Abstract

The child's world often revolves around dreams and fantasy. Imaginary friends, places and play can seem entirely real, and yet in dismissing these as 'just your imagination', many adults cut a tie that can be the key to understanding a child.

Unseen Worlds explores children's experiences of creative play, fairies, angels, imaginary friends, dreams and seeing deceased relatives alongside the more frightening realms of nightmares and the unexplained. It breaks new ground by giving voice to children of various ages to express how they encounter these different worlds and why they often keep them a secret. Kate Adams emphasises that whilst many adults forget what it feels like to be a child, developing a little empathy and understanding can enhance relationships with children and lead to positive change, both in parenting and professional practice.

This insightful book will be of great interest to educators, counsellors, youth and community workers, childcare providers, parents and anybody else who seeks to understand, nurture, and strengthen relationships with children of all ages.

Educators as well as childcare specialists need this!
The Midwest Book Review
Kate Adams, Ph.D., is a Senior Lecturer at Bishop Grosseteste University College Lincoln, England. Her research interests include children's spiritual lives and the significance of dreams for children. Kate is co-author of The Spiritual Dimension of Childhood also published by Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
This is a book which supports the incontestable case for smaller classes and sufficient time and opportunities to really get to know the children we teach and to create an emotionally literate school... Kate Adams' book is warmly commended to all who wish to break with the immediate past and think of progress as the development of the whole child rather than the meeting of performance targets so often lost within a year. Incidentally, lest you are worried about Year 6 SATs, understanding the child of today and empathising with that child is one of the best ways we have of helping that child prepare for the future.
Primary First, John Coe (the Editor of the journal)
`This book is thought provoking, and Kate Adams approaches each chapter from an original and unique perspective, which portrays her deep interest in other-worldliness...A great strength of the book is that it is easily readable, digestible, and does not seek to convert or convince. Rather, it offers the reader alternative perspectives, and encourages self-reflection and general reflection throughout. Furthermore, equal consideration is given to the place of empathy and contemporary society, as well as social and cultural factors, and this only adds richness to the flavour of the various worlds and concepts that the author seeks to explore. The subject matter is presented in such a way as to leave the reader to reach their own conclusions regarding each of these many facets of fantasy versus reality, the existence of other worlds, life after dearth etc.`
Counselling Children and Young People