The Girls' Guide to Tarot

We ran across this delightful book at our local library during a routine trip with the wee ones, and what a wonderful find! It is written for girls ages 12 and up, but we think its appeal is much farther reaching. All 126 pages are brightly and softly illustrated; there is nothing dark, scary and mystical here. It starts with a brief introduction and history, and gives a novice reader a good idea about what Tarot is and is not. There are simple step by step instructions, and sections on how to pick out a deck, storing your deck, and how to create your reading environment. The Major Arcana descriptions are a page each, using the Rider/Waite/Smith deck for illustration, and the author refers to these as the "Destiny Cards". The Minor Arcana descriptions are two per page, and are referred to as the "Free Will Cards". There are fifteen pages of spreads, from the most basic using 2 cards up to using 18. We were pleasantly surprised to find a section on designing your own spreads as well as finding your birthday Trump card. The closing section will appeal to those crafty sort, with instructions on how to make your own Tarot decks and bags. We thoroughly enjoyed this book - it presents such a fresh, new approach. Our only wish is for a bigger section on reversals, but overall this is a good beginner book for a young reader, and one we wouldn't hesitate to recommend!

If it wasn't for this book, I still wouldn't know how to read tarot cards. This book was nice and simple and easy to use. I had no problems understanding it!

I really find that this is one of the best books on tarot that I have seen. I haven't had much luck with a lot of books because they tend to give lots of definitions and many of them are really vague. This book, however give straighforward and most importantly accurate meanings to the cards. It in one of the few books that makes the cards really usefull. Quick and easy but don't think that means fluff. This is a book that I will recomend to others, no matter what the age.

I was very engaged by this book... as an older "girl," I appreciate the way in which Olmstead presented tarot as a way to explore one's goals, hopes, and dreams. Through the self-examination encouraged by the excellent spreads, any girl can start her own journey towards wisdom. The explanations of the Rider-Waite deck are clear (well, as "clear" as tarot gets!) and the descriptions of little rituals and ways to learn the art (especially the "card-a-day" suggestion, brill) are reasonable AND fun. A great gift for a girl learning to read her own life and live with confidence.

I'm a Certified Tarot Reader and Member of the American Tarot Association. I've been reading for 12+ years and if there's a new Tarot book out there, chances are...i've seen it. This is a great one! Not only is it accurate, but it is also very easy to read. If you are looking for a book that makes you feel comfortable with the deck and is not overwhelming...look no more. There is a very personal feeling with this book, and the illustrations give you that mystical feeling that draws us to the tarot in the first place. She covers everything from card meanings and spreads (even ones for doing parties), to making tarot bags, and even tells you how to design your own deck. If you are a "tarot enthusiast", you'll definately want to own this book!!!