Nightlights is a book of stories to read to children, but stories with a difference. It's a collection of twenty interactive meditation stories that have bene specially written to calm and relax your child at bedtime, while at the same time engaging and stimulating his or her imagination. These stories also help children in many other important ways. They help them to focus their minds and develop their powers of concentration and visualization, as well as learn more about emotions and feelings. Although not meditations in the strict sense, they do serve as a good preparation for learning real meditation later on. They also foster imagination and creativity, help children deal with their burgeoning anxieties, and help them take their first steps towards developing their own unique identity.

In the Introduction, Civardi provides techniques to help parents develop their out-loud reading skills, shows how to create the right mood, and gives practical advice on how to talk with your child about what he or she has just heard. After each story, there is a brief list of affirmations which help to settle the message in the minds of both parent and child.