Evolution
Martyn Rawson
318 pages
•
66 •
Music from Around the World for
Recorders
Michael Preston
Arthur M. Pittis
Jakob Streit
ISBN 978-1-888365-70-2 Hardcover $13.00
178 pages
Snip Snap Snout
Arthur M. Pittis
ISBN 978-1-888365-64-1 Hardcover $11.00
92 pages
Sun So Hot I Froze to Death
Arthur M. Pittis
ISBN 978-1-888365-65-8 Hardcover $15.00
196 pages
When I Hear My Heart Wonder
Arthur M. Pittis
ISBN 978-1-888365-66-5 Hardcover $13.00
140 pages
Difficult Children
There Is No Such Thing
Henning Köhler
Liputto
Stories of Gnomes and Trolls
Jakob Streit
ISBN 978-1-888365-26-9 paperback $20.00
58 pages
To Grow And Become
Stories for Children
Rudolf Copple
ISBN 978-0-962397-87-5 paperback $15.00
96 pages
25 Plays Inspired by Waldorf
Teachers
David Mitchell, editor
ISBN 978-1-888365-04-7 paperback $25.00
298 pages
Active Arithmetic
Henning Anderson
ISBN 978-87-88258-74-5 paperback
illustrated $20.00 215 pages
Administrative Explorations
Essays on Business Practices within
Waldorf Schools
David Mitchell & Dave Alsop
ISBN 978-1-888365-25-2 paperback $27.00
194 pages
The Dynamic Heart and Circulation
Craig Holdrege, editor
As My Heart Awakes
Arthur M. Pittis
ISBN 978-1-888365-62-7 Hardcover $13.00
112 pages
ISBN 978-1-888365-39-9 paperback $18.00
176 pages
Educating the Will
Michael Howard
And There Was Light
Jakob Streit
ISBN 978-1-888365-74-0 Paperback $18.00
112 pages
ISBN 978-1-888365-46-7 paperback $21.00
142 pages
An English Grammar
The Language before Babel
Rudolf Schmidt
Completing the Circle
Thomas Poplawski
ISBN 978-1-888365-72-6 Paperback $17.00
111 pages
Previously announced AWSNA books
ISBN 978-1-888365-44-3 paperback $21.50
216 pages
Roberto Trostli
ISBN 978-1-888365-73-3 Paperback $21.00
114 pages
David Mitchell
ISBN 978-1-888365-68-9 Paperback $18.00
194 pages
ISBN 978-0-9623978-4-4 $23.00 244 pages
Uprightness, Weight, and Balance ·
Human Biology in Grade Eight
The Wonders of Waldorf Chemistry
Whittle Your Ears
ISBN 978-1-888365-67-2 Spiralbound $21.00
128 pages
The Art of Administration
Introduction to a Study of the Stars
ISBN 978-1-888365-53-5 Paperback $17.00
92 pages
Dorothy Harrer
Elena Forrer, Claudio Salussa, Enid
Silvestry, Inés Camano, Barbara Flynn,
Carmiña Luce, Diamela Wetzl
ISBN 978-1-888365-59-7 Paperback $15.00
179 pages
Claudia Allgoewer, Andreas BielfeldAckermann, and Manfred von Mackensen
Math Lessons for Elementary Grades
tel
ISBN 978-1-888365-15-3 paperback $17.00
139 pages
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Teacher Resources from AWSNA
Eurythmy for the Elementary Grades
Francine Adams
The Living World of Plants
ISBN 978-1-888365-07-8 paperback $15.00
94 pages
A Book for Children & Students of
Nature
Gerbert Grohmann
Finding the Path
ISBN 978-1-888365-12-2 paperback $21.00
104 pages
Themes and Methods for the Teaching
of Mathematics in a Waldorf School
Bengt Ulin
ISBN 978-0-9623978-1-3 paperback
illustrated $19.00 318 pages
Will-Developed Intelligence
Handwork and Practical Arts in the
Waldorf School: Elementary through
High School
David Mitchell & Patricia Livingston
ISBN 978-1-888365-19-1 paperback $27.00
210 pages
Mathematics Lessons for the Sixth
Grade
The Waldorf School and the
Threefold Structure
Ernst Schuberth
Forming School Communities
The Renewal of the Social Organism
Matthias Karutz
ISBN 978-1-888365-34-4 paperback $20.00
105 pages
Freeing the Human Spirit
The Threefold Social Order, Money,
and the Waldorf School
Michael Spence
ISBN 978-1-888365-37-5 paperback $20.00
155 pages
The Mysteries of Social Encounters
Dieter Brüll
Introduction by Christopher Schaefer
Painting in Waldorf Education
A. Renwick Sheen
ISBN 978-0-9623978-2-0 paperback $27.00
258 pages
Geometry Lessons in the Waldorf
School
Ernst Schuberth
ISBN 978-1-888365-52-8 paperback, CD Rom
$22.00 86 pages
The Importance of Being Musical
Magda Lissau
ISBN 978-1-888365-43-6 paperback $19.00
182 pages
Ernst Uehli
Fundamentals for a Phenomenological Study of Chemistry
Geometry and the Imagination
The Temperaments and the Arts
Norse Mythology & the Modern
Human Being
ISBN 978-1-888365-13-9 paperback $20.00
180 pages
ISBN 978-1-888365-22-1 paperback illustrated
$33.00 311 pages
ISBN 978-1-888365-05-4 paperback $13.00
96 pages
ISBN 978-1-888365-41-2 paperback $30.00
302 pages
ISBN 978-1-888365-21-4 paperback $22.00
255 pages
Frits Julius
The Embarrassing Mandate: The Risk
of Being an Anthroposophical
Institution
Dieter Brüll
Working with Anxious, Nervous, and
Depressed Children
A Spiritual Perspective to Guide
Parents
Henning Köhler
Dick Bruin & Attie Lichthart
ISBN 978-1-888365-50-4 paperback CD Rom
$22.00 220 pages
ISBN 978-1-888365-28-3 paperback $21.50
125 pages
Pedagogical Theatre
Developmental Insights
Dramaturgy and Performance
Practice for the Lower and Middle
School Grades
Arthur M. Pittis
Discussions between Doctors and
Teachers
David Mitchell, editor
ISBN 1-888365-01-1 paperback $23.00 180 pages
Resource Guide for Waldorf Teachers
Kindergarten through Grade 8
David Mitchell
ISBN 978-1-888365-03-0 paperback $27.00
304 pages
Teaching History
Suggested Themes for the Curriculum
in Waldorf Schools
Christoph Lindenberg
ISBN 978-1-888365-01-6 paperback $17.00
64 pages
ISBN: 9783772502439 Paperback $17.00
204 pages
The Development & Practice of a
Music Curriculum
Cynthia Frongillo
The Revelation of Evolutionary Events
In Myths, Stories, and Legends
ISBN 978-1-888365-17-7 paperback $20.00
144 pages
$17.00 96 pages
And Other Pedagogical Stories
Eugene Schwartz
The Riddle of America
ISBN: 9781888365092 Paperback $13.00
72 pages
Journey to the Promised Land
The Path of the People of Israel, from
Abraham’s Calling to David’s Dream
Jakob Streit
ISBN 978-1-888365-23-8 paperback $20.00
166 pages
Learning About the World Through
Modeling
Arthur Auer
ISBN 978-1-888365-30-6 paperback $27.00
226 pages
Let’s Talk, Let’s Play
Helping Children Learn How to Learn
from Life
Jane Eliot
ISBN 978-0-9623978-9-9 paperback $17.00
82 pages
Evelynne B. Debusschere
Essays Exploring America’s “Native
Expression-Spirit”
John Wulsin, editor
Rudolf Steiner’s Observations on
Adolescence
The Third Phase of Human
Development
ISBN 978-1-888365-32-0 paperback $35.00
376 pages
Space and Counterspace
Why the Setting Sun Turns Red
NEW Developmental Signatures
An Introduction to Modern
Geometry
Louis Locher-Ernst
Core Values and Practices in Waldorf
Education for Children Ages 3-9
Rainer Patzlaff, Wolfgang
Sassmannshausen, et al.
ISBN 978-1-888365-36-8 paperback $30.00
280 pages
ISBN: 9781888365818, $23.00 160 pages
Stages of Imagination
Working Dramatically with
Adolescents
David Sloan
NEW Octave
$23.00 220 pages
Essays on Waldorf Education
Magda Lissau
ISBN: 9781888365801, $20.00 160 pages
Note to booksellers: AWSNA titles receive no more than a 20% discount.
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67 •
The Importance of Play in Early Childhood
By Joan Almon
Joan Almon
The ability to play is one of the principal criteria of mental
health.
In over 30 years of working with children, families, and teachers
in Waldorf kindergartens all over the world, I have observed
one consistent feature of childhood: creative play is a central
activity in the lives of healthy children. Play helps children weave
together all the elements of life as they experience it. It allows
them to digest life and make it their own. It is an outlet for the
fullness of their creativity, and it is an absolutely critical part
of their childhood. With creative play, children blossom and
flourish; without it, they suffer a serious decline. I am hardly
the first to note this fact. The central importance of creative
play in children’s healthy development is well supported by
decades of research. And yet, children’s play, in the creative,
open-ended sense in which I use the term, is now seriously
endangered. The demise of play will certainly have serious consequences for children and for the future of
childhood itself. Parents, teachers, and mental health
professionals alike, are expressing concern about children who do not play. Some seem blocked and unable
to play. Others long to play, but policies and practices
at both home and in school have driven open-ended,
self-directed play out of their lives. Children no longer
have the freedom to explore woods and fields and find
their own special places. Informal neighborhood ball
games are a thing of the past, as children are herded
into athletic leagues at increasingly younger ages. Add
to this mixture the hours spent sitting still in front of
screens—television, video game, and computer—absorbing
other people’s stories and imaginations, and the result is a
steady decline in children’s play.
Preschool and kindergarten children increasingly find
themselves in school settings which feature scripted teaching,
computerized learning, and standardized assessment. Physical
education and recess are being eliminated; new schools are
built without playgrounds. While allegedly, these approaches
are providing “quality education,” they trivialize and undermine children’s natural capacities for meaningful and focused
life lessons through creative play and this leaves many children
profoundly alienated from their school experiences.
The Nature of Play
If we are to save play, we must first understand its nature.
Creative play is like a spring that bubbles up from deep within
a child. It is refreshing and enlivening. It is a natural part of
the make-up of every healthy child. The child’s love of learning
is intimately linked with a zest for play. Whether children are
working on new physical skills, social relations, or cognitive
content, they approach life with a playful spirit. As a friend
said of her eight-month-old recently, “It just seems that she’s
working all the time.” But is it work or play? In childhood
there is no distinction.
Adults are convinced that we need to “teach” young children. It is certainly true that we need to set an example in all
kinds of activities. We also need to create appropriate spaces
where children can play and learn, and we need to lend a
helping hand—and at times even intervene when things are
going wrong. But mostly we need to honor the innate capacity
•
68 •
tel
for learning that moves the limbs and fills the soul of every
healthy young child.
Nathan at one year came with his parents to the summer
house we share as a family. He was delighted to find several
staircases in this house, for in his own home there was only
one step, and he had long since mastered it. Now he gave full
vent to his wish to climb stairs. Over and over he would climb
up and down. We took turns standing guard, but he rarely
needed our help. He was focused and concentrated, and did
not like to be taken away from this activity. He gave every sign
of being a happy, playful child while climbing, yet he was also
clearly exploring and mastering a new skill and one that was
important for his long-term development. Most important,
it was a task he set for himself. No one could have told this
one-year-old to devote hours to climbing. He did it himself,
as will every healthy child whose sense of movement has not
been disturbed.
The simple truth is that young children are born with a
most wonderful urge to grow and learn. They continually
develop new skills and capacities, and if they are allowed to set
the pace with a bit of help from the adult world they will work
at all this in a playful and tireless way. Rather than respecting
this innate drive to learn however, we treat children as if they
can learn only what we adults can teach them. We strip them of
their innate confidence in directing their own learning, hurry
them along, and often wear them out. It is no wonder that so
many teachers complain that by age 9 or 10, children seem
burned out and uninterested in learning. This is a great tragedy,
for the love of learning can last a lifetime, and it is intimately
bound to our capacity to be creative and purposeful.
The Development of Play
The secret to helping young children thrive is to keep the
spirit of creativity and of playful learning alive and active.
An important ingredient in this is our own work as adults,
for children naturally imitate grown-ups. This inspires their
play. Their learning is a combination of their own deep inner
drive to grow and learn coupled with their imitation of the
adults in their environment. These two elements interweave
all through early childhood. They provide the underlying
basis for play, yet their outer expression changes year by year
as children develop.
An important milestone in play, the capacity for make-believe play—also known as fantasy play—occurs at around two
and a half or three years of age. Before that, children are more
oriented to the real world: their own bodies, simple household
objects like pots, pans, and wooden spoons, and simple toys like
dolls, trucks, and balls. Toddlers imitate what they see around
them; common play themes include cooking, caring for baby,
driving cars or trucks, and other everyday events.
These themes continue and expand after age three, but
now children are less dependent on real objects and create
what they need from anything that is at hand. Their ability
to enter into make-believe allows them to transform a simple
object into a play prop. A bowl becomes a ship, a stick becomes
a fishing pole, a rock becomes a baby, and much, much more.
The three-year-old becomes so engaged in make-believe play
that objects seem to be in a constant state of transformation,
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The Importance of Play
and a trail of objects is left behind as the play evolves from
one theme to the next.
In contrast, four-year-olds are generally more stationary
and thematic in their play. They like to have a “house” to play
in, which might also be a ship or a shop, and many enter the
“pack-rat” stage where they fill their houses with objects so
that it seems they cannot freely move around. This does not
bother them at all, however. Like three-year-olds, they are
inspired in the moment by the objects before them. They are
quite spontaneous in their ideas for play.
The fantasy play of the five-year-old is characterized by the
ability to have an idea and then play it out rather than being
inspired in the moment by the object at hand as is the case
with three- and four-year-olds. Often, five-year-olds will announce what they want to play as they enter the kindergarten.
Although they may play out the same theme for several days
or weeks, subtle variations emerge as they gain focus, come in
touch with their own ideas, and acquire the will to carry them
out in playful detail.
There is one more important aspect to the development of
make-believe play that usually does not occur until children
are six years old. At this age they will often play out a situation
without the use of props. They may build a house or castle
but leave it unfurnished, then sit inside it and talk through
their play, for now they are able to see the images clearly in
their minds’ eyes. This stage can be described as imaginative
play, for the children now have the capacity to form a well
articulated inner image. It is around this time that a child will
say something like “I can see Grandma whenever I want. I just
have to close my eyes.”
In all of these stages of dramatic play children may play
alone or with others. However, the way children engage in
social play with others changes over the years. The one-yearold tends to play alone, while social play of two-year-olds is
generally called parallel play, for young children play side by
side without fully interacting with each other. I would characterize the play of three- and four-year-olds as playmate play.
The children enjoy playing with each other (with occasional
squabbles as part of the play experience), but generally they are
not deeply invested in each other. They enjoy playing together
when they are in nursery school, but tend to forget about each
other when they are apart.
The social play of five- and six-year-olds is different. The
doors to deeper social relationships are opening for them.
They form friendships and talk about their friends at home.
They think about their friends when they are apart. They may
want to call them on the phone or visit in their homes. Mothers laugh over the social calendars they have to maintain, for
suddenly their six year olds want to spend much time outside
school with their friends. This may sound like a preview of adolescence and this stage is sometimes called “first adolescence.”
The socio-dramatic play of this age group is rich and varied,
and it is a great tragedy that so few children in the United States
have a chance to fully experience it, for their time in kindergarten or first grade is generally now fully devoted to academic
subjects with little time left over for play. The absence of play
at this time in childhood may have long-lasting repercussions
on the child’s overall social development.
The Social, Emotional, and Intellectual Benefits
of Play
In the 1970s and 80s, Israeli psychologist Sara Smilansky
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conducted groundbreaking research on the role of dramatic
play and socio-dramatic play in cognitive and socio-emotional
development. She defines dramatic play as having four elements: the child undertakes a make-believe role; the child uses
make-believe to transform objects into things necessary for the
play; verbal descriptions or exclamations are used at times in
place of actions or situations; and the play scenarios last at least
ten minutes. In socio-dramatic play these four elements are
present plus two more: at least two players interact within the
play scene, and there is some verbal communication involved
with the play.
She and other researchers observed and assessed children
from three to six at play in a number of preschool settings in
the U.S. and in Israel, observing children from a variety of
socioeconomic settings. They also assessed children’s ability
to organize and communicate thoughts
and to engage in social interactions. In one
study children were followed and tested The ability to play is one
in second grade in literacy and numeracy.
Children’s ability to engage in dramatic
and socio-dramatic play was found to be of the principal criteria of
directly linked to a wealth of skills, all of
which are essential for academic success. mental health.
Smilansky’s research points to the fact
that imagination is as important a medium
for learning in the elementary-school years, as is make-believe
for the pre-school child. If children have been allowed to
engage in make-believe play during the nursery-school and
kindergarten years and to develop inner imagination before
entering first grade, they are then ripe and ready to learn. While
one or another may have a learning difficulty, their enthusiasm
for learning—and for overcoming difficulties—is enormous.
By contrast, when a child has not had rich play opportunities,
and/or the curriculum fails to engage the imagination, learning is a dull affair. My own experience has also been that the
children who were the most active players in the kindergarten
were also the most active learners in elementary school.
The Demise of Play in Early Childhood
Education
Given the compelling evidence for the importance of selfinitiated creative play for social, emotional, and intellectual
growth, it is alarming that play has lost so much ground in
young children’s lives during the past 30 years. Since the 1970s,
it has become common for public kindergartens in the United
States to focus so strongly on academic achievement that there
is little or no time devoted to self-directed play.
Even when opportunities for play are made available to
children in the classroom, chronic media exposure at home
has a direct negative effect on their ability to make use of these
opportunities. As a kindergarten teacher it became easy for
me to recognize children for whom TV was a steady influence
in their lives. Such children often had difficulty finding their
own ideas in play and sometimes could only play out roles
they had seen on TV.
In the face of rigorous academic demands on five-year-olds
and their teachers, to speak of play seems almost frivolous. Yet
five-year-olds are young children. Where did we ever get the
idea that they should be on the fast track to high scores and
global careers? We are on a slippery slope heading downhill,
and the pace is accelerating.
And we’re not at the bottom yet. In the name of early
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69 •
literacy, plans are being developed to refocus nursery-school children
away from play and toward early reading. There are aspects of early
literacy that young children need: a rich experience of language spoken
by caring adults, nursery rhymes and verses, storytelling and puppetry,
and books read aloud. All these lay a vital foundation for a lifetime love
of language and reading. But now the term “early literacy” is coming to
imply something much narrower than that.
Children, however, are governed by natural, internal processes that are
sometimes called the laws of child development, which cannot be ignored
without doing serious harm to children. This harm touches many areas
of their lives – physical, emotional, social, and intellectual.
The Alliance for Childhood, of which I am the U.S. coordinator, submitted a position statement to the Senate committee that was drafting the
Early Care and Education Act in 1999. The statement was endorsed by
some of the leading experts on child development in the U.S., including T.
Berry Brazelton, David Elkind, Jane Healy, Stanley Greenspan, and Alvin
Poussaint. It read, in part:
a pattern… a very sick child would develop a playful gleam in his eyes. He
would check the charts and find that although the child’s fever was still high,
or the blood tests still worrisome, usually within a day’s time the outlook
would brighten. He came to realize that the return of a playful spirit was
an excellent predictor of recovery in his young charges.
Given the relationship between health and play, what then are the implications of the demise of play for children’s mental and physical health?
Are there accompanying signs of illness in children today? Research does
in fact indicate that this is the case.
• In 2000, former Surgeon General David Satcher organized a conference to address the growing crisis in children’s mental health. A
report on his Web site states the following:
The nation is facing a public crisis in mental healthcare for infants, children and adolescents. Many children have mental health
problems that interfere with normal development and functioning.
In the United States, one in 10 children and adolescents suffer from
mental illness severe enough to cause some level of impairment. Recent evidence compiled by the World Health Organization indicates
that by the year 2020, childhood neuropsychiatric disorders will
rise proportionately by over 50 percent, internationally, to become
one of the five most common causes of morbidity, mortality, and
disability among children.
The key to developing literacy—and all other skills—is to pace
the learning so that it is consistent with the child’s development,
enabling him or her to succeed at the early stages. Ensure this initial
success and the child’s natural love of learning blooms. … make inappropriate demands and the child may well be unable to overcome
the resulting sense of inadequacy. This is especially true of children
whose families are already under social and economic stress.
• In 2001, Satcher issued a “Call to Action to Prevent and Decrease
Overweight and Obesity” which stated that in 1999 about 13% of children and adolescents were overweight. Since 1980 this number had
doubled for children and tripled for adolescents. Type 2 diabetes, previously considered an adult disease, and closely linked to overweight
and obesity, has increased dramatically in children and adolescents.
There are many individuals and organizations committed to restoring
play to young children’s lives. One reason it is difficult to make progress,
however, is that many parents misguidedly prefer that their young children focus on academics. Their concern about their children’s future
easily turns to fear. They then place considerable pressure on nursery and
kindergarten teachers. An October 1995 report by the National Center for
Education Statistics (NCES) entitled Readiness for Kindergarten: Parent
and Teacher Beliefs found that:
• The growing number of suicides among children and youth is a
powerful and tragic indictment of contemporary trends in childhood. Between 1952 and 1996, rates of suicide among adolescents
tripled. Suicide is currently the fourth leading cause of death among
children between the ages of 10-14.
Parents of a majority of preschoolers believe that knowing the
letters of the alphabet, being able to count to 20 or more, and using
pencils and paint brushes are very important or essential for a child to
be ready for kindergarten, while few kindergarten teachers share these
beliefs…[C]ompared with teachers, parents place greater importance
on academic skills (e.g., counting, writing, and reading) and prefer
classroom practices that are more academically oriented. One reason
for this may be that parents perceive that there are specific activities they can do to teach their children school-related basic skills,
whereas ways of changing the social maturity or temperamental
characteristics of their children are less apparent.
If there is one piece of advice I would offer parents regarding play and
early academics, it would be to relax and stop hurrying their children. Children
have such deep resources for growth and learning that with good nurture
and reasonable help, most will succeed wonderfully. Some will need special
help and can be given it. …Compared to the young of other mammals, our
children take much longer to mature. Our children deserve the right to grow
and ripen at a human pace. A major part of this is allowing time for play.
The Demise of Play and Children’s Health
The absence of play is generally a sign of illness in children. Parents,
for instance, will often describe the severity of a child’s illness in terms of
whether or not the child continued to play. Parents’ instinctive wisdom that
links play and health was confirmed by Stuart Brown, a retired psychiatrist
who founded the Institute for Play in Carmel, California. As a young doctor
in Texas he worked with very ill children. Over time, Brown began to notice
•
70 •
• In the past decade growing numbers of children have been diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and
several million receive potent stimulant medication such as Ritalin
each year. The Center for Disease Control reports that the American
Psychiatric Association estimates 3% to 7% of children suffer from
ADHD, and that some studies show an even higher percentage.
• Diagnoses of Autistic Spectrum Disorders in children (Asperger’s
Disorder in particular) have also increased dramatically. In the State
of California, for example, cases of autism grew from 3,864 to 11,995
between 1987 and 1998, an increase of 210%, and the median age of
the patients dropped from 15 to 9 years of age.
A striking feature of these health trends is that, unlike the traditional
illnesses of childhood that are especially prevalent among poor children
in developing nations, the health concerns I refer to are affecting children
across the socio-economic spectrum in technologically advanced nations,
often beginning in the United States, and then slowly “spreading” to other
technologically advanced nations.
It is crucial that we ask ourselves the difficult question, What is it about
our contemporary lifestyle that is causing or contributing to so much illness
in children. Children’s lives have changed significantly in myriad ways during
the past fifty years and many of these changes are stressful. Healthy children
can cope with one or two stressors – and one can even argue that they grow
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stronger through some adversity. Yet few children can cope well with five or
six unhealthy factors that are constant and permeate their lives.
Thus, when the home life is stressed or too hurried, when childcare
is of mediocre quality with little possibility for lasting bonds with loving
caregivers, when pre-school demands “too much too soon” in the areas
of literacy and numeracy, when hours are spent each day sitting still in
front of screens, and the diet is frequently filled with too much sugar, fat
and food additives, we have a situation that is bound to wreak havoc on
a young child’s health. Stressors affect each of us differently depending
on our underlying temperament and constitution, and so we see a range
of stress-related illnesses in our children. The decline in play appears
not only to be a serious problem in itself, but it may also be the canary
in the mineshaft that is pointing us toward much more serious, lasting
problems in children’s lives.
Supporting Healthy Play at Home
Parents today feel tremendous pressure from many directions, including from government agencies and corporate advertisers, to stimulate
their children and promote their intellectual development at ever younger
ages. While some children do need additional stimulation, there are many
who are being over-stimulated. It is important that parents seek the right
balance for their own children, a balance that allows for growth and development without stress and with ample time for play each day.
There are a number of things parents can do at home to support
healthy play. One is to develop a deep appreciation of their child’s play, and
the ways in which the child reveals his or her own unique nature through
play. Through simple observation and quiet appreciation, parents communicate the message that play is good. Giving space and time for play is
vital, especially in our over-filled lives, as is offering simple play materials,
often drawn from household objects. For example, babies and toddlers
love playing with pots and pans, wooden spoons, and other commonly
used objects. Children engaged in imaginative play love having a sheet
draped over furniture and creating tents, houses, and ships.
Including purposeful, physical work in the daily routine of the home
is a great help in inspiring children’s play. It is important for parents or
caregivers to spend time each day working with their hands at compre-
hensible tasks, in the presence of their child, whether it is raking leaves,
baking, or hammering a nail. The old adage of “whistle while you work”
has meaning here, for although one does not need to actually whistle, a
happy mood while doing work draws children near and motivates them
in their play, while a grumbling, unhappy attitude on the part of the adult
keeps children away.
In imitation there is a breathing in and out of one another, which supports a relaxed state and a trustful outlook. If children are sitting in front of
a computer screen performing an abstract task, this does not offer the raw
materials and physical gestures necessary to inspire focused, creative play.
The weakening of imitation makes it far more difficult for children to play,
but it also makes it hard for them to relate to other human beings in the
simple, relaxed way that children normally have. This can have long-lasting
implications for their social and psychological development. For all these
reasons, it is of the utmost importance that parents limit their children’s
exposure to screen based media. Most children show wonderful signs of
recovery within a week or two after the removal of screen time from their
lives, especially if there is an increase in human interaction.
—————
As play disappears from the landscape of childhood, we need to
recognize that its demise will have a lasting impact. Decades of compelling research have shown that without play, children’s physical, social,
emotional, and intellectual development is compromised. They will
develop without much imagination and creativity. Their capacity for
communication will be diminished and their tendency towards aggressiveness and violence will increase. In short, human nature as we have
known it will be profoundly altered, intensifying many of the problems
that are already afflicting children and society. If we do not invest in play,
we will find it necessary to invest much more in prisons and hospitals,
as the incidence of physical and mental illness, as well as aggressive and
anti-social behavior, escalates.
Joan Almon is the Coordinator of the U.S. branch of the Alliance for Childhood
and former chair of the Waldorf Early Childhood Association of North America.
She is a board member of the International Waldorf Kindergarten Association and
is internationally recognized as a consultant to Waldorf educators and training
programs. She is the author of numerous articles on Waldorf Education.
For information, contact Andrew Flaxman
phone (413) 854-1135 Email: flaxman@adelphia.net
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71 •
Preface from
The Therapeutic Eye
How Rudolf Steiner Observed Children
By Peter Selg
Above, in the half-open door, Rudolf Steiner stood, having just
said good-bye to another visitor, and watched most carefully as I
slowly came up the stairs. I have never seen anyone as observant
as he was. It was as if—quite immobile, given up selflessly—he
let one create oneself again, as it were, in a subtle element in
his own soul, which he offered up for the purpose. It was not a
matter of thinking about the other, more an inner re-creation in
mind and spirit in which the whole growth and development of
the other would be revealed.
—Friedrich Rittelmeyer1
Peter Selg
Rudolf Steiner’s ability to perceive another human being,
the intense attentiveness, connection and encounter, was extraordinary. It permitted insight and perception of the other
at many different levels in a creative process which
Friedrich Rittelmeyer was able to grasp and characterize in the above words. Rudolf Steiner himself spoke
of an ability like this, here seen in Rudolf Steiner by a
(then) Protestant theologian, or at least such an intentional effort and direction given to individual perception as the precondition for any form of educational
and curative-educational work with children. In his
address at the opening of the Independent Waldorf
School in Stuttgart on September 17, 1919, he said,
subtly hinting at this:
[...] As teachers we need an awakening of our living
human nature which experiences anew within itself the whole
child as it enters into a spiritual relationship with the child.
(GA 298, p. 32)
Rudolf Steiner’s educational lectures and writings, the
shorthand records of his conferences with the Waldorf teachers
in Stuttgart, as well the things which he said on curative education, medicine and general anthroposophy, offer an abundance
of methodological approaches to gaining a deeper insight into
the nature of the child, both generally and specifically. Many
of his suggestions and ideas—especially with reference to a typology with physiological and pathological orientation—have
been taken up and developed by students of Rudolf Steiner and
presented in a more or less systematic form. Yet if we take up
the theme first brought in by Ita Wegman at a further training event in curative education in 1934, “how Rudolf Steiner
observed the children who were brought to him,” one can see
that Steiner’s many different suggestions for teachers, curative
teachers, and physicians cannot be immediately identified with
the reality of his own method. As an initiate, Rudolf Steiner
had abilities and possibilities that went beyond any he might
expect of his audiences. No absolute hiatus separates Steiner’s
suggestions concerning inner development from the reality of
his own perceptions and encounters with the children; instead
those suggestions methodically open up numerous elements in
those perceptions. In spite of, or rather exactly because of, this
fact, it is essential to be aware of the difference in this respect
between Steiner’s suggestions for inner development in their
didactic formulation and his own way of seeing children in
each given case. Against this background we read and gain in-
•
72 •
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sight into his descriptions, some of them
autobiographic and
speaking of real children. In making this
effort, one realizes
among other things
how clearly the typological approach
to the child taught
by Rudolf Steiner
represented an intermediate
methodological stage, aiming for perception of the
individual nature—going beyond all typology, thus making
this into an instrument and ultimately leaving it aside. Rudolf
Steiner was untiring in asking teachers and physicians to take a
differentiated view of and account of the relative proportions
in form, function, and tempera-ment of the child, for they
are the meaningful ways of bringing an individual nature to
realiza-tion in accordance with the necessities of destiny, as
it uses these configurations—generally as such but always in
a specific form—in bringing about the incipient biography
on earth. The insight into and cultural dissemination of the
ultimately individually karmic dimension of human life was
the focus, not only of Rudolf Steiner’s general mission in our
civilization, but also of his specific way of looking at children,
their education, and therapy—“this is the most important
thing, which must be fully understood” (GA 310, pp. 41 f.).
Rudolf Steiner had a deaf-mute brother, Gustav, who
was five years younger than himself and needed help all his
life. He grew up with him as part of daily life, familiar and
instructive. At the age of twenty-three, having completed his
scientific studies at the university, Steiner took on, in addition
to his work on Goethe, the tutoring and therapeutic care of
an eleven-year-old boy with severe hydrocephalus, something
he would speak of several times in the last years of his life.2 As
late as the spring of 1924, a year before his death, he wrote as
part of an autobiography:
When I came to the family as a private tutor, he [Otto Specht]
had barely acquired the first elements of reading, writing, and
arithmetic. He was considered so abnormal in physical and
mental development that the family doubted if he was educable.
His thinking was slow and sluggish. Even minor mental efforts
caused a headache, a reduction of vital functions, a pale pallor
and psychological behavior causing concern. Having gotten to
know the boy I formed the opinion that an education adapted
to this physical and mental organism must awaken his dormant
abilities; I suggested to the parents that they put his education in
my hands. The boy’s mother met this suggestion with trust and
I was therefore able to set myself this special educational task. I
had to find a way to a soul which initially was in something of a
sleep-like state and had to be gradually made to gain control of
his body. It was, as it were, necessary to get the soul involved in
the body first. I was absolutely sure that the boy had great hidden mental and spiritual powers. This made my task one that
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The Therapeutic Eye
provided great satisfaction. I was soon able to get the child lovingly attached
to me. This meant that merely being with him brought the dormant capacities in his soul awake. I had to think up special methods for the teaching.
Even fifteen minutes beyond the length of time allotted for instruction would
have a negative effect on his state of health. Some subjects the boy found
difficult to relate to.
This work as a tutor became a rich learning resource for me. The teaching
method I had to use gave me insight into the relationship between the human
mind and spirit on the one hand and the body on the other. I thus pursued
my own studies in physiology and psychology. I came to see that upbringing
and education must develop into an art that has its foundation in genuine
understanding of the human being. (GA 28, pp. 104 f.)
Rudolf Steiner did not go into the deeper spiritual aspects of the
described process of education and healing in his autobiographical
writings,3 but they do show the central significance of this therapeutic
process for his own life’s work. According to him, in working with the
boy with hydrocephalus, it was a matter “of making it possible to look
into the inner human being.” (GA 303, p. 337). In his own words, Steiner
treated Otto Specht “wholly from the physical side” (GA 303, p. 337); he
had penetrated the child’s constitutional problem in spiritual experience,
with “deepened observation in the individual case” (GA 310, p. 38), and
with the help of “a look deepened by love” (ibid.), indeed establishing an
inner bond that became the precondition for enhanced cognitive work and
substantial therapeutic support. (“The teaching method I had to use gave
me insight into the relationship between the human mind and spirit on
the one hand and the body on the other. I thus pursued my own studies
in physiology and psychology.”) In descriptions given later in lectures in
which he referred to this indirectly, Rudolf Steiner said:
[...] You do get to know the aspect of spirit and soul in actually getting to
know the child’s sick body. The difficulties which spirit and soul have in
coming to expression in a sick body teach one to recognize the way in which
the soul takes hold of the organism when in that case it expresses itself in a
specific way. (GA 310, pp. 91 f.)
education was contained in it. It was not taken up in any special way, except
for mothers who wanted to raise their children according to this little book.
Again and again one would be asked: Should one dress this child in blue,
and that one in red?; should one give this one a yellow bedcover and that
one a red cover? One would also be asked what a particular child should
eat, and so on. A good endeavor, pedagogically speaking, but it did not go
very far. (GA 310, p. 173)
It was only when, thanks to the initiative of industrialist Emil Molt, the
Stuttgart Waldorf School was founded that a development began in the last
years of Steiner’s life on earth where there was greater readiness to take up
the ideas Rudolf Steiner had prepared for many decades, particularly also
with regard to looking at and helping children in ways deepened through
the science of the spirit. (“It is only now becoming slowly apparent what
was intended with this anthroposophical movement from its beginning
twenty years ago.” December 23, 1921; 303) Rudolf Steiner was now able
to give to the faculty of the Independent Waldorf School and—in the summer of 1924, shortly before he fell ill—to the first curative teachers in the
anthroposophical movement5 the elements and motifs of the treatment
used with Otto Specht, (now developed further in many different ways)
relating to the quality of a relationship based on love, typological experience of sickness, and karmically singular perception of the individual.
These are the aspects of the process of “how Rudolf Steiner observed
children brought to him, observing the things that seemed important to
him” that will be considered in The Theapeutic Eye.
Notes
1. Friedrich Rittelmeyer (1872-1938) was a German Protestant minister and theologian, who became a founder and leading priest of The Christian Community, The
Movement for Christian Renewal (Stuttgart, 1922). Quoted from Meine Lebensbegegnung mit Rudolf Steiner, p. 35.
Trillium Forest Press
proudly presents
You see, healthy children are relatively difficult to study as all their characteristics are blurred, not clear cut. You do not easily see how a particular
quality sits in there and how it connects with another. In a sick child, where
you have one complex of qualities, you soon come to consider the special
complex of qualities also pathologically. This can then be applied in the case
of healthy children. (GA 305, p. 135)
Little is known to this day as to which children Steiner had to deal
with in the three-and-a-half decades that followed and which parents he
helped and advised (“there are quite a few others I could mention” GA
303, p. 338). Documents exist, however, to show that problem children
were presented to Steiner again and again, even on the most unsuitable
occasions. (“[Rudolf Steiner] came from a lecture, exhausted, and was
unwilling at first when the mother addressed him in the greenroom of
the Philharmonic. But when he saw the child, he immediately responded
to her request.”4) It is equally apparent that for a long time his theosophical/anthroposophical audiences did not at all think to make Rudolf
Steiner’s diagnostic and therapeutic skills and points of view available
to the world at large, i.e., introduce them methodically and with initiative to the sphere of education and curative education. In the summer
of 1924, Rudolf Steiner said about the way his work on education that
was published in 1907—pioneering also with regard to physiology and
pathological physiology—had been received:
My little book The Education of the Child in the Light of Anthroposophy, written near the beginning of the anthroposophical movement, was
available, with all kinds of directions, and really already a whole system of
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,ITTLE!NGELS*OURNEY
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73 •
The Therapuetic Eye
2. See Rudolf Steiner’s Autobiography (GA 28), and especially also the detailed
descriptions in lectures given on Jan. 3, 1922 (Dornach, GA 303) and July 21, 1924
(Arnhem, GA 310).
3. Concerning the general character of autobiographical essays by Rudolf Steiner
published in Das Goetheanum, see the comment in a lecture on Sept. 12, 1924: “Yes,
I was only able to tell superficial things about this in Das Goetheanum, and the essays
will be published in book form, with annotations in which the inner aspects will also
be considered.” (GA 238, p. 70) Comparative study of Rudolf Steiner’s karma lectures
and the autobiographical essays shows that the “inner aspects” consisted among other
things in the spiritual destiny dimension of the events concerned.
4. Quoted from Uhlenhoff, W. Die Kinder des Heilpaedagogischen Kurses, p. 69.
Another note shows that conditions for examination were not always easy: “When
my mother took me to see Rudolf Steiner, I was terribly wild. Rudolf Steiner sat in
a chair, I stood before him, and he held me by my wrists until I was quite calm.”
(ibid., p. 152)
5. According to a letter written to Rudolf Steiner by Friedrich Husemann on Sept.
15, 1919, Louis Werbeck was planning a home for children with “criminal tendencies” after the First World War, and Rudolf Steiner had agreed to “specially train the
teachers for this.” Husemann then offered to establish a corresponding home as part
of the St. Juergen Asyl Ellen (near Bremen), where he was a physician at the time.
He asked for personal instructions from Rudolf Steiner. No reply from Rudolf Steiner
has survived.
—————————————————————
From
Contributions to the SpiritualScientific Anthropology and
Education of Adolescents
By Peter Selg
Peter Selg’s essay, which is the main part of A Grand Metamorphosis,
is the revision of a lecture he gave on November 13, 2004, at the Steiner
School in Freiburg-Wiehre/Germany.
Introduction
The purpose of my lecture was not so
much to speak as a physician specializing
in child and youth psychiatry about the
particular situation in which young
people find themselves at the beginning
of the twenty-first century, or about the
special characteristics of this generation
and dangers to which they are exposed.
I wanted rather to use Rudolf Steiner’s
work to highlight the fundamental
structure of the crisis of adolescence
and the pedagogical challenges that
emerge as a result. My intention was
to look at and draw attention to the
particular intensity and clarity of Steiner’s
statements and views on this topic. They have clearly hardly lost any
of their relevance today, as many issues related to the foundation of the
Stuttgart Waldorf School remain open or unaddressed. The minutes taken
at the faculty meetings show that Steiner’s last meeting with the faculty
in August 1924, as well as many meetings in the years before that, were
determined by, at times, severe difficulties that prevented the implementation of the education for puberty and adolescence which he had envisaged.
The difficulties were not about the differentiated or age-specific teaching
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contents developed by Steiner, nor were they entirely about the intended
work and further development projects that failed, partly due to a lack
of funding. More often than not, the difficulties were due to the behavior
of individual teachers and their attitude toward the young people: they
were about the lack of an understanding of adolescence—the lack of an
anthroposophical-anthropological insight necessary for an adequate (i.e.,
self-questioning and continuously developing) attitude or personality on
the part of the teacher. In this situation, Rudolf Steiner planned to give
further developmental courses for the faculty of teachers in Stuttgart. He
became ill, however, and died at the end of March 1925, and the courses
never took place. The faculty meetings of the Stuttgart Waldorf School
end with this circumstance, which can be seen as disillusioning but also
as an urgent legacy.
The questions and tasks that Rudolf Steiner raised in those faculty
meetings clearly still exist today, albeit in a modified, even aggravated
way, and they are waiting to be addressed. It is evident that working with
children in the phase of adolescence makes special demands on teachers.
These demands cannot be met by appealing to anthroposophy or to any
other theories. They question the teachers—their genuine knowledge
of the world, their maturity and authenticity; but also their pedagogical willingness to engage in a meeting that is based on real interest, and
that will ultimately lead them to acknowledge and bear the inner abyss
which separates them, with their life experience, from the situation of
the adolescents that they see in front of them. In the autumn of 1924,
Rudolf Steiner wanted to speak about the ethics of a future education for
adolescents and to give new impulses to this end. One can assume that
he would have spoken about what is necessary for an education that does
not only try to place young people into the present world and civilization, but that anticipates and encourages the powers of the future that
are definitely present in them.
The following presentation, which follows Rudolf Steiner’s words
closely and contains many actual quotations, presupposes that Steiner’s
existing comments on education and physiological development supply
aspects that are essential for establishing a necessary pedagogical ethics
for adolescence—as long as they are not merely expected to be “known”
in anthroposophical circles, but have actually been fundamentally
understood and internalized. If we concentrate on Steiner’s individual
and consistently accurate comments, and refer them to the experiences
to which we have access, individually decisive changes can unfold, in
knowledge as well as in practice…
My contribution begins with a contemplation of the physiological
developmental shift that marks the onset of adolescence, the foundation
for which has to be laid during the first two seven-year periods. When
contemplating the much-discussed phenomena of puberty and adolescence we must not forget that any evident youth crisis has to be seen and
understood in connection with the development and the omissions that
led up to it. Adolescence leads the individual toward specific changes
and challenges. Whether and how these will be mastered is not primarily
determined during this actual phase, but mostly by the forces and conditions that were established during the first two seven-year periods (“We
will carry these in us later on. We always carry everything in us.” Steiner;
GA 218, p. 325). This manuscript concludes with three contributions that
all touch on the theme of anticipating the future in the present. The first
is an invaluable recollection of Rudolf Steiner’s last two meetings with
the first graduates of the Free Waldorf School, in which the young people
spoke about their future plans and their concerns. The later testimonials
by Ita Wegman and Eugen Kolisko, both physicians and school doctors
who had worked closely with Rudolf Steiner on educational questions and
who continued to work in this spirit, are imbued with a forward-looking
and, I think, still-exemplary endeavor to prepare young people for their
destinies and to place them firmly “into the world,” which must not be
misunderstood as meaning that they should be encouraged to adapt
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to the world as they find it. Not only the Free Waldorf Schools and the
young people themselves, but human civilization as a whole, depend on
the achievement of this educational aim for their future.
On January 19, 1922, Rudolf Steiner said in a lecture, after having given
an overview of the first two seven-year periods:
What is most active in the child? It is the brain! From the brain the plastic
formation of the whole body radiates outwards. It is most active up to the
change of teeth. When the teeth change, this formative power is passed on
to the respiration-heat-system and until puberty this system takes over…
Between the seventh and fourteenth years, the muscles develop in accordance
with the rhythmic system. Only when the child approaches the fourteenth
year does the spirit-soul take hold of the whole human being. It is interesting
to observe how the muscles were previously oriented towards heartbeat, pulse
and breathing. Now they begin to befriend the bones, the skeleton, through
the tendons adapting to the outer movement… Starting from the head, the
soul grows more and more toward the periphery, using up the human being,
getting closer and closer to the death forces until they take over in the moment
of death. (GA 210, p. 233 ff.)
What Steiner describes as a growing into the earth forces (GA 348, p.
55), or befriending the earth and death forces, young people are compelled
to do physiologically right down into their physical body. This “grand
metamorphosis” of their existence (GA 303, p. 242) presents, despite the
fact that it has been prepared in their physiological development, a radical
loss of the spirit-soul world that has carried them up until now:
It is no exaggeration, but the actual truth to say that with sexual maturity
human beings are cast out of the spiritual world and into the external
world… Young people might not have a conscious awareness of this, but
in the subconscious it plays an even bigger, more intense part. In the subconscious, human beings compare the world that they are entering now,
subconsciously or half-consciously, with the world that they formerly had
within them. Previously, they were not consciously aware that they had it
within themselves, but they had an inner way of working with it. In their
inner life, human beings are able to work freely with the higher world, with
the soul-spiritual world. The external world offers no such provision. Here
we are confronted with all kinds of hindrances, and, at the same time, with
the wish to overcome these hindrances. A tumultuous situation arises in
the relationship between the adolescent of fourteen or fifteen to twenty-one
years, and the world. This tumultuous situation is necessary, and as teachers
we need to have it in mind already during the years leading up to it. Overly
sensitive teachers might get the idea that it would be better to spare young
people this inner upheaval. But in doing so they would make themselves into
the worst enemy of youth. (GA 303, p. 238 ff.)
In just the same way as the maturing nerve-sense and rhythmical
systems dominated the development of the first two seven-year periods,
the metabolic-limb system now unfolds, as earthly organization and
will-carrier, to its full potential. The metabolic-limb system as will-organization (Steiner), breaks through physiologically: young people leave
the protection of a predominantly harmonious inner space and arrive at
the point where they have to meet and come to terms with outer forces.
This time cannot be postponed; any retardation or distortion would be
pathological. Their will potential is no longer tied to and absorbed by the
physical organization, but is partly set free. This is necessary for them to
find a new will-based relationship with the world, and to be able to form
ideals that can inspire them to become active. Physiologically, a definite restructuring of inner forces occurs: according to Steiner, the metabolic-limb
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system’s increased desire and will-forces are integrating into the organism,
virtually radiating through it from below upward; rising up to permeate
the body. In an emerging balance of systems, forces, and processes, they
constitute the physiological situation of health and illness for the time of
earthly maturity. At the same time, the rising forces and processes cause a
necessary “congestion”; through this, the rhythmic organization and the
larynx-speech area can become ensouled, and can bring about a change
of the entire instrument and the potential of speech.
One learns to recognize how the soul-spirit manifests in the outer physical
body, and one learns to recognize how the will-nature finds its place in the
nature of the larynx; one learns to observe how the will shoots into speech.
(301, 23)
The change of voice is something that is forced onto the human being from
the outside; it places the human being’s innermost being into the outer world.
It is not just that the soft parts of the larynx develop a tendency toward the
bones: in actual fact, a slight ossification of the larynx itself takes place, which
means that the larynx moves from being part of the inner human being to
being part of the physical world. (303, 242 ff.)
In the wider context of the human organization that works into the
processes outlined above, Steiner described the “grand metamorphosis”
that takes place during adolescence as the physiologically required,
harmonious coming together of spirit-soul and the physical and etheric
bodies; more concretely, as the astral body’s gradual taking hold of, and
consequent separating from, the organic life processes. According to
Steiner, astrality begins to enter into physiological processes along the
nerve fibres in the second seven-year-period. From its former function
as a sheath in the outer periphery, it now contracts in a centripetal direction and finally reaches the stage of physical orientation that initiates the
process of metamorphosis and liberation with the change of voice and the
beginning of puberty. The adolescent “lives” this complicated life process
the astral body (and the ego which is, in a way, immanent in it) senses itself
in this restructuring and experiences its own struggle to connect with the
physical and etheric bodies. In relation to this, Rudolf Steiner spoke of
the human being bringing “the whole subjective nature— ego and astral
body—into relationship with his objective nature—ether body and physical body.” (GA 302, p. 74) He repeatedly pointed out that boys and girls
tend to experience these processes in slightly different ways. Looking back
at the differences that are already manifest during the second seven-yearperiod, Rudolf Steiner said, for example, on August 25, 1922, during an
international pedagogical congress in Oxford: In the confrontation with
the world- and earth-forces, adolescents begin to find their own speech;
at the same time, they are pressurized and threatened by these forces. In
this way, the adolescent’s speech and breathing organism, as an integral
part of the rhythmic system, becomes—to a previously unknown and
unexpected extent—the place of conflict between inner and outer worlds.
The heart organism, which is adjacent and developmentally connected to
the speech organism, also undergoes a drastic change. Steiner described in
detail how the heart organ experiences lasting physiological transformation and restructuring processes, already during the years leading up to
earthly maturity, which ultimately, from the beginning of adolescence,
enable the heart to become the organ wherein deeds and intentions are
internalized. From puberty onward, deeds as well as intentions inscribe
themselves, Steiner said, into the heart organism, which from this time
on unfolds as the place where individual destiny can be realized.
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From
A Practical Guide for Poets, Teachers & Students
By John H. Wulsin Jr.
Contemporary American Speech
While The Spirit of the English Language attempts to understand the activities of the spirit of the language in poetry, it
does not include modern and contemporary poetry within
its scope. Nevertheless, it is worth glancing at some of the
ways contemporary youth are using the English language.
We will relinquish our attention to sound patterns and shift
to speech patterns, still reflecting and affecting the spirit of
the language.
There are several habits of speech among contemporary
American youth that may seem innocuous, but that deserve
understanding among parents, teachers, and anyone concerned with language and consciousness.
When we wonder about new ways in the third
millennium, pondering the unpredictable changes
ahead of us in the coming several decades, we find
that one of the best tools for meeting what may
come is to look at the way children speak throughout their waking lives. Teachers and parents need
to work together on children’s language.
These concerns arise not from a statement of
what is right or wrong. This writer is no grammarian speaking out in contrast to anti-grammarians.
John H. Wulsin Jr.
This is not a cry of the Alamo, holding out against
the changing language of the masses. Language always
changes; language changed more in Elizabethan England
than at almost any other time. Poets need to be changing and
revitalizing language; otherwise our language dies, and hence
our consciousness weakens. Often, there has been a healthy
interchange between the language of the streets or fields and
the language among the educated groves of academia, an
interchange between the established language patterns of the
past and the percolating slang of the present. Such tension is
needed if the language is to stay alive. The uniformity of our
pervasive mass media is a major new force that is deadening
that vital interchange.
As parents, as teachers, and simply as individuals, we need
to choose what is timeless and essential in our language, so
that our children and students can navigate clearly through
the ever-changing, turbulent waters of the present and near
future. We are not taking a stand on one side or the other in the
perennial polarities between traditional and progressive, classic
and Romantic, lawful and artful, established and pioneering,
past and future. We are concerned primarily with the healthy
development of children as individuals in healthy relationships to others; therefore we hope that our education works
both traditionally and progressively, both “classically “and
“Romantically,” lawfully and artfully, in developing schools
that, as they become established, continue to pioneer while
drawing on the past to meet the future.
Six changes have been creeping into our American English
at various times during the last fifty years, changes that may be
indications of degenerating consciousness rather than changes
that vitalize new consciousness. They are, in shorthand, unconscious uses of like, good/well, who/that, each one/their, me/I,
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whatever. If we understand,
especially as teachers and
parents, the nature of these
increasingly unconscious
confusions, we can work
together to aid the health of
our children’s emerging and
enduring consciousness in
most essential ways.
Like
In a recent session of
the full faculty meeting of
the Green Meadow Waldorf School, focusing on the Humanities Curriculum, it emerged that the single most urgent
concern about our children’s speech is the pervasive abuse
of the word like. It is a fine word, usually a preposition with
a noun or pronoun as its object: “like a rock”; “like a bird”;
“like her.” The advertising firm in the 1950s for Winston-Salem
cigarettes is probably responsible for jarring like loose from
its clear role as a preposition and using it as a conjunction,
followed by a clause, with a noun and a verb: “Winston tastes
good, like a—— cigarette should.” Ever since Homer, that role
of conjunction, for a clause, had been played primarily by as,
the good cousin of like.
In fact, one could say that Homer gave the clearest and finest mission to the word like and its companion as. The essential
dynamic of the simile, one of the most important activities of
the evolving Western mind, is to recognize and to state that
two normally dissimilar objects are in fact similar: A is like
B; a woman is like a tree. “Thetis . . . , rising like a dawn mist
from the sea into a cloud . . . , soared aloft in heaven to high
Olympos” (Iliad, 1, ll.496–499). The relationship is not one of
mathematical equality—A = B—but rather one of comparison.
One exercises imagination rationally. The fact of the similarity
is stated explicitly through language. The possible similarities
usually remain implicit and active in the imagination of the
reader. When the similarity is recognized not simply between
two objects, but between two activities, then like is replaced
with as, which links two clauses. Homer’s extended similes can
become quite developed, taking on a life of their own.
From the camp
The troops were turning out now, thick as bees
That issue from some crevice in a rock face,
Endlessly pouring forth, to make a cluster
And swarm on blooms of summer here and there,
glinting and droning, busy in bright air.
Like bees innumerable from ships and huts,
Down the deep foreshore streamed those regiments
Toward the assembly ground-and Rumor blazed
Among them like a crier sent from Zeus.
(Homer’s Iliad, 2, ll. 81–90, tr. Fitzgerald)
In either case, the normal simile with like, or the extended
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simile with as, it is absolutely crucial that both the speaker/
writer and the listener/reader are clear which image is the
actual subject (called by literary scholars the “tenor”) and
which image is the “vehicle,” to help us understand better the
original, actual subject. In the extended simile, the actual subject is almost always a particular activity in a particular place,
while the “vehicle” is almost always an activity that takes place
almost anywhere, probably forever, any place, any time. There
will always be, we hope, bees swarming on blooms of summer.
The Homeric extended simile provides an eternal dimension
within the activities of mortals on Earth. One can say that the
Greeks, being guided into life on Earth by these great stories,
were, through similes, not only shown the connections between
things on Earth, but were also reminded of the timeless realm
from which they had come.
Now that we have a historic and linguistic context for the
role of like in our language and literature, we can turn our
attention to the role of like in the life of the developing child.
Our concern for children during the years of active Waldorf
education is essentially that they incarnate into life in the
healthiest way possible. We nourish young children artfully
through imagination, always in the service of guiding them into
the reality of the world in which we live, and at the same time
the reality of the world that these children will help create.
As the child grows gradually, unfolding young thinking
capacities, especially in fifth and sixth grades, paralleling
humanity’s developments in Greece and Rome, it becomes
crucial that the child is grounded healthily in reality. We cannot
become so lost in the swarming bees that we forget that the
soldiers are actually running to the ships. The simile is meant
to take us further inside the original image, not away from it.
In literary language the “vehicle” is meant to illuminate the
“tenor,” not to eclipse it. We could also say, as parents and
educators, that the simile should help us more fully incarnate,
rather than excarnate.
Now, what happened with like about fifty years ago? Here
is one amateur, pop linguist’s version of the recent life and
times of like. In the late 1960s, American
society was cast into a tense duality. The As parents, as teachers,
hardening asphalt of the cool fifties was
rent asunder by mere flowers, the flower
children of the dawning of the new “Age and simply as individuals,
of Aquarius.” In the opposition between
“repressed, oppressive” establishment
we need to choose what is
and “uninhibited, liberated” hippies, the
gesture of the young people was to expand
their consciousness, out from and beyond timeless and essential in
the bedrock of day-to-day reality. The
ignorant and indiscriminate use of drugs
often gave the illusion of further expand- our language.
ing consciousness, to the extent that for
some the connection to actual, daily reality evaporated. Or, to
use a simile from those times, it was as though an astronaut,
floating in space, severed that delicate connecting cord to the
spaceship, which really connects one to life on Earth.
In our literary terms, the conscious connection between the
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actual image and the figurative image, between the tenor and the vehicle,
between the actuality and the illuminating perspective, was lost. In terms
of “A is like B,” B lost A. “Like, I like went to the like store, and, you know,
like I met like Freddie.” The speaker is living, at best, completely in the
world of the illuminating perspective. Yet there is no different reality to
illuminate. There is no darkness to shed light on. The light has no bearing; the light is lost. In the language of our seniors studying Faust, there
is no good without evil.
William Blake said, “Without Contraries, there is no Progression.”
This arbitrary proliferation of like, like a virus or cancer, robs both the
speaker and the listener of the vitality, the dynamic of contraries, of clear
polarity. The virus of misused like gives the speaker the illusion of living
completely in the “illuminating perspective,” yet the irony is that, in fact,
it is only a weakened shadow of day-to-day reality, not at all that larger,
timeless dimension of the vehicle in Homer’s extended simile.
Unfortunately, the drug culture of the sixties spawned this senseless
proliferation of like, permeating the verbal atmosphere in which the
children now grow up. The insidious danger is that, like chemical, atmospheric pollution, the abusive misuse of like interferes seriously with the
healthy incarnation process of the child. Growing children need to find
a vital, conscious true connection to the Earth on which we live. Rather
than incarnating growing children, this misuse of like excarnates and pulls
them out from living actuality.
What can we parents and teachers do? First, be clear ourselves so that
we do not thoughtlessly perpetrate such confusion. Second, gently correct
the children any time we hear the misuse. Children learn to speak from
us as parents and teachers. By imitating, they form their habits early. We
need to help those habits become clear, strong, true, and incarnating.
Young ones don’t need explanations; they just need to hear the correct
way after any of their mistakes, and then they need to imitate correctly. Of
course, our youth will speak their own peer lingo, which often includes this
“likedy-like.” When we’re not present, naturally we cannot affect that. They
will enjoy their slang jargon. That’s fine; some of it is vital, new language.
But, if we are clear at home and at school, they will know the difference.
The whole reason for teaching foreign languages from first grade on is
to develop mobility and flexibility of soul. If children grow up with the
habit of speaking clearly, making true connections both at home and at
school, then they will be able to think more clearly in high school and
act more consciously in adult life. They will be able to make connections
consciously, allowing the eternal to permeate the particulars of their lives.
The right use of this splendid word like can make a crucial difference.
I can well imagine that at some future stage we may no longer need
the word like to make connections. We will become so able to experience
the thing itself that we will not need to let something else illuminate it
for us. So far, however, as a stage in the process of illuminating our world,
like continues to serve a fine function as we exercise our imaginations
rationally. Parents and teachers, let us work together to help our children
speak clearly, so that, through their speech, they know clearly what is
what—what is like what and what like ain’t.
Good / Well
In the last fifteen years, sports announcers and athletes have been
largely responsible for turning good into an adverb. “Well, how’d the team
play today?” “Good, good.” “How do you think you’ll do against Holy
Cross tomorrow?” “I think we’ll do good; we’re ready.” The confusion is
becoming increasingly common outside the sports world; of course our
young people imitate it. Is this one of those evolutionary shifts of language
that we might as well surrender to and go with the flow? Perhaps. First
though, let’s consider the implications. How important is it to distinguish
between an adjective and an adverb? Are they on the way to merging
and becoming “adjerbs?” If so, should we help the merger or sustain the
distinction? What difference does it make anyway?
An adjective, by definition, modifies a noun or pronoun. A noun is a
person, place, thing, or idea. What do thing, place, person, and idea have in
common? Thing, place, person all exist in space. Idea exists, one might say,
in inner space. All four have, in themselves, a stationary quality, a quality
of being at rest. An adverb modifies a verb, another adverb, or an adjective.
Whereas the adjective is usually connected directly to the noun, the adverb
allows our consciousness to expand, flexibly, like a dog that wanders without
getting lost. “The red team played, all things considered, and especially in
spite of its injuries, quite well.” The adverb well modifies the verb played. The
adverb’s connection to the verb is flexible, elastic; the adverb can be placed
almost anywhere in the sentence.
The distinction between adjective and adverb is essentially linked to the
distinction between noun and verb. How important is that distinction?
Well, come to think of it, the essential unit with which we communicate our
thoughts, the sentence, depends absolutely on the distinction between noun
and verb. The quintessential sentence, “I am,” consists of a pronoun and
the verb meaning “to be.” In Roman times a “sentence” expressed a feeling:
sentire. In our times, a sentence expresses a thought. Absolutely essential, for
a thought to have any dynamic, is the presence of a subject and a predicate, a
noun and a verb. Without the verb, the noun remains at rest, inert. Without
the subject (the noun), the verb remains undirected, unfocussed. Without
either, thought has no dynamic, no life.
If we give up the distinction between adjective and adverb, we take a
large step toward blurring and losing the distinction between noun and
verb, the fundamental polarity that informs our ability to form and express
dynamic thoughts. Good is usually an adjective. In “to do good,” good is a
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noun, not an adverb. A good Samaritan does good through many selfless
deeds. Yes, you will find in your dictionary a third listing for ”good” as
an adverb. And yes, well, an adverb, can of course work as an adjective,
usually in terms of health of state of soul. “Are you well today?” So there
is flexibility possible. But generally, helping our children to distinguish
appropriately between good as an adjective and well as an adverb will
help them distinguish more consciously between relationship to noun
and relationship to verb, which will quicken both the accuracy and the
dynamic of their thinking.
It is not surprising that the sports world would want to turn adjectives
into adverbs. But, from an educational perspective, it is often precisely our
young athletes who need the noun’s distinction of place as a basis for a pure
idea, to give them clear orientation in a world of continuous action. Our
young people need to grow out of being continuous verbs, into becoming
clear subjects. A clear distinction between adjective and adverb will help
that process. For the adult, how we speak reflects how we think. For the
child, how we speak affects how we become able to think.
Who / That
“Any person that speaks this way to another is highly inconsiderate.”
“Any girl that stays quiet in class through either fear or protection of the
boys is being unfair to herself.”
Simply, a person is “who.” A place, thing, or idea, is “that” or “which.”
This is simple. Yet the tendency to dehumanize is powerful and pervasive,
whether on Madison Avenue, in the computer world, in business, in the
armed forces, in prisons, in public schools, even, lo and behold, possibly
through careless language in our schools. The problem is not with that
(or which) as adjectives. There is nothing wrong with “Which boy finished his work?” or “I see that child in the green shirt.” The proper use of
the appropriate relative pronoun is the simplest of ways to differentiate
actively between what is human and what is not human. The person
who . . . or whom . . . The thing that . . . or which . . . Each time children
hear themselves referred to as “who” rather than “that” or “which,” they
subconsciously experience their humanity confirmed. Every individual
lives with the question: Who am I? The corollary statement should at
least be: I am who.
(person) reinforces the singularity. To say “Everyone must put away their
coats” means literally that each individual should be putting away the other
students’ coats: the plurally possessed coats. That is confusing, unless the
teacher or parent actually means that. Each student should finish his or
her lunch, not all the students’ lunches, before going outside.
This confusion between singular and plural is not a light matter,
because individuality is seriously threatened from two directions in our
time. From outside, with pressure from media, statistics, large institutions,
and the many of implications of natural science during the past several
centuries, we can grow up feeling that each one of us is an inconsequential
member of the masses, without an individual story. From inside, on the
other hand, in this era of fast time and decreasing family cohesion, the soul
is subject to forces that can pull it apart. Bipolar disorder, schizophrenia,
and to the extreme, multiple personalities, are potent symptoms of the
contemporary challenge of growing up with a healthy, integrated soul.
It has a profound effect on a young, impressionable, forming child
when a parent or teacher, meaning “one” says “many,” meaning singular
says plural. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote in his journal in 1837, “A believer
in Unity, a seer of Unity, I yet behold two. . . . Cannot I behold the Universe
without a contradiction?” (Whicher 62). Emerson learned to embrace
contradictions. We want our students to be able to embrace contradictions. However, we want our students to be able to hear, to see, to think
“one” when “one” is meant. The spoken confusion between singular and
plural splits the child’s growing consciousness of, and confidence in, the
integrity of one, and hence in the clarity and actuality of both individuality and of unity. The corollary, of course, is that accuracy in relation
to singular and plural will strengthen the child’s growing consciousness
of, and confidence in, the integrity of one, and hence in the clarity and
actuality of his or her growing individuality, which is the center of one’s
actual capacity to experience unity.
What is the best solution at this time in the evolution of our language
and consciousness? As parents and teachers, we owe it to our children to
distinguish clearly between singular and plural. Then we have two choices.
The truest choice, “Each student must finish his or her lunch” can feel at
times like a strain, aesthetically clumsy, though it’s better than the inaccurate “their.” For the time being, the best solution seems to be to be accurate in terms of number, and to be flexibly inclusive in terms of gender.
Each One / Their
In the second half of the twentieth century, an emerging new consciousness has been struggling with the language, to find more accuracy
in a particular dimension. Yet the frequent solution, the easy solution,
reinforces a dangerous, different kind of unconsciousness. Simply put,
the struggle for gender clarification has too often settled into a confusion
of number.
For example, the traditional statement has been, “Everyone should
put his coat on the hook.” Or “Each student should finish his lunch before
going outside.” Everyone—every one—is singular, as are everybody, anyone,
and anybody. The simple solution for the possessive pronoun, easier in
days of single-sex schools, was to use the masculine possessive pronoun:
“his coat” or “his lunch,” unless only girls were involved. Culturally, “his”
included both male and female. As people became more awake and sensitive to the gender implications of our language, a more accurate, careful
statement became, “Everyone should put away his or her coat.” While
it is the most accurate form, this solution comes to feel a little strained
and cumbersome, especially when repeated frequently. Unfortunately,
and I’m afraid owing as much to lack of consciousness about number
as to raised consciousness about gender, a too frequent statement is,
“Everyone should hang up their coats.” Initially, it sounds like a simpler,
more inclusive solution.
But every young child is, at some stage, acutely sensitive to every clue
to the actual laws of life and of the universe. One is a distinctive, powerful,
unique experience, the seed of the gradually emerging individuality. Each
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Elevate her to the generic status that his has always occupied, alternating
the use of his with the use of her, allowing the students to develop the
sense that either can be used flexibly in those inclusive group contexts to
refer to each individual in the coeducational group. Not perfect, but if
one feels it necessary, this solution does offer an aesthetic compromise,
with clarifying consciousness.
I / Me
What may be the most crucial grammatical confusion in our children’s speaking these days has emerged relatively recently, and I do not
yet understand why. I do not remember it in the 1950s or in the 1960s.
It is interesting that its spawning seems to coincide with what sociologists have called “the ‘me’ generation” of the 70s. It is astonishing how
many of our high school students say, “Me ’n’ Sarah played basketball
yesterday.” “Me, Jack, ’n’ Josh drove through the snow yesterday.” We
remember five- and six-year-olds speaking this way—but high school
sophomores, juniors, seniors well on the way toward becoming young
men and young women?
First, let’s look at the implications developmentally, then grammatically. After birth, a baby is like the still, though squirming, center of the
turning Earth. A young baby doesn’t go anywhere, yet its consciousness
is, in a way, everywhere, all around, in every sight, smell, and sound.
Gradually, in stage two, the more a child imitates and is formed by surrounding sounds, the more the child grows into speech. A child grows
into naming things of the world, including his or her own name; “Sarah”
or “Josh” is spoken like everyone else’s name: as though from an outside
perspective.
In stage three, the child starts to experience the first level of differentiation between oneself and the rest of the world. The child begins to say
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“me” instead of her or his name. The child becomes the receptive center
of the universe: me, the object of everyone’s attention. Me, the object. Me.
They hold me. They feed me. They sing to me. And, less consciously, but
most important, they love me.
Stage four appears first during stage three, usually sometime in a child’s
third year. Then the child first utters the most mysterious name “I,” the
name of each one of us, the name we all share, yet the name that no one
else can call any of us. “I” is the object of no one else’s attention or activity. The moment a child first says “I,” the long journey has begun, from
sucking center of the world to source/center of the world; from passive
receiver of life to active giver of life; from object to subject.
This process in “stage four” continues until around the age of twentyone; the evolution from a predominance of “me” toward an increasing
predominance of “I” is subtly reinforced at several turning points in
childhood. As many Waldorf school parents know, around the ages of
nine and ten, a child inwardly experiences a deepening of the difference
between the outer world of nature and the inner world of self. A child
often experiences certain degrees of separation from one’s family, a process
by which the child’s “I” becomes more conscious.
Sometime between the ages of twelve and fourteen, as puberty inaugurates new activity in the metabolic system and reproductive organs,
the adolescent’s soul opens inwardly in manifold dimensions. This new
activity enriches the experience of the individual’s inner world in relation
to and often in contrast to the outer world, yet now with increasingly
conscious thinking activity. By ages sixteen and seventeen, this process
usually includes an experience of extreme inward isolation, like that of an
Odysseus, a Parzival, a Hamlet, or a Jane Eyre. Yet, by twelfth grade, that
very experience of inner isolation should make possible the individual’s
ability to enter the thinking experience of any other “I,” as well as becoming
an active, leading, primarily responsible source of life in the community,
an “I,” a subject actively influencing the world.
Pedagogically, in terms of the immediate tasks of primary and secondary education, this process culminates in twelfth grade. Whereas
your four-year-old’s language may still include a predominance of
“me,” your eighteen-year-old’s language should certainly include a
predominance of “I,” with “I” always the subject, “me” always an object.
Actually, that process of shift from “me” toward “I” continues through
the late teens, as sometime around the traditional age of twenty-one,
the individual has the experience that inwardly the long process of
unfolding the “I” has come to a new stage of fulfillment as an adult “I”
in the world. Sometime around this age of twenty-one, a new, inward
experience becomes simply, “Here I am,” with a new clarity and calm,
however chaotically the world may be turning around the individual.
The process of the development of the “I” continues, of course, in other
ways, throughout adult life.
Before returning to the grammatical mystery of the word I, let us notice
one more aspect of the developmental mystery of the “I.” Yes, egotism is
an unhealthy excess of self-absorption, usually with “me.” Yes, in the high
school we do make sure that students can write essays expressing objective, well-supported perspective, without “I . . . , I . . . , I . . . and me, . . .
me, . . . me” in every other sentence. Yes, it is true that the highest capacity
of the “I” is to serve another or to serve something higher than oneself.
And yes, the best way to practice that capacity is through the good old,
courteous habit of mentioning others before oneself. “Tom, Josh, Sarah,
and I are going to a concert.”
Be aware, however (especially adults in Eastern spiritual streams), that
what one practices as an adult can have very different effects from what
one experiences as a child. For children to be engaged in meditative practice oriented toward giving up, or dispelling, the “ego” can have lifelong
deleterious effects on young people’s ability later to find their individual
ways as adults. It is one thing for a conscious, mature “I” to choose to “give
up” or go beyond one’s own “I.” It is quite another for an only partially
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conscious child to be influenced to give up something that is hardly one’s
own yet. How can a child give up what has not yet been gained? Over the
years, we have seen some children prematurely practicing concentrated
meditations, with a consequence of extreme difficulty concentrating in
adolescence and adulthood. Too often, well-intended but developmentally
unaware efforts of parents in that direction can leave a child, in the wake
of “I-lessness,” actually collapsing in on “Me ’n’ Sarah went to the store,”
an infantile, self-absorbed pendulum swing.
Now, let us return to the grammatical mystery—the first-person trinity
of pronouns, me, myself, and I. Of course, the Scottish drunkard has long
lost his “I” and makes his toast, “’Ere’s ta me, maseln, ’n na’ forgettin’ ma
wife’s ’usban’!” But first, myself. Myself is reflexive. The mystery of myself
is that it absolutely cannot exist without “I.” Tom, Josh, Sarah, and myself
cannot go to an important conference, be on an important committee, join
a power breakfast. Oh, no. Myself can do absolutely nothing. That’s the law
of the living language. Only I can do, can be. You can’t and they can’t love
myself or bring myself. Oh, no. Myself is almost like the shadow of “I” in a
positive, Peter Pan sense, not a negative sense. Just as I is the name only I
as an individual can call myself, only I can refer to myself, can transform
myself. To say that Josh, Sarah, and myself are on the committee reflects
subtle, unconscious self-absorption, a grammatical, reflexive equivalent
of muscle flexing. Josh, Sarah, and (simply) I are on the committee; that’s
all. Myself, reflexive, is exclusively either the appositive (I, myself, will . . .
) or the object of the subject I (I trust myself). No “myself ” in a sentence
without “I.” Mystery number one. Mysteries of course merely conceal
higher laws, which we already know subconsciously.
Mystery Number Two. “Me.” Me, we all know, exists only as an object.
The mystery of me is twofold. First, unlike myself, me does not, cannot,
exist as an object of I. I cannot love me, take me, have me. Second, me
exists, in fact, only as an object of the pronouns you, he, she, it, and they,
or of nouns such as policeman, teacher, friend, etc. Essentially, whereas
myself is the object of I, me is the object of the other. “Me” is incapable
and not allowed to do anything out of its own will. “Me” has no will
of its own. “Me” is the servant, the slave, the child, the passive object,
determined usually by the subject of the other, or by a preposition. “He
knows me.” “She moves me.” “They make me do this.” “It frightens me.”
“You gave it to me.”
Anytime we, parents and teachers, allow a child to say, “Me an’ Sarah
are going to the store,” we reinforce that child’s unconscious experience
that, instead of that emerging individuality choosing out of growing,
conscious free will to go with Sarah to the store, the child is instead
impelled, as object not subject, by forces other than his or her own will,
perhaps through peer pressure or Madison Avenue, to go to that store
with Sarah. Who will write the script of that child’s life? He, himself? She,
herself? Or all the forces that want to control people who are weak enough
individuals to allow themselves to be objects in life, rather than choosing
freely to be subjects. “Sarah and I are going to the store.” Put the other
first, yet choose as an individual, as an actual subject, to go. Let me work
as an object. There are many situations when that is appropriate. But don’t
let your child or student be an object when a subject is appropriate. Not
“me am” but “I am.”
And now the third mystery of the first-person trinity, or triad. Like
shading in around light in a drawing, our considerations of myself and of
me have already implied much about the mystery of “I.” Only they define
me. Only I define myself. But, no one defines “I.” Only I . . . am.
I—perhaps the most vital, essential, pure single-sound word in our
language. I—a diphthong of three vowel sounds, actually “ah-a-ee.” Undetermined by any consonant sounds, compared to most names and indeed
most words, I is unaffected by those sounds generally associated with the
physical world, the outer world. The “ah” is open and sounds back deeper
in the throat. The long “a” sounds more forward in the mouth. The “a”
sound can evoke a horizontality; the eurythmy gesture usually includes
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some kind of a crossing of arms, a defining meeting. “Ee” sounds even
more forward in the mouth, extending linearly forward and vertically,
as is reflected in the eurythmy gestures of one arm reaching up and the
other raying down.
I is in some ways the equivalent, in the world of nouns and pronouns,
of the infinitive in the verb world. “She had run. She ran. She runs. She
will run.” Each such form of the verb “to run” is expressed in a particular,
finite time: past perfect, past, present, future. The mystery of the infinitive to run is that, rather than being actualized into any particular time
(or tense), the infinitive form of the verb to run remains in the state of
complete potential with infinite possibility. The manifold mystery of I
is that not only is it free of any consonant sounds, but it also remains
undetermined by any force outside itself. Unlike any noun, I can never
be an object. I is the infinite subject.
I, as the name no one else can utter, is also the subject no one else
can initiate or command. I, in English, stands free, not embedded in the
verb, as in Latin, Spanish, Italian: te amo (I love you), with the first person
embedded in the verb ending. I, as a word, stands independent, free to
choose its own verb. I, the most unencumbered of subjects, is literally
the “infinitive” of subjects, the most universal of subjects, because it is
the potential, the capacity, of each individual to say “I.” Literally, in these
times when English is becoming the lingua franca of most of the globe,
the experience of saying “I” is on the way to becoming universal.
On another level, the purest thought deed connected with the purest subject is the simplest statement: “I am.” This statement, the essence,
even the name, of the Judeo-Christian divinity, reveals the immortal,
spiritual nature of “I.” The riddle of the “I am” is that it reveals what is
most individual about the subject speaking it. No one else can utter it
for that subject. Yet at the same time, I is the individual mystery for every
individual. Hence each individual “I am” participates in the universal “I
AM” of all humanity. The “I AM” of all humanity is infinite in its spiritual
nature. Through one’s own “I,” one recognizes other “I” beings. Every time
an “I” thinks, speaks, acts, the “I” of others awakens, stirs. Every time an
“I” is a “me” or “myself ” instead, the other “I” beings are pacified. An “I,”
active, has an activating effect on each individual it affects. So, the firstperson trinity of pronouns (me, myself, and I) need to be allowed to have
their proper relationship. Then they can influence me. I can transform
myself. And I can be freely active, for everyone’s sake.
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Whatever
The sixth and final grammatical confusion is the youngest (or most
recent), the simplest, and perhaps the most insidious. Where has it come
from, this trail word, this tail word, of the 1990s? I wonder.
Whatever has a perfectly respectable history as a pronoun and as an
adjective. Also as pronoun: “Do whatever you think is best. Whatever
happens, keep the faith.” As adjective: “Whatever merits the work has
. . .” “Whatever the reason, she refuses to go.” These are examples from
Webster’s Dictionary. As a pronoun, whatever is either the subject or the
object of a verb, a dynamic part of a thought. As an adjective, whatever
clearly qualifies, modifies, some particular noun.
“She can come if she likes. Whatever.” “I think that’s bad, whatever.” “I
might do it, whatever.” How is this word working in the sentences? It does
not seem to be working as any recognizable part of speech. Maybe it comes
closest to an interjection, like “hooray” or “uh-oh.” How is it affecting or
reflecting the rest of the sentence? It does not affirm or reinforce. It does
not ask, opening up. It does not negate, taking a stance in opposition. This
word, used in a manner almost alien to the eight parts of speech, seems
to undo, diffuse, and almost invalidate the preceding thought.
How might one punctuate the equivalent of this floating whatever?
Not with the period of a statement, nor with a question mark of open
exploration and consideration. And not with an exclamation point of
excitement or command. The punctuation mark for the tailing “whatever”
would have to be something like a squiggle—a drooping squiggle. Essentially, whatever, used this way, is the cop-out word. Whatever articulates
the epitome of moral relativism, indifference, and impotence. Whatever
expresses the attitude of twenty bystanders who see and hear a woman
being slowly murdered without running to stop it or even lifting a finger
Explore.
to call the police. Whatever expresses the attitude that words lack meaning, and hence what one has just said doesn’t matter. If what one does or
says doesn’t matter, what one feels or thinks also does not matter. And
if that’s the case, why live? This use of whatever is insidious. Whatever it
is, it matters one way or the other. The point is to name it and find one’s
relationship to it. Then every thought, every word, every feeling, every
action matters. Then we and the world we inhabit become fully alive.
Whereas the misuse of like is like a virus disintegrating our thinking,
this misuse of whatever is like a virus disassociating, alienating, our attitudes and our actions. It will be a service to our students to help them
out of the habit of using whatever as the cop-out word, restoring whatever
to its clear, dynamic use as either pronoun or adjective. By simply asking
them to follow whatever with words that complete a thought, we will help
them use whatever either as a pronoun (“Whatever is the outcome . . . ”)
or as an adjective (“Whatever the weather, we will go to Mystic Seaport.”).
Then our children will be exercising clarity of thinking and the will to
complete a thought, while fostering elasticity of soul, consciously, which
is profoundly different from “anything goes.”
As we conclude these diagnoses of six contemporary misuses of our
language, let us not forget that, primarily, we want our children (and
ourselves) to be able to play in the language, to play with the language, to
make up new language, to learn the laws of the language, to work as freely
and flexibly as possible within those laws, to love the art of language, to
go beyond the laws when artistically appropriate, to use the language so
that it helps us all to think clearly, feel fully, and act truly. Yet, we want
to recognize when certain developments pose real dangers. When we
recognize such dangers, how we speak and how we help children to speak
can make a crucial difference.
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COLORED SHADOWS AND AFTERIMAGES:
Research for the Physics Curriculum Grade 12 Optics Block
By Catherine Read
The Physics curriculum in the Waldorf School calls for a
block on optics in Grade 12. In this block the activity of light is
experienced, and the methods and ideas of Goethe and Newton
are contrasted. Newton’s work was in line with current methods
of mainstream science which involve testing hypotheses. The
method of hypothesis testing is useful, but only if the hypotheses
are warranted, i.e., if they are about objects or events that are
potentially perceivable (Steiner, 1996, Lecture 1). Notice that
atoms and molecules are not potentially perceivable. Goethe’s
method, in contrast, involves direct experience of as many instances of a phenomenon as possible until experience of the underlying archetype or fundamental primal form arises. Steiner,
in his lectures to Waldorf Science teachers on physics, says that
Goetheanism should “continue its education” (Steiner, 2001).
He points out a misstep in Goethe’s thinking about afterimages,
and describes one method to experience the true situation. He
also describes a different general method of scientific endeavor,
one of “gathering” experiences from the periphery and eventually coming to a central point. This contrasts with Goethe’s
method which begins with an experience in nature and then
analyzes it into simpler component experiences.
The research I report here delves into one of Goethe’s investigations of color and brings this study up to date based on
Steiner’s critique of Goethe’s explanation of colored shadows.
I describe a method for distinguishing colored shadows and
afterimages that is available to any observer. I also explicate
Steiner’s description of the relation of colored shadows and afterimages as equally objective phenomena that exist at different levels of reality. The results and method of this study could
easily be part of the Grade 12 optics block, and the thinking
behind this work prove valuable to the physics teacher and
homeschooling parent.
COLORED SHADOWS AND AFTERIMAGES
“Thinking consideration must encompass what is perceptible…and must seek the interrelationships within this area.”
Goethe, “Against Atomism,” Scientific Studies
Abstract
In Lecture 5 of The Light Course, Steiner states: “Goethe
died in 1832, and we don’t confess to an 1832 Goetheanism, but
rather to one of the year 1919 — in other words, to a GoetheAn image, usually visual, that persists after the external source is removed; it is the opposite of the original image in brightness or color.
Shadows are usually thought to be black, or the relative absence of light;
close observation reveals that most are, to some degree, colored.
“First Course in Natural Science” was the name Steiner originally gave
to this series of ten lectures for teachers of the first Waldorf School in
Stuttgart from December 23, 1919, to January 3, 1920. Over the following years it became known as “The Light Course.” (The Light Course,
Anthroposophic Press, 2001, CW 320). This course and two subsequent
courses on the natural sciences given in 1920 (The Warmth Course,
Mercury Press, 1988, CW 321) and 1921 (“The Relation of the Diverse
Branches of Natural Science to Astronomy,” not yet published, CW 323)
were intended by Steiner as a basic schooling in the Goethean approach
to science and as an introduction to his impulse to anchor natural science
in a science of the spirit.
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anism that has continued its education” (p. 94). Steiner goes
on to take Goethe’s work a step further by showing that light
and dark work in the human eye the way they do in nature. We
use the eyes as instruments to see color of various types. He
specifically points out that afterimage color is no less objective
than colored shadows, and that the two are related. Colored
shadows are objective, and not contrastive (that is, not due to
afterimage effects), and, also, afterimage colors are objective.
Although this idea contradicts the usual understanding of
afterimages, I will endeavor to trace out the consequences of
the idea that afterimages are objective. Prior to demonstrating the relation of colored shadows and afterimages, I worked
with prismatic color observations in order to “tune” my eye
as an instrument and to begin to educate my attention
to pure color phenomena. I then observed colored
shadows in several ways, as described by Goethe in
Farbenlehrer, and as explained by Steiner in Lecture 7 of
The Light Course (Dec. 30, 1919) where he detailed how
phenomenological work based on spiritual science goes
beyond that of Goethe. Steiner showed that Goethe’s
conclusion that “colored” shadows are afterimage
colors is incorrect and that the theory of color must
be changed. Steiner’s direction for making a critical
observation has not yielded clear-cut results, at least
as reported in published literature. Others have taken
Catherine Read
steps to photograph colored shadows, and to observe
them through prisms and to photograph the result. My
method takes a different tack: I work on systematic observations of the qualities of colored shadows and of afterimages.
Out of this work comes the idea: One cannot make afterimages
of afterimages—therefore, if one can make afterimages of colored shadows, the latter cannot be afterimages. I describe the
results of this investigation, which are clear cut, consistent, and
available to anyone without involving physical image-making
in the form of photographs. The end of this report consists
of ideas for future work based on Steiner’s statements about
the primacy of velocity (e.g., Lecture 2, The Light Course), and
the relation of this idea to afterimages that come about from
moving through the world. Specifically, I ask: Is visual flow
analogous to velocity in being the real quality from which
we divide out and thereby create such concepts as image or
layout-of-surfaces and time-to-contact? These are questions
for future research based on the method of making a reasoned
series of observations.
Introduction
In 1919-1920 Rudolf Steiner gave a series of lectures to
science teachers of the Waldorf School in which he endeavored
to give them some basic ideas in the study of nature (Steiner,
2001). He said: “It’s really a matter of precisely following
through to their conclusion what is present in the natural
phenomena. And light gives us the most clues for pursuing
that course.” (p. 95) Does light give these clues because it exists
at the border of the material and the immaterial, and thus can
bring our attention to the spiritual beyond the physical? We
do not see light, but we see the world by means of the light.
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Colored Shadows and Afterimages
Is color a relationship between light and the world,
so that our sense of sight
can be especially educated
by experiences with color?
The method of following
clues does not necessarily
lead one in a straight line
in one’s thinking and observations. Indeed, Steiner
described his course thus:
“I would like to guide you
to a certain insight into
the natural sciences, so
please regard everything
I present before that as
a kind of preparation,
which isn’t done by proPlates 1-4
gressing in a straight line, as is otherwise the custom, but
by gathering the phenomena we need and creating a circle, so to speak,
then pressing forward to the central point.” (p. 111). In describing my
observations of light, and demonstrations of prism and colored shadow
phenomena, I will try to follow Steiner’s method of “gathering the phenomena.” In the final section of the paper I will contrast this approach to
Goethe’s method of experiencing as many instances of a phenomenon as
possible until the “archetype” emerges. (See Goethe, “The Metamorphosis
of Plants,” 1988.) Where Goethe moves to explaining, Steiner stays with
perceiving, including, for him, perceiving the living aspect of the world,
which he terms the “etheric” world. This term resonates with the ancient
Greek word “aether,” which designated a world surrounding the physical
world, and existing above or beyond that world.
Steiner studies the phenomenon of color resulting from the interaction
of light and darkness in many ways, one of these being to demonstrate and
explain colored shadows. Goethe laid out in great detail in his Farbenlehrer
that colors result from the interworking of light and darkness. Steiner works
through this interaction in several careful steps in Lecture 7 of The Light
Course. He shows that one should observe as many real phenomena as
possible before coming to conclusions about the causes of the interaction
of light and darkness. One phenomenon that can help us to understand
color is that of colored shadows. He then demonstrates a set-up that Goethe
had described originally in the Farbenlehrer (p. 31); two candles are placed
in front of a white screen with a vertical rod between them and the screen.
Two shadows are cast, i.e., certain dark spaces are created. Then, if red glass
is placed between one of the candles and the rod, the light from that candle
is dimmed, and because it is dimmed red, the shadow it casts becomes instantly green. Goethe explained this phenomenon as due to the “required”
color or afterimage; Steiner concludes that this explanation is incorrect. My
project reports on Goethe’s observation and explanation of colored shadows,
Steiner’s further observations and descriptions, research based on Steiner’s
ideas, and finally my own, new, systematic observations of colored shadows
and afterimages. Through all these steps, one might see a pressing toward
a central point, i.e., the true nature of colored shadows.
Plate 5
of the prism observations that Goethe reported in Farbenlehrer. I used
equiangular glass prisms and Proskauer’s Plates 1-6. I worked with Plates
1-4 in January, 2007 and Plates 3-6 in May, 2007, recording my experiences
and checking that I experienced what Proskauer described. These plates
move intentionally from complex to simple following Goethe’s method
based on mathematics: to “analyze complex problems until one arrives at
the simplest, indivisible, self-evident facts” (Goethe, Maxims and Reflections). I did experience what Proskauer noted, with the exception of red
pressing into the darkness, and blue spreading out from the darkness. I
could not see these movement qualities.
In conjunction with these prismatic color observations, I studied
prismatic colors occurring in natural phenomena: rainbows, sundogs,
and color fringes. I watched, for example, a sundog in March in the
afternoon with some small, elongated clouds in the sky. The sundog was
to the lower right side of the sun in front of a cloud, which looked darker
on the sun side of the sundog, and lighter on the outer side. As I watched,
the cloud moved, but the sundog didn’t, so that the cloud continuously
moved through or behind the sundog—the cloud emerging on the outer
side of the sundog becoming lighter than it was on the inside. I also saw
color fringes at the edge of the moon, which is a classic light/dark boundary. In late May around 9:00 p.m. at around latitude 42 degrees, I looked
at the moon, which was nearly full in a sky almost completely dark, but
for a slight tinge of intense dark turquoise. Contemplating the moon, I
noticed a red to yellow fringe on the upper left, and an indigo to light
blue fringe on the opposite side. The next night when the sky was hazy,
no color fringes were present.
Goethe’s work on colored shadows
Goethe begins his section of the Farbenlehrer entitled “Colored
Shadows” with a detailed description of colored shadows in nature. This
passage lays the groundwork for the phenomena that are the focus of
the present study.
75. Once, on a winter’s journey in the Harz Mountains, I made
my descent from the Broken as evening fell. The broad slope above
and below me was snow-covered, the meadow lay beneath a blanket
of snow, every isolated tree and jutting crag, every wooded grove and
rocky prominence was rimed with frost, and the sun was just setting
beyond the Oder ponds.
Tuning the instrument: preliminary experiences with
prismatic color
To begin the study of color that is independent of solid objects, i.e.,
not pigment-based, I did a series of observations with prisms. This work
was intended to tune and educate my eye and attention with regard to
color phenomena that form at the boundaries of light and dark. Heinrich
Proskauer in his book The Rediscovery of Color gives directions and blackand-white figures to guide one in recreating in a certain sequence some
•
84 •
Plate 6
Sundogs are small arcs of rainbow that appear to be near the sun and stay a fixed
distance from it. Color fringes are red-to-yellow or violet-to-blue sequences of prismatic
color that occur at the boundary of light and dark.
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same, but were close. The shadow cast by
Because of the snow’s yellowish cast,
pale violet shadows had accompanied us
the moon alone is shown in Figure 2,* and
all day, but now, as an intensified yellow
the shadows when the candle was added
reflected from the areas in the light, we
are shown in Figure 3.
were obliged to describe the shadows as
Observations with light through
deep blue.
colored film
At last the sun began to disappear
The arrangement of objects used to
and its rays, subdued by the strong haze,
display colored shadows as described by
spread the most beautiful purple hue
Goethe and Steiner is portrayed in Figure
over my surroundings. At that point the
4. An opaque object stands before a screen,
color of the shadows was transformed
between the screen and two light sources.
into a green comparable in clarity to a
These two lights cast two shadows. When
sea green and in beauty to an emerald
red film or glass is placed between one
green. The effect grew ever more vivid;
light and the screen, its shadow immeit was as if we found ourselves in a fairy
diately becomes a light sea green with a
world for everything had clothed itself
light red background. The other shadow
Figure 1
in these two lively colors so beautifully
stays dark and mostly black, depending
harmonious with one another. When the sun had set, the magnificent
on how wide the red film is. The darker shadow can also become somedisplay finally faded into gray twilight and then into a clear moonlit
what reddened. These steps are shown in Figures 5, 6, and 7. Again, the
night filled with stars.
photographs were produced digitally, and though they show the colored
76. One of the most beautiful examples of colored shadows may
shadow (even reflecting off the white ceramic candle holder that is the
be observed when the moon is full. It is possible to find a perfect
opaque object in Figure 7), the shadows are not in the exact hue that I
balance between the light of a candle and that of the moon; both
saw. These observations were made several times in April before they
shadows are formed with equal strength and clarity so that the two
were photographed in May.
colors are in complete equilibrium. The surface should be placed in
the light of the full moon with a candle at an appropriate distance a
Are colored shadows afterimages?
little to one side; an opaque object should then be held in front of the
Steiner diverges from Goethe in his characterization of colored shadsurface. A double shadow will result; the one cast by the moon and
ows. In fact, Steiner says that Goethe’s explanation is incorrect, and that
lit by the candle will seem an intense red-yellow, while the one cast
the Farbenlehrer should be modified to take this into account (Steiner,
by the candle and lit by the moon will appear in the most beautiful
[*See colored figures 2-10 on the inside back cover]
blue. The area where the two shadows meet and merge will be black.
There is no more striking demonstration of the yellow shadow. The
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77. Here it should be noted that it takes some time to produce
the complementary color. Before the complementary color will
appear vividly the retina must be affected fully by the color that
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calls it forth.
Note that Goethe moves from describing colored shadows, and the
phenomenon of complementary colors observed there, to, in paragraph
77, explaining the complementary colors as “required” colors or afterimages formed by the eye.
Observations of colored shadows under specified
conditions
Observations in moon light. The configuration diagramed in Figure
1 shows the arrangement Goethe described (quoted above) for observing
the yellow shadow cast by a candle in moonlight. I observed the shadows
he describes on three occasions, in February and March of 2007. In all
cases the moon was nearly full and about half way between the horizon
and its zenith. I first used a flashlight and then, twice, a candle. The candle
cast a more yellow shadow, but in both cases the shadow cast by the moon
and lighted by the candle light became golden, and its shadow was slightly
bluish. On the last occasion, in March near Easter, we photographed the
shadows with a digital camera and immediately afterward looked at the
pictures on a computer screen. I had a clear memory of the colored shadows I had just seen, and the colors in the photographs were not exactly the
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85 •
2001, p.113). Goetheanism, because it is living, evolves, or as Steiner says
“continues its education”(ibid. p. 94).
Steiner stated: “The differentiation between subjective and objective,
between color that is temporarily fixed here (on the screen) and color
‘required’ by the eye as an afterimage has no justification on the basis of
objective facts.” To elaborate this point he goes on to say: “When I am
seeing the red here with my eyes, I am dealing simply with all the pieces
of physical equipment I have described to you – the vitreous body, the
lens, the fluid between the lens and the cornea (of the eye). I am dealing
with a highly differentiated physical apparatus. The relationship of this
physical equipment, which mixes light and dark with each other in the
most varied ways, to the objectively extant ether is no different than that
of the pieces of equipment I have set up here – the screen, the rod, etc.”
Thus, the process is not different when one sees it in a “subjective” way
with the eyes, or when one fixes one’s gaze on it on the screen. Steiner
describes that: “You float in the ether. Whether you become one with it
by means of your eyes or this equipment, it is just a different series of
events.” And goes on to conclude: “There is no real essential difference
between the green image that has been produced in space by darkening
with red and the green afterimage that only occurs temporarily. Looked
at objectively there isn’t a tangible difference – in one instance the process
takes place in space, in the other instance it takes place in time.” (Lecture
7, p. 115). Of course, there is a difference between processes in space and
time, but Steiner’s description draws our attention to the eye as an instrument with certain qualities that form color over a span of time and then
dissolve it. Perhaps color in the world is at the physical level; color in the
eye is at the level of the etheric.
The radical idea that afterimages are objective colors, and that colored
shadows are not afterimages requires that we think clearly about the two
phenomena, that we make careful observations, and that we develop
methods for distinguishing the two color experiences. Steiner, in Lecture
7 of The Light Course, says that if one looks at the colored shadow through
a small tube so as to see only its color, and not the complementary color
of the background, one will still see the single color of the shadow.
The controversy regarding methods of observation
A footnote to Lecture 7 of The Light Course describes how a physicist
tried the experiment of looking at the colored shadow with a small tube,
with negative results. Subsequently he met with other scientists to try to
make the observation that Steiner described; this group reported mixed
results. They then turned to the method of photographing colored shadows, presumably with the thought that if photographs showed color, it
could not be just within the eye. The first results were not reliable, but
with advances in film technology, Hans-Georg Hetzel did produce color
photographs that showed the colored shadow, and he included a gray-scale
in the photo to show that not all gray had become the color of the shadow.
There is agreement now that even the most careful color photographs do
not show the colors seen in person.
Hetzel later published an article which took these observations one
step further (Hetzel, 1987). In reference to the set-up shown in Figure 4,
Hetzel states that the question arises again and again whether the color of
the shadow is produced by the eye. He notes three points: 1) the color of the
shadow is the complementary color to the surrounding color, 2) the color
appears strong and intense, even if the surround is only faintly colored,
and 3) the colored shadow is photographable. He goes a further step to
observe the colored shadow through the prism and finds that it gives rise
to the same kind of colored fringes as black shadows, and shadows colored
with one light source (that is, with no complementary color involved). He
compared the colored fringes from a green shadow formed from a single
green light source, and those formed from a green shadow formed as the
complement to the red light surrounding it. Hetzel describes the prismatic
colors from the two types of green shadow as the same. He photographed
these three cases and presented these photographs in the article (see Figures
9, 10, 11). There are clear color separations in all three cases. (From his
photographs the colors for the two green shadows do not look the same to
me. The ones for the plain green shadow look yellow and blue; the ones for
the complementary green shadow look orange and purple/blue.) The article
ends with the question: does not this photographic documentation show
that the color of colored shadows exists independent of our eye?
To replicate these prism observations with colored shadows, I used
my set-up, as shown in Figures 5, 6, 7, and observed all the steps with
an equiangular glass prism. I did see color fringes on the edges of dark
objects and the dark shadows, but I saw absolutely no color fringe or
color separation in relation to the colored shadows. Photographs of my
set-up through the prism are shown in Figures 12, 13, and 15. Again,
these photographs show the colors, but not exactly as I remember seeing
them. The surprising result is that the colored shadows are differentiated
from the gray shadows in that the prism does not at all change how they
look. I did not try the case of the colored shadow with the same color
background. The question of the differences in results is not resolved.
Hetzel may have used a very large prism, and I would have to try my
observations again with such a prism to see if his results were replicated.
The fact that the complementary colored shadow behaved so differently
See the footnote to Lecture 7, p. 190, The Light Course for details on attempts to
view the colored shadow through a small tube, and various attempts to photograph
the shadows. V.C. Bennie a physicist at Kings College, University of London, could
not see the color through a tube. Subsequent experiments by a group at Dornach,
which included Steiner, resulted in different reports by different participants. My own
attempts to view the shadows through a small tube with a group of observers yielded
similar results. A further thought was to photograph the shadows; this Hans-Georg
Hetzel worked on in detail. The main claim is that the photographs show that the
process developed for ordinary colored surfaces also reacts to colored shadows.
•
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from all other surfaces around it when viewed through the prism is also a
puzzle. Perhaps the complementary colors balance each other so perfectly
that a light/dark boundary does not develop, consequently the conditions
for a color fringe are lacking.
So far I have not dealt with the question of photographs as evidence
of the independence of the colored shadow from the afterimage processes
of the eye. Goethe placed his topic “colored shadows” in the section of the
Farbenlehrer entitled “Physiological Colors.” As we saw from the quote
above, he assumes that the color of the shadows is due to the colored
background light calling forth a “required” light from the eye. Is it sound
thinking to propose that a photograph that shows a colored shadow
proves that the color is independent of the eye? What is a photograph?
The photograph is a mechanically produced image on paper based on
chemical reactions on film or digital correspondences to measured lightdark areas that the camera is exposed to. The image on paper is an object
(a pigmented surface) that we perceive as we do any object in the world,
except that it is two-dimensional and formed based on linear perspective.
Because it is produced using a mechanical instrument, we think that it is
objective. But perception of the image involves the eye, just as perception
of the scene that was photographed involves the eye. If we are forming
afterimages in the scene, we could be forming afterimages in perceiving
the photograph. Photographic evidence does not lead us closer to distinguishing colored shadows from afterimages.
A new method for distinguishing colored shadows from
afterimages
the color of the afterimage remains the same, if somewhat darkened by
the colored surface added. If one makes an afterimage, and then tries to
concentrate on it for several seconds, even though one cannot focus on
it, and then looks to a different white area, the same color as the original
afterimage is seen. Given these conditions and qualities, I maintain that it
is not possible to make an afterimage of an afterimage. Therefore, if one
can make afterimages of colored shadows, the colored shadows cannot,
themselves, be afterimages.
Afterimages of colored shadows. I worked with all the colored shadows
formed in the experimental demonstrations described in this paper to
test whether I could make afterimages of them, and whether the color
of the afterimage was the complementary color to the colored shadow.
In every case I stared at a point in the colored shadow near the center of
the shadow for about 30 seconds and then looked away to a non-colored
surface. The yellow shadow of the moon produced a pale blue afterimage; the blue shadow a pale yellow. The green colored shadow was the
condition for a red afterimage, and vice versa. Interestingly, the quality
of the color as ephemeral and translucent without radiating brightness
was the same in both the colored shadows and afterimages. I formed
afterimages of moon shadows in electric light and in candle light, of the
colored film shadows in electric light and in candle light in both daylight
and at night. In all cases the afterimages were readily formed from the
colored shadows. The afterimage method has one final advantage: one
is not required to somehow isolate the eye from the background color:
both the colored shadow and its complementary background color form
their own opposite afterimage color. Anyone with normal color vision
can observe this set of phenomena.
If we return to Steiner’s statement that colored shadows exist in space
and afterimages in time, we have a clue for beginning to differentiate the
Conclusions
two phenomena. Anyone can see that in the experimental set-up, the colored shadow appears instantly, that is, coincidentally with the background
I maintain that colored shadows are at one level of phenomena and
color formed by the light shining through colored film. This observation
afterimages at another level. Colored shadows exist outside the eye; afterfits with Steiner’s statement, but counters Goethe characterization that
images through the eye—but both are objective. These levels should not
be mixed in understanding and explaining the phenomenon of colored
the color called forth from the eye takes time to develop. My experience
shadows, as Goethe does do. It is misleading to step from one level to the
of afterimages, in addition, is that they are fluctuating—changing in
color and form—and that they, therefore, exist in a pulsing, breathing
other in explanation. Colors are vital and they work or tend toward balmovement. This quality is the opposite of the colored shadows that jump
ance or completion at each level, not across the levels. Steiner describes
instantly into existence and “stay put” as long as the conditions for their
color phenomena thus: “We are thoroughly in things with our being and
are in things all the more as we ascend from certain physical phenomena
existence hold. Light in nature, especially at sunset and dawn, is, of course,
always changing. Colored shadows formed in this setting would have a
to other physical phenomena. We are not in color phenomena with our
more dynamic quality than those in the experiment, but the changes in
ordinary bodily nature but with our etheric and, therefore, our astral
the two complementary colors remain exactly coincident in time, and are thus, of a spatial quality.
Further, colored shadows can be explored visually
just as any surface in the world can be explored. That
is, we can focus on any part of the colored shadow at
any time, move our gaze, look away and look back,
without changing the shape or quality of the color
of the shadow.
What are the corresponding qualities of afterim· REIKI
ages? To form afterimages for one’s own observation,
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color will form in an image with the basic form of
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nature” (Lecture 7, p.116). Perhaps colored light and shadow, as “free”
color, i.e., not bound to the surface of a physical substance, is a higher
physical phenomena in which we float with our etheric and astral natures.
For this reason, these phenomena would be important to experience in a
systematic manner in order to raise our senses to the level of perception
required by these delicate phenomena.
I conclude that colored shadows are not afterimages—they are shadows that are colored.
By proceeding from simplified observations in nature (moon shadows) to more controlled demonstrations with colored light, and forming
afterimages in parallel with observing colored shadows the method gathers experiences that place color itself, rather than colored objects, at the
center of inquiry and thinking. Rather than working to allow an archetype
or primal underlying form to arise, one begins to develop sensitivity to
different levels of the phenomena in relation to one’s own senses and
activities. The Farbenlehrer would have to take into account at least a
three-fold human being in order correctly to describe the workings of
color in the world, in our eye, and in our perception. Thus, Goetheanism
continues its education, and we ours.
Future investigations
In Lecture 2 of The Light Course Steiner says that velocity (as a vector, that is, movement in a direction) is primary and that distance and
time derive from it. I will work on the idea that color coincides with the
movement of light into darkness or darkness into light, and the question
of whether these movements could be characterized as vectors. Vector
analysis, of course, arose in mathematics and usually involves calculation.
Is it fruitful to think of color as deriving from the movement of light or
darkness? Certainly light is directional in relation to objects, as is shown
by the shadows that are cast. Goethe’s famous statement that colors are
the deeds and sufferings of light might be informed by such an analysis
as I suggest here.
I will also continue my investigations of developments in Goetheanism
by studying visual flow as one moves through the world and consequent
afterimages of movement in relation to Steiner’s statement that velocity
is primary and that distance and time derive from it. If visual flow is
primary, then such concepts as the visual image and its transformation
would be derivative, rather than formative as is thought in mainstream
physiological and perceptual studies of perception. (See Gibson, 1979,
for a critique of this view.)
I take seriously the statement of Steiner’s that the psychologists have
failed to support the physicists in their study of light. “Our psychology, you
see, is actually in even a worse state than our physiology and physics, and
we can’t really blame the physicists very much for expressing themselves
so unrealistically about what is in the outer world, because they are not
supported at all by the psychologists. The psychologists have been conditioned by the churches, which have staked a claim to all knowledge about
the soul and spirit. Therefore, this conditioning, which the psychologists
have accepted, has led them to regard the human being as only the outer
apparatus and to see soul and spirit only in the sound of words, in phrases.
Our psychology is actually only a collection of words, for there’s nothing
there about what people should understand by ‘soul’ and ‘spirit.’ And that’s
why it appears to the physicists that it is an inner, subjective experience
when light at work out there affects the eye and the eye counteracts it or
receives the impression, as the case may be. A whole tangle of ambiguities
begins right there, and the physicists repeat this in quite the same way for
the other sense organs” (Lecture 7, p. 122). Perhaps we can work toward
untangling these ambiguities by clarifying our thinking about perception
through a careful experience of central phenomena—by gathering the
phenomena until they point to a center.
about the content of this paper, please email Catherine Read at ceread@
rci.rutgers.edu.
References
Goethe, J.W., (1998). Maxims and Reflections. New York: Penguin.
Goethe, J.W., (1988). Farbenlehrer (Theory of Color), tr. Douglas
Miller. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. (1979, Stuttgart,
Verlag Freies Geistesleben).
Goethe, J.W., (1988). “The metamorphosis of plants.” In D. Miller (ed.
& tr.), Goethe’s Scientific Studies. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University
Press.
Gibson, J.J. (1979). The Ecological Approach to Visual Perception. New
York: Houghton Mifflin.
Hetzel, H-G. (1987). Der “Fargibe Schatten”. “Optometrie”, Ausgabe 4,
Median-Verlag.
Proskauer, H. (1986). The Rediscovery of Color: Goethe vs. Newton
Today. Spring Valley, NY: Anthroposophic Press.
Steiner, R. (2001, 1919). The Light Course. Great Barrington, MA:
Anthroposophic Press.
Steiner, R. (1996). Physiology and Therapeutics. Spring Valley, NY:
Mercury Press.
Plates 1-6 from Proskauer
Related Works
Bockemühl, ed. (1985). Toward a Phenomenology of the Etheric World.
Spring Valley, NY: Anthroposophic Press.
Bortoft, Henri. (1996). The Wholeness of Nature: Goethe’s Way toward
a Science of Conscious Participation in Nature. Hudson, NY:
Lindisfarne Books.
Edelglass and others. (1997). The Marriage of Sense and Thought:
Imaginative Participation in Science. Hudson, NY: Lindisfarne Books.
Naydler, J. ed. (1997). Goethe on Science: Anthology of Goethe’s Scientific
Writings. Edinburgh: Floris Books.
Steiner, R. (2005). Goethean Science. Chestnut Ridge, NY: Mercury
Press.
Steiner (2000). Nature’s Open Secret: Introductions to Goethe’s Scientific
Writings. Great Barrington, MA: Anthroposophic Press.
Steiner, R. (1988). The Warmth Course. Spring Valley, NY: Mercury
Press.
Steiner, R. (1983). The Boundaries of Natural Science. With a Foreword
by Saul Bellow. Spring Valley, NY: Anthroposophic Press.
Steiner, R. (2008). Goethe’s Theory of Knowledge: An Outline of the
Epistemology of His Worldview. Great Barrington, MA: SteinerBooks.
Von Zabern, B. (1999). Organic Physics. Spring Valley, NY: Mercury Press.
Selected Resources
http://www.natureinstitute.org/
http://www.waterresearch.org/contact.html
http://www.goetheanum.org/710.html?L=1
http://www.centerforanthroposophy.org/
http://www.sensri.org/
Catherine Read holds a Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from UCLA and is a
Research Scholar at Rutgers University (see Dent-Read, C. and Zukow-Goldring,
P. (eds.), Evolving Explanations of Development. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association Press, 1997). She has homeschooled her two daughters from
Kindergarten through the Eleventh Grade using the Waldorf curriculum. She has
also conducted workshops on a variety of topics including music in the mood of the
fifth, festivals, dyeing with plant dyes, nature meditations, and on homeschooling
Grades One through Seven. Catherine has completed Waldorf High School Teacher
training through the Center for Anthroposophy in Wilton, NH.
If you would like to share your comments, suggestions, experiences
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Children of the Future
from Traveling Light by William Ward
Traveling Light
Walking the Cancer Path
William Ward
ISBN: 9781584200611 Paperback Lindisfarne Books $20.00 240 pages
William Ward had been a class teacher for almost thirty years at the Hawthorne Valley Waldorf
School in Harlemville, New York, when he was diagnosed with brain cancer in November 2005.
In the following excerpt William shares the profound insights he experienced of the Children of
the Future during the surgery that removed the glioblastoma multiforme tumor from his left
occipital-pariental lobe.
“Though I was unconscious during surgery, what I experienced was transcendent, like being turned inside out and hovering in timelessness, between this world and the life after life,
and returning to here and now—changed forever. What sounds like a cliché describes literally
what I felt.”
Wake Up
William Ward
•
90 •
Now words fail. They are no substitute for living experience. These faltering phrases will have to suffice
as a finger pointing at the moon. Don’t mistake the
pointing finger for the real thing. During surgery —
I was blown from my body into the cosmos!
The fragments of this profoundly beautiful experience that remain in memory I will now try to
outline:
I gave myself over to the spiritual beings who
protect and preserve my life.
I felt supported by a river of grace.
I shed earthly baggage of shame and guilt of my
shadow self and asked for forgiveness.
I felt I had died.
I asked to be made whole or new.
I saw in the starry realm the Medicine Wheel of Life, Light,
and Love of those many people and spirits who held me in
their care and keeping.
I saw the Holy Child in the center of that celestial wheel
who is Every Holy Child, the Christ Child, my baby self, my
ill self, my true self.
I saw Children of the Future emerging from a rose of light,
guided one by one by a spiritual being with a gesture of blessing. I could not see the features of his face.
I was given to understand that the Spirit of Generosity, the
Spirit of Humanity, and other beings had a strong intention
that these Children of the Future be received into earthly life
so they could fulfill their mission—to share their gifts of will
and heart and light with humanity.
More specifically, my eyes opened to the gifts, capacities,
and resolves of this coming generation of Children. I felt that
I was given a small role to play toward a convergence of many,
many people opening doors for them.
The broad message of this revelation had some very specific
directives, connected to my decades of service to the Waldorf
philosophy. It was made clear to me in a new way that the
Waldorf schools, also known as Rudolf Steiner schools, have a
priceless gift that they must share with contemporary culture.
Embedded in these schools is an inspiring reverence for the
Children of the Future and recognition for the spiritual-earthly
collaboration necessary for self-realization. These schools are
guardians of the Image of the Human Being. This seed-bearing
tel
educational impulse for
the future is charged
with communicating
that loving and living
conception of our humanity which
leads in time to our becoming more fully human. We are in
process, not yet there. However, the inspiring ideals of this education must be made known—Now. We in the Waldorf school
movement are being asked to take a stand for the integrity of
the emerging individual—to stand for the “I,” the Child of
the Future. No child can be quantified, weighed, or measured
by projected outcomes, goals and standards, and mechanistic
curricula. We would stand for the freeing of the emerging “I,”
uniquely expressed by each human being.
It was urgently essential that Steiner education become
known and that the doors of Waldorf Schools be opened wider
to make room for all those children seeking it.
A blueprint for this happening was given.
I came back to earth and woke up, reborn.
…The temptation to enumerate the things that need transformation in our society is so strong that there is a kind of
fiendish pleasure in indulging it. Beware. That would only add
to the gravity weighing us down. Breathe. Believe. Be. Playful,
prayerful levity leavens and enlivens the fallen and leaden,
lifting our lives like leaves into light and life in the sun of love
resplendent in heaven.
Children of the Future, Welcome! You sow the new seeds
of Heart and Will that sun-ripen into Living Thinking. Dead
thinking, the counterfeit image of our narrow conception
of ourselves, falls away as an empty husk. The generation of
children now streaming toward earth is filled with Life, Love,
and Light in such abundance that we rediscover our own,
emerging humanity waking from enchanted sleep.
The pendulum of materialism and spiritual blindness has
swung to the breaking point of brittle, outmoded thought
forms. The frozen ice is breaking up. Seed forces of renewal
are cracking the concrete and springing to irrepressible life.
Joyful and compassionate and strong-willed children, guided
by wisdom and love, hold the spiritual intention to work for
the transformation of the world. Now.
Who am I to make such blanket, unsubstantiated asser-
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tions? I am, like you, Mother-Father, gazing into the open face of your
joyful newborn child. In the eyes of the child, we realize we have always
known one another. Our mutual recognition and mirroring love is a freely
given offering and a vow. We offer you reverence, devotion, protection,
and encouragement to help each and every new “I” fulfill the path of her
and his becoming.
“And a child shall lead them.” We will rediscover ourselves, our Selves,
to the degree that we recognize these Children of the Future and their
gifts. This awakening has to do with the Holy Child, the Inner Child, Every Child. The Child bears a perpetual gift for humankind. LOVE is the
GIFT. The more it is given away, the greater it grows. Gradually awakening humanity is still at the beginning of a long evolutionary process of
receiving and sharing this most generous GIFT, from our highest Self to
all Children of the Future.
We have a long climb ahead. We are slaves still, fettered to our prejudices, our desires, our will to dominate, our egotism, our materialism,
our blindness, our fears, our projections, our demons, our history, our
greed, our crippling self-image, our sorrows. So encumbered, how can we
recognize our radiant selfhood? The Holy Child will touch our eyes with
healing love. The joy of our release will lift our voices in song: “I once was
lost, but now I’m found, was blind, but now I see.” See what? The whole,
Holy Human Being, in the full light of day.
But we have to prepare ourselves to receive the blessing of discovering the Holy Child in our midst. Overcoming the weight of centuries, we
must lift our gaze to the hills, the mountaintop, to the sun, to the stars
finally to remember where we come from and who we truly are. This deed
of self-discovery opens the doors for the Children of the Future to offer
their abundant gifts into the world.
Do you like stories? All children do. The Child of Good Fortune, who
is each one of us, is cast upon the Waters of Life, like Moses, like Osiris.
Each of us undergoes trials to earn the wisdom—the gold of life and love
and light—before we can marry the princess. O Happy Day! However,
the princess wants nothing to do with marrying a scruffy commoner. We
must win her heart through deeds.
To gain her love, the Child of Good Fortune must go the other direction and descend to the Underworld to pluck three golden hairs from the
Devil’s head. This is facing death with courage. Fortunately, the Wise Old
Lady, the Devil’s grandmother is there to help. The task of plucking these
golden hairs from the Devil’s head teaches the Child of Good Fortune all
he needs to know to renew the world.
The Child learns he must free the ferryman who took him to the shore
of the nether world. This sad soul is bound to go to and fro eternally until
he can let go of his sticky oar. The Child must kill the mouse that chews
the roots of the tree that used to bear golden apples. Then the Child must
kill the frog that chokes the spring that used to flow with wine. When the
fountain flows with wine again, and the Tree of Life again bears golden
fruit, and the ferryman is free, then the Child of Good Fortune unites
in marriage with his bride. This is the long-awaited union of Soul and
Spirit, wholeness, Holiness, Selfhood. The evil king, who did everything
within his power to make the Child fail or die, justly becomes bound to
the sticky oar, his own greed and egotism.
Every Child who hears this ancient story (collected by the Brothers
Grimm) listens with the deepest attention, with the profoundest identification. They know this is a map, a blueprint, and a key to the treasure
of the Self. They will find their way over, around, under and through all
the challenges of life to their higher Self, their true humanity.
The Children of the Future, like the Child of Good Fortune, in their
openness to life have enhanced capacities to enter whole-heartedly into
earthly existence, each in her/his own individual way. With grace, guidance,
and good will they will fulfill the tasks of their unique spiritual intentions.
Like the harmonic structure of the Medicine Wheel surrounding the Holy
Child, Every Child has her or his own place in the circle of united will to
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give birth to resurging humanity. Angelic help will be given them to share
the mosaic of their gifts. Strengthening challenges will also abound.
Are we open to receiving the gifts brought by the Children of the
Future? Can we nurture the wholeness that makes them Holy? Failure
to recognize their gifts condemns them to never realizing their royal
destiny. They must not fall prey to the monotonous passage of time
going to and fro, never to taste the golden fruit, never to drink the wine
that freely flows from an inexhaustible fountain, never to win through
to awakened Selfhood.
Without realizing it, we all bear aspects of the evil king that would
thwart the Child at every turn. In speaking for myself, perhaps I speak
for others. I have held that oar of back and forth monotony, repetitive
and dutiful effort without delight. I recognize in my own busyness and
nervousness that nibbling mouse forever gnawing on the roots of the Tree
of Life. I have experienced the thirst since the fountain that once flowed
with wine has dried up.
But then the Child of Good Fortune freed me! We, too, will be set free
by the Children of the Future. But we must earn our freedom.
All we have to do is pluck three hairs from the Devil’s head. It’s child’s
play. Choose a Devil ripe for the plucking. I have my own candidates.
However, if the Devil catches you plucking these hairs, you are in deep
trouble.
The Devil is the father of Lies: “War is Peace,” “The Clean Water Act,”
“Liberating the Iraqi People,” “the Wisdom of the Marketplace,” “Free
Society,” “Competitive in the Global Economy,” “Equal Opportunity,”
“Our Friend the Atom,” “Progress is Our Most Important Product,” “With
Liberty and Justice for All,” “Be All You Can Be,” “No Child Left Behind,”
“It’s the Real Thing.”
One key unlocks all the cells of the self-imposed prison. This is the
realization that the human being is not mere matter. The whole human
being is body, soul, and spirit united. The Children have come to remind
us in full consciousness of our spiritual nature, the true nature we have
all but forgotten. But dawn is breaking.
Can we even imagine what courage, what compassion the Children of
the Future bear as they come through the gateways of life into America or
China or Africa? What if they should lose their way? What if they forget
who they are? Just like green grass cracking the clods, children have tremendous spiritual resilience and life forces to grow against all odds and
obstacles blocking the way.
Devoted teachers and well-meaning parents all across the land want
to do everything within their power to help children realize their potential.
But they are hindered, unable to speak of the most essential thing—the
whole child as body, soul, and spirit. These are not empty words. These
are living powers.
Paradoxically, in the “land of the free” the uniformity and regimentation
of the educational system is blind to the true nature of children. Standardized curricula, fill-in-the-bubble tests, narrowly defined goals, and
predetermined outcomes act like the frog stopping the flowing fountain,
like the mouse nibbling on the roots of the Tree of Life. Words shift their
shape when the “No Child Left Behind” platitude is used by a dragon for
its own purposes. When children all around become anxious, pale, and
burdened by sclerotic adult demands, only the Child of Good Fortune,
the Spirit of Childhood can free them.
In a lightning stroke of intuition, we discover the shining ideal of
the free human being—the Archetype of our Humanity in body, soul,
and spirit. In that light we become inspired to transform education. The
healing liberation that we seek in education ignites a chain reaction shift
of consciousness that affects how we think about everything: health, diet,
the environment, social synergy, brotherhood-sisterhood among peoples,
setting humane economic and political priorities, encouraging a flowering
of creativity in the arts and sciences, celebrating diversity, and discovering
ourselves in our radiant humanity.
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91 •
Nelson Mandela, for one, stripped of all material possessions, deprived
of movement, consigned to back-breaking labor, physically and psychically
punished, broke through:
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest
fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our
darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, ‘Who am I to be
brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?’ Actually, who are you not to
be? You are born to make manifest the glory of God that is within
you. It’s not just in some of us. It’s in everyone. And as we let our
own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to
do the same. As we’re liberated from our own fear, our presence
automatically liberates others.
In this spirit of liberation we understand that we must have courage to
stand boldly for the individual human spirit and the Spirit of Humanity.
Rudolf Steiner, speaking of education, prophetically observed, “We have
to turn the rudder 180 degrees.”
Human being, you yourself —
knowing, feeling, and willing —
You are the riddle of the world.
What in the world is concealed
Grows manifest in you.
It becomes light in your spirit,
It becomes warmth in your soul.
Your breathing welds your body’s life
To worlds of soul and realms of spirit.
It leads you into the world of matter
That you may find your humanity,
And that you lose not yourself on the way,
It guides you into spirit.
awakening “I”: the will senses of touch, well-being, movement, balance; the
feeling senses of taste, smell, sight, and warmth; and the cognitive senses
of hearing, thought, word, and ego. Through the portals of the senses the
cosmos reveals itself to the opening soul of the Holy Child.
The Child is endowed with fiery mobility of will, the spectrum of
weaving feeling, the clear light of thinking. These capacities will be used
in accordance with the child’s initiative and energy, love of beauty, insight
and creativity. The Child receives these treasures with the generous, futurebearing impulse to use them in the service of humanity.
The universe of archetypal forms, of mathematics, of geometry, of
sculpture, of architecture is offered to the Child in a spirit of creative
play.
The Logos, the creative power of the Word, the gift of language, and
intuitive cognition illumine the Child’s consciousness. The Child cherishes these gifts with Memory, Imagination, and Meaning in profound
reverence and gratitude.
The blessings of music suffuse the Child’s soul with the harmony of
the spheres, the angelic choirs, the resounding tones of the planets, rippling rhythms and rivers of life, and fountains of melodies.
Rainbow colors flood soul space with Beauty in all the glorious hues
and harmonies of light and darkness. The Child grasps the glorious
spectrum with creative delight.
Love for humanity streams into and radiates from the heart of the
Child. The sister-brotherhood of the human family fires the will to serve,
to work for the benefit of all, to see God in Everyman, and everywhere
“To see His Name engraved in stone, and plant and beast.” The Child
embraces the Community of Life.
So the blessings of the world stream in upon the Child who receives
them in gratitude, reverence, and freedom. So may we receive, recognize,
and love the Child entrusted to our care.
Spirit is the light of our renewal. As we lift our thoughts toward the
Children of the Future preparing to take up their earthly tasks, we see the
seed forces of their spiritual gifts. They are formed by and endowed with
the creative forces of the universe, and I see them this way: The Child of
the Future consciously bears the spiritual archetype of the human being.
Into this form of forms, the elements and the mineral kingdom, coalesce
the physical vessel of the body—the vehicle of earthly life. Matter, mother,
Mater fills the form with earthly substance in harmonious proportion as
the embryo recapitulates the age-old pattern of the species. The self-renewing physical body is a cosmic gift received into the Holy Child.
The human being is intimately related in body and soul with the
plants through the breath. Breath that draws from the forming forces of
the etheric world, which have lifted the plants to life and light through
rhythmic transformation of dead mineral substance (earth). All medicinal plants, all fruit-bearing plants, the trees, the seed-bearing grains, all
flowers wild and tame, all cultivated vegetables in root, stalk, leaf, and
flower, all that is green and growing share their secrets and substance
with the human being united in the kingdom of life. The Holy Child
receives the gift of Life.
We share the world with the animal kingdom whose beauty, wise instincts, mobility, diversity, soul-full sentience reveal the realm of perceptive
inwardness. This astral chain of being climbs from protozoan, to barnacle,
to butterfly, to serpent, to ox, to eagle, and lion in all the boundless Imagination of Divine Creation. The timeless wisdom of the Animal Spirits is
laid at the feet of the Holy Child from all quarters of the zodiac.
Within these sheathes of the physical body, the etheric body, and the
astral body, the self-conscious human “I” wakes. “Let there be light.” The
radiant fire of the Spirit illumines the path of the Holy Child.
Active, wisdom-filled forces of the twelve senses are bestowed upon the
•
92 •
TO THE CHILDREN OF THE FUTURE
A child walks toward us,
A mission in her eyes,
“To be born,
I made a vow
To awake and rise,
To stand upright
Upon the ground
And speak the living word,
To keep vigil through the night
Till stars’ harmony be heard,
To explore the earthly kingdoms
Of stone and plant and beast,
By clear thought to behold
The greatest in the least,
To transform clay, wood, iron, and rock
With understanding hands,
To embrace the joys and sorrows
Of my fellow Man.
If you would help me reach my goal,
Answer the question of my soul,
That I may wake, become, arise,
Tell me now, who am I?”
————
I alone can answer
The question that you pose,
As surely as the sunlight
Fulfills the yearning rose.
Here, now, I have come home
To form the self I will become,
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Unseal the wisdom of the will
Where intuition’s born.
Here unite thought’s clarity
With heart’s knowing sight
To behold the tree in the seed,
The levity in light.
Here care for humble earth,
Laboring our own rebirth,
Work for good, share our gifts,
By our deeds the fallen lift,
Extend hands full of humanity,
Our brother, our sister, ourselves set free.
Here is the school
We will build
Of light and love and will,
Formed of earth
To be a home
For the waking soul.
And reap a harvest of ripening seeds
Joyfully sown as childhood’s deeds.
United in beauty, thought, and will
We resolve to build a school
Where the wide world all
Awakes within our souls.
Here we will traverse
The depths and widths of space
To find the moving balance
Of self-sustaining grace.
Here lift dead letters to the light,
That sage and poet again are heard,
Reborn in imagination’s sight
Freeing the living word.
Here traverse the rainbow bridge,
The “suffering and deeds of light,”
Till our souls are refreshed, renewed
Through colors’ healing might.
Here lift heart and voice to tones,
To stretch our souls so far,
That music inspires both breath and bone
With the harmony of the stars.
Here forge new tools to our use,
Touch the language of form,
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William Ward is a native of Michigan. He majored in English literature as an undergraduate at Columbia University and then studied elementary education at the
Waldorf Institute of Adelphi University, receiving a master’s degree there. For over
thirty years he was a class teacher at the Hawthorne Valley School in Harlemville,
New York. A lover of the theater, William has written many class plays and festival
presentations and collaborated in all-school musical productions.
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93 •
Index
A
A Family: Paintings from a
Bygone Era 14
A Farm: Paintings from a
Bygone Era 14
A Home: Paintings from a
Bygone Era 14
A Thought Is Just a Thought
63
Addiction’s Many Faces 52
Adventures in Steiner
Education 50
Aeppli, Willi 50
African and Caribbean
Celebrations 41
Age of Discovery, The 65
Age of Revolution, The 65
Al-Gailani, Noorah 40
All Year Round 41
Allan, Annemarie 34
Allen, Joan deRis 25
Allen, Jon 7
Allen, Paul Marshall 25
Allerton, Jill 43
Almon, Joan 47
Am I Really Different? 25
An Unchanged MInd 3
Ancient Greece 65
Ancient Mythologies 65
Ancient Rome 65
Ann, Carol Bartges 51
Anschutz, Marieke 49
Anthroposophical
Therapeutic Speech 58
Any Room for Me? 25
Apple Cake, The 23
Archipova, Anastasiya 29
Around the Year 26
Artzybasheff, Boris 30
Aspects of Youth Guidance 58
Aunt Brown’s Birthday 26
Aunt Green, Aunt Brown &
Aunt Lavender 26
Autism 58
Autumn 17, 28
AWSNA Teacher Resources
54, 55
B
Baby’s First Year 8
Baking Bread with Children 9
Balance in Teaching 55
Baluschek, Hans 19
Bamford, Christopher 56, 57
Baric, Maija 42
Barnes, Henry 54
Bartges, Carol Ann 51
Barton, Matthew 6, 28, 59
Battaglia, Maria 24
Bauer, John 29
Beejum Book, The 32
Bell for Ursli, A 18
Berger, Petra 45
Berger, Thomas 23
Beskow, Elsa 26, 27
Besserman, Howard Kirk 4
Between Form and Freedom
40
Big Summer Activity Book 40
Biodynamic Food and
Cookbook 61
Birth and Breastfeeding 8
Birthday 16
Birthday Book, The 41
Blackwood, John 65
Blythe, Sally Goddard 8, 48
Bollinger, Max 37
Bom, Paulien 8
Book of Fairy Princes, The 31
•
94 •
Botany 65
Boy From Sula, The 33
Boys Will Be Boys 62
Breathing Circle 60
Bremen Town Musicians 12
Bringing the Best Out in
Boys 62
Brown, Brooks 51
Bryan, Angela 16
Bryan, Daniel C 16
Bryer, Estelle 39
Bücken, Hajo 45
Burton, Michael 28
Burton, Sarah 37
Button, Button, Who’s Got the
Button? 45
C
Cansino, Raoul 57
Capek, Jindra 37
Carey, Diana 40
Carigiet, Alois 7
Carlgren, Frans 4
Carnie, Fiona 52
Carpenter’s Daughter, The 16
Cat Who Decided, The 35
Catscape 34
Celebrating Christmas
Together 39
Celebrating Irish Festivals 40
Celtic Wonder Tales 30
Chapman, Katriona 37
Child Is Born, A 37
Child is Born, A 60
Children and Their
Temperaments 49
Children Who Communicate
Before They Are Born 52
58
Children’s Party Book 10
Children’s Year, The 41
Child’s Changing Consciousness, The 56
Child’s Play 1 & 2 46
Childs, Gilbert 49
Childs, Sylvia 49
Chill 34
Chönz, Selina 7
Christmas Angels, The 38
Christmas in the Family 39
Christmas Owls, The 37
Christmas Plays from
Oberufer 38
Christmas Stories Together 39
Christmas Story Book, The 38
Christopher’s Harvest Time 26
Clarke, P. 58
Claude and Medea 33
Clouder, Christopher 50, 39
Cohen, Warren Lee 9
Cohn, Diana 20
Collis, J. 54
Colum, Padraic 16
Come Follow Me 46
Cook, Wendy E. 61
Cooper, Stephanie 41
Crafts Through the Year 45
Creative Felt 43
Crebbin, Jennifer 42
Creeger, Catherine E. 54
Crossley, Diana 64
Crying and Restlessness in
Babies 59
D
Dancy, Rahima Baldwin 48
Davidow, Shelley 31, 32
Davy, Annie 46
Dawson, Janine 23
DeLisa, Patricia 11
Demon Slayer, The 15
Denjean-von Stryk, Barbara
58
Derwent, Lavinia 27
Developing Child, The 50
Developmental Signatures 67
Discussions with Teachers 54
Dragonfire 34
Drawing Geometry 7
Dream Song of Olaf
Åsteson, The 36
Dreißig, Georg 39
Drescher, Daniela 11
Druitt, Ann 30
Dunselman, Ron 50
E
Earth, Water, Fire, and Air 45
Easter Story Book, The 40
Edmunds, Francis 50
Educating As an Art 51
Educating Children Today 6
Educating Through Art 51
Education: An Introductory
Reader 50
Education As a Force for
Social Change 54
Education for Adolescents 55
Education for Special Needs
58
Education of the Child, The 57
Education, Teaching and
Practical LIfe 57
Education Towards
Freedom 4
El Wakil, Mohamed 4
Elves’ Big Adventure, The 11
Emperor’s Vision, The 38
Enchanted Kingdom, The 24
Encountering the Self 51
Essentials of Education,
The 56
Eurythmy 6
Eurythmy Forms For Tone
Eurythmy 6
Evans, Russell 47
Everett, Roland 55
F
Fables of La Fontaine 29
Faculty Meetings with Rudolf
Steiner 55
Favourite Grimm’s Tales 29
Favourite Tales from Hans
Christian Anderson 29
Feltcraft 45
Festivals, Family, and Food 40
Festivals Together 40
Fidler, Kathleen 36
Finger Strings 10
Finser, Torin M. 53
Fire Bringer, The 15
First Aid for Fairies and Other
Fabled Beasts 34
First Book of Knitting for
Children, A 43
First Three Years of the Child,
The 50
Fitzjohn, Sue 40
Flash the Sheepdog 35
Flowers’ Festival 26
Foodwise 61
Forbes, Anne 34, 27
Forrester, Margaret 35
Forsslund, Karl-Erik 17
Foundations of Curative
Eurythmy 58
Foundations of Human
tel
Experience, The 54
Free to Learn 47
Freeing Education 52
Frog, Bee, and Snail Look for
Snow 24
Future of Childhood, The 46
Fynes-Clinton, Christine 41
G
Gardening with Young
Children 42
Gateways 28
Gavin, Jamila 28
Genius of Language, The 55
Genius of Play, The 46
Giddens, Craig 54
Gift for the Child, A 37
Glanville, Caroline 41
Glas, Norbert 7
Glöckler, Michaela 2, 60
Gmeyner, Elizabeth 20
Gnome Craft Book, The 45
Go to Sleep, Little Bear 23
Goebel, Wolfgang 60
Goethe, Johann Wolfgang
von 33
Goldie at the Farm 22
Goldie at the Orphanage 22
Goodnight 9
Gosse, Bonnie 43
Green Snake and the
Beautiful Lily, The 36
Grand Metamorphosis, A 3
Gross, Stephanie 47
Grigaff, Anne-Dorthe 43
Grimm, Jacob & Wilhelm, 4,
7, 13
Guarducci, Iris 36
Gueret, Frederique 44
Guide to Child Health, A 60
H
Hamed, Maissa 4
Hansel and Gretel 13
Hansi 14
Harvest Story, The 16
Harwood, A. C. 49
Healing the Skin 7
Healing Stories for
Challenging Behavior 5
Healthy Medicine 60
Heaven on Earth 47
Helping Children to
Overcome Fear 47
Hendry, Frances Mary 35
Heuninck, Ronald 23
Heuscher, Julius E. 25
Hildreth, Lisa 61
Hill of the Red Fox 35
Hoffman, Carl 43
Hogenboom, Marga 58
Holistic Special Education 58
Holy Night, The 38
Homemaking As a Social
Art 62
How I Feel 63
Howell, Alice O. 32
Hox 34
Human Being and the Animal
World, The 65
Human Values in
Education 57
Hut in the Forest, The 18
I
Ice Horse, The 22
In Blue Mountains 20
In Place of the Self 52
(703) 661-1594
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In Search of Ethical Leadership 53
In the Land of Elves 11
In the Land of Fairies 11
In the Land of Merfolk 11
In the Light of a Child 28
Incarnating Child, The 50
Isabella’s Journey to the
Centre 16
Iscador 59
Islamic Year, The 40
J
Jabulani! 46
Jachens, Lueder 7
Jacquet, Hélène 38
Jaffke, Freya 45, 48
Jarman, Heather 16
Jenkinson, Sally 46
Johnson, Gail 10
Jordan, Janet 36
Journey through Time in Verse
and Rhyme, A 28
K
Key of the Kingdom, The 28
Kindergarten Education 48
King and the Green Angelica,
The 30
King Beetle-Tamer 31
Kingdom of Childhood, The 57
Kirchner-Bockholt,
Margarete 58
Kischnick, Rudolf 46
Klaassen, Sandra 24
Klinghardt, Dietrich 60
Knitted Animals 43
Knitting for Children 43
Koepke, Hermann 51, 52
Kofsky, H. 47
König, Karl 50
Koopmans, Loek 24, 25
Kornberger, Horst 5
Kovacs, Charles 65
Kraul, Walter 45
Kroll, Linda 20
Kuhlewind, Georg 49
Kurzyca, Krystyna Emilia 31
Kyber, Manfred 36
L
Lagerlof, Selma 24, 38
Lai, Hsin-Shih 4
Lantern Vegan Family
Cookbook 61
Lara’s First Christmas 32
Large, Judy 40
Large, Martin 46, 52
Larsson, Carl 14
Last Night of Ramadan,
The 18
Lathe, Robert 54. 55
Lauruol, J. 58
Lavreys, Debbie 7
Leeuwen, M. V. 44
Lieberherr, Ruth 20
Lievegoed, Bernard 49
Lifeways 63
Light Course, The 57
Light in the Lantern, The 39
Lightwood, Donald 35
Lincoln, Hazel 22
Linde, Hermann 36
Lindgren, Astrid 25
Little, Kingsley Lou 34
Little Dolphin’s Big
Adventure 22
Little Hamster, The 17
Little Red Riding Hood 13, 19
(703) 661-1501
hours
9-5 est
Index
Little Snow Bear 22
Little Troll, The 23
Living Literacy 5
Lobato, Arcadio 37
Locker, Thomas 20
Lockie, Beatrys 42
Louhi, Kristiina 10
Lundburgh, Holger 29
Luxford, Michael 46
Lyons, Nick 51
Ollie’s Ski Trip 27
Olson, Michael 63
On the Threshold of
Adolescence 52
One Step at a Time 52
Oppenheimer, Sharifa 47, 63
Organizational Integrity 53
Oschman, James 60
Our Twelve Senses 52
Out of the Blue 64
M
P
Madill, Betty 52
Magic Wool 44
Magical Window Stars 44
Mailer, Maggie 32
Making Dolls 44
Making Waldorf Dolls 45
Margulies, Paul 12
Marion, Isabel 39
Marshall, Ruth 40
Mary’s Little Donkey 37
Masters, Brien 6, 22, 50
Mathematics Around Us 65
Mathematics in Space and
Time 65
Matthews, Paul 2
Matthews, Penny 23
McKinnon, John A. 3
McLean, Allen Campbell 35
Mellon, Nancy 48
Merritt, Rob 51
Meyerbröker, Helga 44
Miedzian, Myriam 50
Millennial Child 63
Mills, Sam 15
Miracle in Bethlehem, The 37
Mirocha, Paull 11
Modern Art of Education, A 56
Moeskops, J. 33
Mogensen, Jan 23
Moore, Thomas 48
More Lifeways 63
More Magic Wool 44
Morris, Lailan 16
Mother Earth’s Children 16
Mougel, Francis 16
Moeskops, J. 44
Mr. Goethe’s Garden 20
Muddles, Puddles and
Sunshine 64
Muller, Brunhild 44
Muller, Gerda 17
Müller, Martina 23
Murphy, Christine 59
Muscles and Bones 65
My Village 14
Myths of the World 30
N
Nature Corner, The 44
Neall, Lucinda 62
Newbatt, David 36, 65
Nettle and the Butterfly, The
16
Nicholson, Mike 34
Nicol, Janni 39
No Easy Answers 51
Nobel, Agnes 51
Nordqvist, Sven 15
Now You See It… 46
Nye, Alex 34
O
Octave 67
Odent, Michel 8, 60
Oldfield, Lynn 47
Oldfield, Rachel 47
Painting with Children 44
Pancakes for Findus 15
Papercraft 10
Parent and Child Group
Handbook 62
Parsifal and the Search for the
Grail 65
Parzifal 36
Peck, Betty 48
Pelle’s New Suit 27
Perrow, Susan 5
Peter and Anneli’s Journey to
the Moon 19
Peter and Lotta’s Adventure
26
Peter and Lotta’s Christmas
26
Peter in Blueberry Land 27
Peter’s Old House 27
Phases of Childhood 49
Pico the Gnome 23
Pietzner, Cornelius 58
Please Can We Keep the
Donkey? 15
Poplawski, Thomas 6
Power of Stories, The 5
Practical Advice to
Teachers 54
Price, Rebecca 9
Prickly Hedgehog, The 17
Primal Health 60
Princess in the Forest , The
21
Pudding and Chips 23
Pull the Other One! 46
Puppet Theatre 42
Pusch, Ruth 55
Q
Querido, René 55, 56
Quest For a Kelpie 35
R
Raising Waldorf 49
Ramsden, Kristin 16
Rawson, Martyn 48, 51, 54
Reading the Face 7
Ready to Learn 48
Recovery of Man in
Childhood, The 49
Reinckens, Sunnhild 44
Reinhardt, Rosamond 25
Renewal of Education, The 55
Renewing Education 50
Renne 22
Reppel, Elizabeth 16
Return to Sula 33
Rhythms of Learning 51
Romer, Norah 16
Roots of Education, The 56
Rose, Michael 5, 48
Rose Windows 44
Rosenberg, Petra & Tom 39
Rowling, Marije 7, 41
Rudolf Steiner in the Waldorf
School 54
Russell, Joyce 28
tel
(703) 661-1594
fax
S
T
Sagarin, Stephen Keith 51
Salter, Joan 50
Sandwall-Bergström, Martha
22
Saunders, Kerrie 61
Schaefer, Signe E. 63
Schiller, Paul-Eugen 7
Schiller File, The 7
Schilling, Karin V. 52
Schmidt, Dagmar 44
Schmidt-Brabant, Manfred 62
Schmitt-Stegman, Astrid 54
School As a Journey 53
School Renewal 53
Schubert, Jan 19
Schwartz, Eugene 63, 55
Sealey, Maricristin 45
Sehlin, Gunhild 37
Selg, Peter 3
Set Free Childhood 46
Seven-Year-Old Wonder Book,
The 31
Shephard, Carol 46
Sheppard, Kate 64
Shillan, Margaret 2
Sierau, Christine 25
Silence is Complicity 53
Singing Year, The 41
Sleigh, Julian 52
Sloan, Douglas M. 49
Smith, Chris 30
Smith, Patti 63
Snow White & Rose Red 12
Soesman, Albert 52
Song of Sula 33
Soul Development Through
Handwriting 42
Soul Economy 47
Sound Sleep 59
Spindrift 17
Spirit of the English
Language, The 2
Spirit of the Mountain 32
Spirit of the Waldorf School,
The 54
Spiritual Ground of Education,
The 40
Spiritual Tasks of the
Homemaker, The 62
Spock, Marjorie 50
Spring 17, 28
Staley, Betty 40
Stålsjö, Eva 14
Star Children 49
Stedall, Jonathan 36
Steiner, Rudolf 6, 50, 51, 55,
56, 57, 58
Steiner Education and Social
Issues 6
Steiner-von Sivers, Marie 46
Steitencron, Bettina 7
Stockton, Anne 16
Stormont, Bobbie 46
Story of the Root Children,
The 21
Story of the Snow Children,
The 21
Story of the Wind Children,
The 21
Storytelling with Children 48
Strauss, Michaela 4
Studer, Hans-Peter 46
Sula 33
Sullivan, Diane 15
Summer 17, 28
Sun Egg, The 27
Sun Seed, The 19
Swedish Folk Tales 29
Tale of the Little, Little Old
Woman, The 27
Talking with Angel 52
Talley, Leslie 63
Tannenbaum, Rose 25
Tasker, Mary 35, 52
Taylor, Michael 10, 46
Teaching as a Lively Art 50
Teaching Language Arts in
the Waldorf School 56
Teutsch, Gertrude 55
Theo, The Blue Rider Pigeon
25
Therapeutic Eurythmy for
Children 2
Therapeutic Eye, The 3
Thirteen to Nineteen 52
Thomas, Anne and Peter
10, 40
Thomas, Heather 28
Thorkill of Iceland 31
Three Candles of Little
Veronica, The 36
Thumbelina 12
To a Different Drumbeat 58
Toby and the Flood 9
Tomten, The 25
Tomten and the Fox, The 25
Toymaking with Children 45
Traveling Light 2
Trostli, Roberto 51, 54
(703) 661-1501
hours
U
Uan the Little Lamb 24
Uncle Blue’s New Boat 26
Underground City, The 34
Understanding Children’s
Drawings 4
V
Vaccination 59
Vaccination Dilemma, The 59
Valens, Jo 61
van der Linden, Elly 19
van Duin, Veronika 62
Van Haren, Wil 46
van Hichtum, Nienke 23
van Zeyl, Marjan 9
Vegan Diet as Chronic Disease Prevention, The 61
Verney, Candy 41
Verschuren, Ineke 38
Verstegen, Jeska 37
Vietzke, Holly 15
Visconti, Guido 24
Vogel, Anne-Maidlin 2
Vogel, Norman Francis 2
Vogt, Felicitas 52
von Bassewitz, Gerdt 19
von Bonin, Deitrich 58
von Goethe, Joann Wolfgang
36
von Olfers, Sibylle 21
W
Waldorf Alphabet Book 18
Waldorf Education 51
Waldorf Education and Anthroposophy 1 56
Waldorf Education and Anthroposophy 2 56
Waldorf Kindergarten Snack
Book, The 61
Waldorf Doll Nativity, A 39
Waldorf School Book of
Soups, The 61
Ward, William 2
9-5 est
Way to the Stable, The 37
Welburn, Andrew 25
Well Balanced Child, The 48
Wenz-Viëtor, Else 38
West, Judy 37
Westerink, Gerda 25, 37
Weston, Minda 30
What Babies and Children
Really Need 8
What is a Waldorf Kindergarten? 47
What Is Waldorf
Education? 51
What Julianna Could See 18
What’s Hiding in There? 11
Where Are You? 52
Whittaker, Nancy 54, 55
Why Children Don’t Listen 63
Wiberg, Harald 25
Wikland, Ilon 38
Wilkeshuis, Cornelius 37
Winding Road, The 28
Wings of Ruksh, The 34
Winston’s Wish 64
Winter 17, 28
Winter, Awake! 20
Wise Enchanter, The 31
Witches’ Mark, The 35
Wolf, Lorraine Nelson 46
Wolk-Gerche, Angelika 43,
10, 44
Wonderful Adventures of Nils,
The 24
Woodhouse, Sarah 59
Woodward, Bob 58
Woody, Hazel, and Little
Pip 27
Woolly Sheep, The 17
Words in Place 2
Work and Play in Early
Childhood 48
Wulsin, John H. Jr. 2
Wyatt, Isabel 30, 31
Wynstones Press 8, 9
Y
You Are Your Child’s First
Teacher 48
Young, Ella 30
Your Reincarnating Child 49
Z
Zieve, Robert 60
Zonneveld, Famke 11, 12
zur Linden, Wilhelm 60
Advertisers Index
A Toy Garden 81
Antioch University New
England 89
Camphill Special School 85
Center for Anthroposophy 89
Center for Spiritual &
Cultural Unity 87
Eurythmy Spring Valley 78
Lilipoh 93
Renewal 77
San Francisco Herb &
Natural Food Co. 80
Star Wisdom 79
Trillium Press 73
Uriel Pharmacy 82
Waldorf Early Childhood
Association 86
95 •
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96 •
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Colored Shadows and After Images
Figure 2.
Figure 7.
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Figure 3.
Figure 8.
Figure 12.
Figure 9.
Figure 13.
Figure 4.
Figure 10.
Figure 5.
Photo illustrations for
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AFTERIMAGES
Article begins on page 83
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