It may well be true that telling stories and the need of the child to hear the narrative of the human world he/she lives in is one of the most defining elements of being human. And so we must truly examine the quality and intent of the books we read as our little ones are becoming shaped. What is this book saying to the child? What is it representing? What is this book giving to our child? There is so much out there that is good and healthy, but there is also much that is poison, even evil, and there is a dearth of books representing the wholeness of our greater world, that which includes the hidden worlds.

Particularly for me, when reading the books my grandchildren are exposed to, I see only the material world represented. There is not even a hint of the spiritual ever alluded to. Think how many toddler books there are focussed on language development, pictures of concrete objects and animals, even also now wonderful books teaching feeling words.

But children have come to us from the worlds of light, “trailing clouds of glory” (I believe Wordsworth said), and how is it for them to be deadened and confined to this material pushbutton reality, whose only aim is to satisfy our senses and create desire. Without the attention paid to the streams of glory, how can the children have words, a language, to relate to their inner perceptions and quickly diminishing realities as they are immersed and acculturated to this world as we have made it to be. They came to us touched by the divine, how can we nourish that?

How to portray the ineffable Oneness of the hidden inner worlds?

Below are my attempt at the worlds of light. This is from Little Star and Eliore, when the children are touched by the inner worlds because of the state of loving surrender they are in – so earnestly singing for a dead baby bird.

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