I started looking for this book since I had seen it on a number of "Pagan Family" sites. While I don't have a family yet, don't even know how my husband and I would raise children, I was curious what a recommended Pagan Family book looked like. The title indicates it's about practicing with a family, but I think it'd be a great primer for a newcomer -- after all, teaching your children about your religion isn't so much different than teaching a new person.
It is non-specific in tradition, although it's written by an Ar nDraiocht Fein (ADF) member and has a heavy Indo-European (IE) focus. That is, there is an emphasis on the kindreds and ancestors which isn't usually seen in Wicca, but it also talks about "The God" and "The Goddess", which is more Wiccanesque. Anyhow, I wish I'd read it as one of my first books. It gives a great "flavor" of Druidry, as well as specific practices.
I also liked the book because it focuses on the devotional parts of the religion (instead of magic or divination, heavy-duty ritual creation, or the nitty gritty details of all the holidays). The chapter on devotion and prayer is excellent. In my opinion, beginning in Druidry is best done with a light sprinkling of theology and some simple devotions and rituals. Heavy theology can come later for those who are interested, as well as the "whys" behind practices. Of course, I didn't follow my own advice - heavy theology was my first interest.
The book covers a number of interesting topics. The introduction to Paganism has a wonderful description of most-commonly held beliefs within the community -- I think it does a pretty good job, too, of describing the spirit of the religions, while avoiding being either too exclusive or vague.
There is an entire chapter devoted to ritual. It describes what ritual is, how it is important in Paganism, and ways to make rituals assessable an interesting to children (which, to me, usually just seem to be reasonable ideas, regardless of the age group).
The chapter on "the sacred home" talks about household guardians, the household shrine, and home blessings. In particular, I was impressed that the instructions about building a shrine had some very practical considerations -- not putting it where it would be tripped over, but neither in an inconspicuous corner. I also liked that he advocated neat shrines -- a pet peeve of mine. He suggests putting it in the spiritual center of your home - near a hearth if you have one, in the kitchen otherwise. Also, there is a short devotion to be done in front of the shrine in the morning.
There is a chapter devoted to celebrations of birth. It includes discussions of welcoming ceremonies, presentations of newborns to the household guardians, blessings, namings and dedications, and birthdays. While perhaps less immediately useful to a newcomer to the faith, this chapter still is an interesting read.
There is a chapter on teaching children, which also contains a number of useful activity for adults. There is a short discussion of meditation and self-blessings - both useful to newcomers to the religion. There is also a section on crafts - notably, mask-making, gods eyes, rattle making, and image making. Finally, there is a discussion of setting up a personal shrine (in addition to the household shrine, which presumably the parents set up). While a single practitioner may only have one shrine to begin with, the two shrine sections together should present a very good starting place.
The section on prayers and offerings is, in my opinion, the most helpful chapter in the book. It talks some about why prayer is a perfectly Pagan activity - in particular, addressing concerns about prayer being a rote activity or being a "cosmic wish-list". It offers some prayers - very poetic and often short enough to memorize quickly. There is a discussion of what offerings are, why we make them, and a sample ritual for making an offering.
The section on festivals isn't particularly noteworthy, if you've read any of the standard "newbie" books or web sites; it covers all the festivals of the 8 traditionally Neopagan holidays. Each one has a short history, some suggested crafts or activities, and a ritual. There is also a section about lunar rituals; again, I paid less attention to this section since I've seen it in a number of other places, and my particular practice doesn't place much emphasis on the moon.
There are then specific passages in life that are discussed in the last three chapters - coming of age, betrothal, wedding, and parting, and death. They're reasonably abbreviated, and would require supplementing, I think, but are a good introduction to ways of thinking about such passages.
Overall, a wonderful book, and well worth looking for, even though it is out of print. My favorite quote? I think I'm most fond of this passage, from his "Introduction to Paganism":
"There is a different world existing in close connection with ours. This is the Otherworld, the Land of Youth, the Dreamtime, the home of the Ancestors, the Land of Faerie. It is the home of gods and spirits, the source of numinous power. It sometimes seems far away, but it is actually right here, existing with ours. Where else would it be?
Be careful next time you wander in the fog; you may wander into the Land of Faerie. Perhaps the greatest mystery of Paganism is that if the Pagan path is followed with dedication, the two worlds approach each other more closely, until the Pagan lives in both at once. This is one way a Pagan sees the sacredness of our world."