Amazon, Barnes & Noble selling book that encourages kids to summon 'playful' demons
Leading national retailers are selling a recently released children’s book that teaches children how to summon demons which has alarmed many parents. At least two retailers appear to have since stopped selling the book.
Released in July, the book, titled A Children's Book of Demons, is available in paperback and authored by illustrator Aaron Leighton, who describes himself as a “fan of all things occult.”
As the holiday season gears up, the product is being sold by leading book retailers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Books-A-Million.
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The book is marketed as appropriate for ages 5 to 10.
“Don’t want to take out the trash tonight? Maybe you’re swimming in homework? Perhaps that big bully is being a real drag?” the description of the book reads. “Well grab your coloured pencils and sigil drawing skills and dial up some demons! This paranormal parody is filled to the brim with funny spirits more silly than scary!”
The book is published by the Toronto-based Koyama Press, a small press that publishes comics, graphic novels, art books and magazines.
“These pages contain an unruly bunch of spirits who are not company for the faint of heart, as they love nothing more than mayhem and mischief,” a review of the book by the Canadian Review of Materials reads. “However, with a few tips and a little bravery, you can turn these unholy troublemakers into potential allies who can solve your most serious problems. But before you go playing with fire, there are a few things you should probably keep in mind.”
According to the review, Leighton introduces readers to as many as 20 demons throughout the book. The review also suggests that the “concern that Leighton is leading children down an occult path” will be “dispelled.”
The book was also reviewed by Publishers Weekly, which called the book a “playful guide that invites readers to conjure gentle demons by writing their sigils, which serve as ‘a phone number’ straight to the spirit.”
A sigil is defined as an inscribed or painted symbol considered to have magical power. In the book, sigils represent “a magical symbol representing the letters of the demon’s name.”
An alarm was raised by blogger Elizabeth Johnston, who runs the popular Christian conservative blog ActivistMommy.com. She called the book “garbage.”
“As ridiculous as the ‘demons’ contained in the book may be, there is nothing innocent or fun about even pretending to summon evil spirits, least of all as a means of ‘creative problem-solving,’ Johnston, an Ohio homeschool mother, wrote. “But who is to say it is pretend? The spirit world is real and is no laughing matter.”
At the time Johnston’s blog post was published in November, the book was also being sold by retail giants Target and Walmart. However, the book’s listings appear to have been removed from both Target and Walmart websites.
Target’s webpage for the book now reads “product not available.”
The Christian Post reached out to both Target and Walmart for comment on the book. Responses are pending.
A majority of the reviews on the book on Amazon’s website were less than favorable toward A Children's Book of Demons.
“My 7 year old son got this for his birthday and [couldn’t] put it down for a week!” one mother wrote. “At first, I was glad that he put down the video games and opened up a book, but now I’m not so sure. Ever since finishing the book he (they?) keeps referring to himself (themselves?) as Sliatiel, Lord of maggots. He’s not the same little boy anymore.”
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