Childhood is a time when fantasy worlds are at their brightest. Through a child's eye, dragons truly do soar across the skies, fairies hide in gardens, and mermaid tails flash in the sea. It's through stories that children's imaginations come alive and magic becomes reality.

We're constantly adding to our Children's Books collection here at Dragonspace, always excited by new titles and old classics to add to our shelves. While every one of the books in our collection is a delight, we're highlighting ten unique titles in this week's blog post that would be a wonderful addition to any young reader's library. From unicorns to yoga, there's something for every imagination. 

Wizardology, Dragonology, Monsterology and Fairyopolis

The 'Ology' series of books are as beautiful as they are interesting. Suitable for older readers, these gorgeously illustrated books take a deep-dive into the history of their subjects, complete with maps, diagrams, collages...even dragon scale samples! Kids will feel like a true scholar, scientist or historian as they study these magical books...much better than school textbooks, right?

Thelma the Unicorn

Thelma the Unicorn has taken the world by glittery storm! This popular picture book tells the story of an ordinary horse who longs to be a unicorn. But when her dream finally comes true, is it really all it's cracked up to be? Kids will laugh throughout Thelma's fantastically entertaining journey, and finish the tale knowing how to stay true to themselves. One of life's most magical lessons.

Candlewick Classic Fairy Tales

Sometimes nothing beats the classics. An illustrated collection of fairy tales belongs in every library, and this vividly coloured anthology from Candlewick is a diverse and unique addition. Children of all backgrounds will relate to the characters in these illustrated stories, which include classics like CINDERELLA, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST and more, all told with a fresh voice.

Good Morning Yoga

This lovely little book introduces kids to the principles of yoga and mindfulness through storytelling. It intersperses gentle and creative yoga exercises with positive messages to help kids get ready for the day. Paired with vibrant illustrations, this book shows that picture books can be more than just books - they can help readers achieve peace and calm amongst all the excitement of the day.

Room on the Broom

This charming witchy tale comes from the creators of the beloved Gruffalo - Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. The story follows a happy witch and her cat who offer a ride on their broom to a number of friendly animals. But can the broomstick take the load? Witty and entertaining, this board book is perfect for very young readers, and shows that witches don't have to be mean and ugly!  

John Ronald's Dragons

Kids probably aren't quite ready to tackle the wonderful world of Lord of the Rings until they're a bit older, but this picture book is a perfect place to start. This is an illustrated biography of John Ronald Tolkien - aka J.R.R. Tolkien - an imaginative little boy who loved dragons and would grow up to become the one of history's most famous fantasy writers. Kids will love reading about Tolkien's life, accompanied by lovely storybook imagery - this will have them itching to read The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings once they're old enough. 

The Secret History of Mermaids

Mermaids have long been a mystery, but here's a chance to finally learn all the secrets of these mystical sea-dwelling figures. Just like the Ology books, The Secret History of Mermaids takes the form of an entertaining "textbook", interspersed with beautiful illustrations and fascinating findings. Lovers of mermaids will be delighted by this compact little tome.

Flower Fairies Activity Books

Every fairy fan will recognise Cicely Mary Barker's beautiful Victorian fairy illustrations. These lovely fairies adorn the pages of these fun activity books, perfect for the child who might prefer getting a bit hands-on. Glittery stickers, puzzles, riddles, paper dolls, colouring in pages and more will keep young little minds entertained for hours, all with a generous touch of fairy magic.

 Buddha at Bedtime

Bedtime stories are one of the most magical parts of childhood. This unique collection draws on tales of Buddhist wisdom to make bedtime even more enlightening. From the tale of The Kind and Wise Stag with its message of forgiveness to the story of Two Ducks and a Turtle which will teach your child to think before speaking, these stories aren't just entertaining—they're meaningful as well. A perfect way to enchant and calm the mind before your child dozes off into dreamland, with lessons they'll definitely remember in the morning.

The Dragon's Toothache

This is another great tale of fantastical friendship. Everyone knows dragons have big sharp teeth...but what happens when they get a toothache? And how are they meant to fix it? Told in a classic picture book style with quirky illustrations, this will make the kids laugh and go 'aww' in equal measures. And most importantly it will teach them that dragons aren't all fierce and scary—they have problems too, sometimes! 

Funny, enchanting, enlightening, academic...there's definitely something to spark every kind of young imagination in this collection. And the best part is that you don't even have to be a kid to enjoy these tales! Click below to see our full collection available online, or come into store to see even more magical titles.

View All Our Children's Books

(Photo credit: Aquarian Insight)

The Rider-Waite-Smith is the most universally recognised of tarot decks. Also sometimes known as the Rider-Waite or the Waite-Smith deck, you've probably heard a version of this name before. If you're just getting started in the world of tarot, you'll likely begin with a Rider-Waite-Smith deck. Even if you're a seasoned tarot reader, you probably have one in your collection. So, what's the history behind this deck? Where did it come from and what does the symbolism mean?

The known history of tarot reading stretches back to the 15th century. However, the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck was first published as recently as 1910. Illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith as a collaboration with the mystic A.E. Waite, it was published by the Rider Company, a publishing company that had its origins in occult works. To understand more about this popular deck, it makes sense to begin with its creators.

(Image: Pamela Colman Smith, public domain)

About Pamela Colman Smith

Pamela Colman Smith - nickname Pixie - was an artist, author and occultist who lived during the turn of the 20th century. Smith spent much of her childhood between Jamaica and Britain, and went on to study art in New York as a young adult. Much of her early creative work, including illustrated books, was centered on Jamaican folklore. She would also go on to work in theatrical design and become involved in the suffragette movement.

Smith originally met A.E. Waite through the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn occult organisation, which they were both members of. Together, they would create one of the world's most popular tarot decks. But if you hadn’t previously heard of Pamela Colman Smith, you’re not alone. Smith’s story sometimes gets missed out of tarot histories, and her name was left off of most editions of her tarot deck until recently. But she certainly was a fascinating figure – if you’re interested in learning more about her, see here.

About A.E. Waite

Arthur Edward Waite was an accomplished American-British scholar and mystic who wrote academically about esoteric and occult topics. Subjects he covered in his works include: divination, Freemasonry, Kabbalah, alchemy and ceremonial magic. Interestingly, Waite was actually 'enemies' with another notorious mystic of the time, Aleister Crowley, who we wrote about in a previous blog post here.

Upon meeting Colman Smith, A.E. Waite was drawn to her artistic talent and psychic abilities. When he decided he wanted to create a new illustrated version of the tarot, it only made sense to collaborate with Pixie.

(Image: Comparison between the RWS and the Sola Busca deck)

The Rider-Waite-Smith and the Sola Busca

While the Rider-Waite-Smith deck was one of the first illustrated tarot decks to obtain worldwide popularity, it wasn't the first illustrated tarot deck. It's been said that Waite was likely influenced by the Sola Busca Tarot deck, a mysterious deck created by an unknown artist with origins stretching back to the late 15th century. The Sola Busca deck was donated to the British Museum by the Sola Busca family of Milan in 1907. If the stories are true, then Waite and Smith saw the Sola Busca deck in the Museum and used it as reference and inspiration for the Rider-Waite-Smith deck. Upon observing the similarities between the two decks, the connection is undeniable. More information about this can be found here.

Rider-Waite-Smith Artwork & Symbolism

Graphic designer and artist Bill Wolf accurately described what makes the Rider tarot deck so special and different to those that had come before.

“The Rider-Waite deck was designed for divination and included a book written by Waite in which he explained much of the esoteric meaning behind the imagery. People say its revolutionary point of genius is that the pip cards are ‘illustrated,’ meaning that Colman Smith incorporated the number of suit signs into little scenes, and when taken together, they tell a story in pictures. This strong narrative element gives readers something to latch onto, in that it is relatively intuitive to look at a combination of cards and derive your own story from them.”

The structure of the deck - with 56 Minor Arcana/suit cards and 22 Major Arcana/trump cards - comes from the traditional Tarot of Marseilles tarot structure. However, Colman Smith's artwork is truly what sets this deck apart. Smith's artwork is quite traditional in nature, yet is rich with symbolism. While at first glance, many of the Rider-Waite-Smith cards depict a singular figure in a clear setting, symbolism is contained in every detail of the scene. The figure's clothing, accessories, facial expressions, background landscapes and more all tell a story. One could study a single card in the deck for days, and still be finding further details to unpack.

While previous tarot decks relied on Christian symbolism and imagery, this was watered down in the Rider-Waite-Smith deck. For example, the 'Hierophant' card replaced the traditional 'Pope', and the 'High Priestess' replaced the traditional 'Papess'. The suit symbols of wands, cups, swords and pentacles are said to be influenced by the work of 19th century occultist and magician Éliphas Lévi. Other symbols appear influenced by nature, the elements and the cosmos.

An Example: The Magician

As an example of the richness of symbolism in the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, take the Magician card (pictured) as an example. First impressions show a man, presumably the magician, in a strong triumphant stance at a table. He appears powerful and is in possession of a number of 'tools' (all four of the suit card symbols are on his table).

But why is he wearing a white robe with a red cloak? What does the infinity symbol above his head mean? Why is one hand pointing up to the heavens and the other to the ground? What do the flowers and foliage symbolise? And is that a snake around his waist?

None of these details are incidental. They all have meaning, based on Smith and Waite's psychic and academic understanding of the tarot. This is why studying the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot is so fascinating and has long been considered the standard for tarot readers around the world. If you can intimately understand the symbolism and storytelling of these cards, you're well on your path to understanding the vast world of tarot.

The Legacy of the Rider-Waite-Smith

Though well over a hundred years old now, the popularity of the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck endures. It’s consistently our highest-selling tarot deck here at Dragonspace, and is the one that’s used most commonly in tarot education and training. There are also now revised variations on the traditional deck, such as the Radiant Rider-Waite (re-coloured by Virginijus Poshkus), the Universal Waite (re-coloured by Mary Hanson-Roberts) and the Albano-Waite (re-coloured by Frankie Albano).

The fact that the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot continues to resonate with tarot readers and modern audiences is surely a testament to the artistic and psychic skill of Pamela Colman Smith and mystic knowledge of A.E. Waite. While the duo conceived the deck, it now belongs to thousands of people all around the globe, and will likely continue to inform and inspire generations to come.

View All Our Tarot Decks

Image: "Dryad & Dragon" by Josephine Wall

Our Mythical Creatures Spotlight is a blog feature that takes a deep-dive into mythical creatures, from mermaids to unicorns and all in-between. This week’s spotlight is on: Dragons.

Fire-breathing, treasure-loving, glitter-scaled, mighty-winged...No creature has dominated lore and legend over the centuries quite like the mighty dragon.

The dragon is our mascot here at Dragonspace, and for us, dragons are symbols of luck and protection. We like to think that the dragons on our shelves are guarding the store’s treasures and bringing us good fortune. However, dragons aren’t seen as so benevolent in other tales, where they’re depicted as fearsome beasts to be conquered. This contrast in stories is part of what makes dragon mythology so fascinating.

So where did the legend of the dragon first originate? How do different cultures around the world see the dragon? And how can you harness the elemental power of dragons in your spiritual practice? Read on to find out:

The origins of the dragon

The Chinese dragon

One of the most well-known depictions of the dragon is from Chinese culture. The dragon is a sacred symbol in Chinese spirituality, and is actually the highest ranking animal in the Chinese animal hierarchy. Far from being a wicked beast, the Chinese dragon symbolises power, strength and good luck. The Dragon is also one of the twelve Chinese zodiac signs, and people whose birthday fall under this sign are believed to be gifted with confidence, ambition and great intellect. In fact, in Ancient China, it was believed that the Emperors were actually descended from dragons, and successful people are still sometimes referred to as 'dragons' to this day. This reverence and respect for dragons in Chinese culture is a welcome contrast to the antagonism shown towards the great beasts in much of European legend.

Dragons in European and British mythology

Dragons appear in many well-known European myths and legends. Beowulf, Saint George and the Dragon, the tales of King Arthur…these stories are iconic, and all feature dragons as enemies to be defeated. Dragons also pop up in Eastern European mythology, from the Polish Wawel dragon to the Russian Zmey Gorynych. In many of these stories, men are made heroes by slaying the dragon and saving the innocent from the clutches of the wicked beasts. In this way, dragons came to symbolise evil, greedy forces that threaten civilised society.

This legend has carried on into more modern tales, such as the wicked Smaug in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. However, in more recent times, we’ve seen the fearsome dragon shown in a more complex light in Western popular culture. George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire/Game of Thrones series depicts the traditionally fearsome dragon as more of a ‘weapon’, only as wicked as whichever side has control over it. While J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books take a more zoological approach, presenting dragons as a variety of species with different temperaments, some more pleasant than others. Dragons still continue to fascinate the masses, and it's good to see representations shifting. To read more about dragons in popular culture, see our previous blog post here - Puff, Smaug and Other Famous Dragons.

Real-life dragons?

So...do dragons really exist? Almost. There are a few interesting creatures in the real-life animal kingdom that have eerie similarities to the mythical dragons of legend. There are several types of lizards referred to as ‘dragons’, such as the ‘bearded dragon’ common in Australia and the more intimidating ‘Komodo dragon’ found in Indonesia. In fact, Komodo dragons have a venomous bite, which is similar to breathing fire!

There is also a type of gliding lizard referred to as a ‘flying dragon’, as it has the capability of gliding flight thanks to ‘wings’ created by a membrane around its rib and hind limb area. Another real dragon-like animal is the ‘dragon snake’, which gets its name from the raised ridges down the back of its body – similar to dragons of legend. Perhaps these real-life creatures are where the legend of the dragon came from? It all depends what you wish to believe.

Dragon magic

It's evident that dragons possess a powerful energy. If you follow a spiritual practice that calls on the energy of magical creatures for strength and inspiration, you can use dragon energy to guide your practice. Dragons are actually a perfect balance of all four elements – water, fire, earth and air – making them a powerful figure in elemental magic and a way of aligning the elements in your life. Dragons can also be called upon when you’re seeking success and good fortune, or when you need a burst of confidence and determination to get through life’s challenges. Their similarities to snakes and serpents also make them a strong symbol of change and transformation - a shedding of skin to make way for new life and new opportunities. If understood and summoned correctly, dragon energy definitely can be a powerful force in your life.

 This is just scratching the surface of dragon mythology, which spans from the seas to the heavens across millennia. While dragon mythology is complex and varied, one trait certainly dominates all stories – dragons are figures of great power. If you want a little more ‘dragon’ in your life, check out our range of dragon giftware below, from books to jewelry to home décor.

View All Our Dragon Giftware