Seeking the Mystical Child: Nurturing Young Children’s Identity, Faith, and Belief

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Danette Littleton Meryl Sole

Seeking the Mystical Child

Nurturing Young Children’s Identity, Faith, and Belief

Danette Littleton, Meryl Sole

$294

Hardback

Forthcoming
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English

Routledge
01 August 2025

Social work; Educational psychology; School community relations & school home relations; Pre-school & kindergarten; Teacher training

Seeking the Mystical Child: Nurturing Young Children’s Identity, Faith, and Belief by Danette Littleton and Meryl Sole is a unique book that presents insights into children’s unnoticed spiritual worlds. The authors acquired voices and portraits of children from differing cultures through qualitative research. Interpretations of ancient and contemporary Judaism, Christianity, and Islam provided context. This book is for those who desire to understand children’s lived experiences, seen and unseen, of wonder, awe, and purity of heart. Seekers of meaning in the lives of children may find meaning for themselves in Seeking the Mystical Child: Nurturing Young Children’s Identity, Faith, and Belief.

By: Danette Littleton, Meryl Sole
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm,
Weight: 453g
ISBN: 9781032762258
ISBN 10: 103276225X
Pages: 114
Publication Date: 01 August 2025
Audience: General/trade , Professional and scholarly , ELT Advanced , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

1. The Wondering Child; 2. The Spiritual Child; 3. The Natural Child; 4. The Mystical Child; 5. Framing Portraits; 6. Pilgrimage; 7. One With God; 8. Children of Faith; 9. Peace in Search of Makers; 10. Seeking God; 11. The Mystery of God; 12. Spiritual Sojourners; 13. Spiritual Engagements: Activities and Experiences

Danette Littleton earned a Ph.D. at the University of Texas-Austin. She is a retired professor of music education and a former music teacher for children in elementary and preschool. Research studies on children's spontaneous play with music were presented at national and international conferences and universities. Her work is published in journals, book chapters, papers, and the books When Music Goes to School: Perspectives on Learning and Teaching and Knowing the Children We Teach: Essays on Music Learning (with co-author Meryl Sole), and children's books, Side by Side: A Friendship in Black and White and Side by Side With New Friends. Meryl Sole earned an Ed.D. from Teacher's College, Columbia University. Musical studies in music history, theory, and French horn performance prepared her for a career in higher education, teaching graduate and undergraduate courses in music education at New York University and Teacher's College, Columbia University. Her research focuses on early childhood music development, toddlers' spontaneous crib songs, and musical parenting. Her work was presented at numerous national and international conferences and published in Psychology of Music and the Oxford Handbook of Early Childhood Music Learning and Development. She co-authored Knowing the Children We Teach with Danette Littleton.

Reviews for Seeking the Mystical Child: Nurturing Young Children’s Identity, Faith, and Belief

This unique book, Seeking the Mystical Child embraces and articulates experiences of awe, wonder, and wandering. It bravely sheds light on that mysterious word “mystical” and brings it out of the shadows of confusion. It contains the power to awaken parents to offer engagement and curiosity in their children when instantaneous moments of spiritual nourishment occur. Perhaps if we can identify these important moments in our children’s lives, we can learn to recognize these experiences in ourselves. The Reverend Dr. Lauren Artress, Honorary Canon of Grace Cathedral and author of Walking a Sacred Path, Rediscovering the Labyrinth as a Spiritual Practice.