Sources and inspirations

Reference bibliography, mythic, pedagogical and psychological sources of the book

The works that nourished the writing of Solomon J. nel villaggio dei Pepileni, arranged by discipline.

First section

The book's bibliography

The works in the annotated bibliography of the book, grouped by field: mythic, pedagogical and psychological sources, read through a symbolic lens.

Mythic and literary sources

Ancient texts and the fairy tale as the symbolic ground of the story.

Bhagavad Gītā. Il canto del Beato (ed. R. Gnoli). Biblioteca Universale Rizzoli, 1987.
A narrative adaptation of svadharma, each person’s own task, drawn from Bhagavad Gītā 3.35 and developed in Solomon J.’s journey.
Ṛgveda III.62.10 (Gāyatrī); Jamison, S. W., & Brereton, J. P. (Trans.) (2014). The Rigveda. Oxford University Press.
The Gāyatrī, a prayer to the light that awakens thought, echoed in the chapter on getting stuck.
Page, R. I. (1999). The Icelandic Rune-Poem. Viking Society for Northern Research.
The rune Íss, ice, which gives shape to the image of the Glacier.
Aeschylus. Prometheus Bound (various editions).
Prometheus's eagle, a figure in dialogue with the Giant.
Propp, V. (1946). The Historical Roots of the Wonder Tale. Italian edition: Le radici storiche dei racconti di fate. Boringhieri, 1972.
The ritual roots of the fairy tale and the child's journey of initiation.
Jung, C. G. (1968). The Archetypes and the Collective Unconscious. Collected Works, 9/i. Routledge.
Archetypes as shared images that the fairy tale brings into view.

Pedagogical sources

Educational care, the languages of children and the adult who walks alongside them.

Vygotsky, L. S. (1962). Thought and Language. MIT Press (original edition 1934; Italian edition: Laterza, 1990).
Language, mediation and internalisation; Mind in Society (1978) provides a further reference for the zone of proximal development.
Edwards, C., Gandini, L., & Forman, G. (Eds.) (1993). The Hundred Languages of Children. Ablex (Italian edition: Edizioni Junior, 1995).
The child as the bearer of many languages, all welcomed by the tale.
Steiner, R. (2020). Educazione del bambino e preparazione degli educatori. Editrice Antroposofica.
Imagination as nourishment for growth.
Mortari, L. (2015). Filosofia della cura. Raffaello Cortina.
Care as the gesture that shapes the educational relationship.
Gilligan, C. (1982). In a Different Voice: Psychological Theory and Women’s Development. Harvard University Press.
Care and responsibility in relationships, a voice defined by its theme and open to every gender, which helps illuminate the Sunmama.
Pietropolli Charmet, G. (2020). Il motore del mondo. Solferino.
A relational reading of the Giant, held back anger and Layla as an animal guide, connecting empathy, hurt and hope.

Psychological sources

Bonds, absence and growth, read as symbolic keys to the tale.

Bowlby, J. (1988). A Secure Base: Clinical Applications of Attachment Theory. Routledge.
The secure base as a key to the bond between Solomon J. and his mother.
Winnicott, D. W. (1971). Playing and Reality. Tavistock.
The bubbles, bridges and Pepilandia as transitional spaces between inner experience and shared reality.
Miller, A. (1981). The Drama of the Gifted Child. Basic Books (original edition 1979).
The "gifted" of the title refers to the child’s ability to adapt to adult needs, a meaning distinct from cognitive giftedness.
Dąbrowski, K. (1964). Positive Disintegration. Little, Brown & Co.
Taken as an interpretive key to Solomon J.'s story; overexcitability is read as a symbolic figure.
Green, A. (2004). Thirdness and Psychoanalytic Concepts. The Psychoanalytic Quarterly, 73(1), 99-135.
Cucù as a mediating presence, read through Green’s concept of thirdness.
van der Kolk, B. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score: Mind, Brain and Body in the Transformation of Trauma. Viking.
An influential clinical synthesis on the body's memory; the correspondences offered here belong to the tale.

Second section

Pfeiffer, S. I. (Ed.) (2018). Handbook of Giftedness in Children: Psychoeducational Theory, Research, and Best Practices (2nd ed.). Springer.
A reference framework for the identification of high potential and the variety of individual profiles.
Subotnik, R. F., Olszewski-Kubilius, P., & Worrell, F. C. (2011). Rethinking Giftedness and Gifted Education. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 12(1), 3-54.
A key review describing talent development as a process rather than a label.
Carman, C. A. (2013). Comparing Apples and Oranges: Fifteen Years of Definitions of Giftedness in Research. Journal of Advanced Academics, 24(1), 52-70.
A systematic analysis of the definitions of giftedness used in research.

Non cognitive characteristics and sensitivity

Studies on emotional intensity, overexcitabilities, perfectionism and sensory sensitivity, with attention to individual variability.

Vuyk, M. A., Krieshok, T. S., & Kerr, B. A. (2016). Openness to Experience Rather Than Overexcitabilities. Gifted Child Quarterly, 60(3), 192-211.
A critical rereading of Dąbrowski's overexcitabilities in the light of personality research.
Pluess, M. (2015). Individual Differences in Environmental Sensitivity. Child Development Perspectives, 9(3), 138-143.
A model of environmental sensitivity, useful for distinguishing sensitivity from high potential.
Stricker, J., Buecker, S., Schneider, M., & Preckel, F. (2020). Multidimensional Perfectionism and the Big Five Personality Traits: A Meta-analysis. European Journal of Personality, 34(2), 176-196.
A meta-analysis on perfectionism as a variable dimension, not a diagnostic indicator.
Tourreix, E., Besançon, M., & Gonthier, C. (2023). Non-Cognitive Specificities of Intellectually Gifted Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review of the Literature. Journal of Intelligence, 11(7), 141.
A systematic review of 240 studies on the non cognitive characteristics associated with giftedness, highlighting the heterogeneity of profiles and the absence of any stable set of characteristics able to identify high potential on its own.
Pouilloux, G., Sido, H., Polin, C., & Paquet, A. (2026). Extreme sensory processing in high intellectual potential individuals: a systematic review. BMC Psychology, 14, 1243.
A systematic review of sensory processing in high potential, useful for describing the theme with particular caution given the still limited number of available studies.

School boredom, differentiation and acceleration

Research on boredom, curriculum compacting, enrichment and acceleration in gifted education.

Preckel, F., Götz, T., & Frenzel, A. (2010). Ability Grouping of Gifted Students: Effects on Academic Self-Concept and Boredom. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 80(3), 451-472.
An empirical study of school boredom in relation to the level of challenge offered in class.
Reis, S. M., & Renzulli, J. S. (2010). Is There Still a Need for Gifted Education? Learning and Individual Differences, 20(4), 308-317.
A review of enrichment, curriculum compacting and personalised pathways.
Assouline, S. G., Colangelo, N., VanTassel-Baska, J., & Lupkowski-Shoplik, A. (Eds.) (2015). A Nation Empowered. Belin-Blank Center.
A synthesis of the literature on academic acceleration and its documented outcomes.

Bibliotherapy and shared reading

Studies on the use of narrative in educational and care settings, distinguishing shared reading from clinical intervention.

Montgomery, P., & Maunders, K. (2015). The Effectiveness of Creative Bibliotherapy for Internalizing, Externalizing, and Prosocial Behaviours in Children: A Systematic Review. Children and Youth Services Review, 55, 37-47.
A systematic review of creative bibliotherapy in childhood and of the limits of available evidence.
Heath, M. A., Sheen, D., Leavy, D., Young, E., & Money, K. (2005). Bibliotherapy: A Resource to Facilitate Emotional Healing and Growth. School Psychology International, 26(5), 563-580.
The use of narrative in school settings, with the professional competences it requires.
Redman, H., Mutanda, D., Bethel, A., Miller, R., Melendez-Torres, G. J., & Green, J. (2026). Does Creative Bibliotherapy delivered in schools improve mental health-related outcomes for 5-16 year olds? A systematic review. Arts & Health, 18(2), 164-186.
A systematic review of creative bibliotherapy in schools. The results point to interesting potential together with the need for caution regarding the strength of the evidence and clinical effects.

Italian institutional and policy references

Ministerial and professional documents on Special Educational Needs and high cognitive potential.

MIUR (2019). Nota n. 562 of 3 April 2019, Alunni con bisogni educativi speciali. Chiarimenti.
Acknowledges that pupils with high cognitive potential may be considered within Special Educational Needs when specific educational needs emerge.
MIUR (2012). Direttiva ministeriale 27 dicembre 2012, Strumenti d'intervento per alunni con bisogni educativi speciali.
The general framework of Special Educational Needs and personalised teaching in Italy.
Consiglio Nazionale dell'Ordine degli Psicologi. (2021). I DSA e gli altri BES. Indicazioni per la pratica professionale. CNOP.
Professional guidance on Specific Learning Disorders and Special Educational Needs in psychological practice.

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