Whimsical

The Whimsical Tarot
Mary Hanson-Roberts and Dorothy Morrison (U.S. Games Systems Inc, 2000)

Review
The day my sister finally lets me teach the tarot to my little niece, this deck's becoming an heirloom.

Mary Hanson-Roberts has already demonstrated a knack for soft, glowing colours, and this time she includes thick, elegant borders for ease of navigation inside the deck. The theme of fairy tales means that she can load up each image with lots of dreamy little details, which combined with the colour reproduction means that this is probably a better example of her art than the deck that bears her name.

But it's not all about the art. Everyone's going to have their own opinion as to which fairy tale fits which card best, but this deck is so close my own tastes that I could predict which tales would be on some cards (The Owl and Pussycat are the Two of Cups!) and in some cases I was delighted by the surprise (Robin Hood and Maid Marian as the King and Queen of Pentacles).

It never occurred to me that there could be a tarot deck especially for children, but this is a love, well designed deck, so adults will also find plenty to enjoy.