From Del Tredici's Program notes: ''In this traumatic post-9/11 world, I felt an urge to connect with, and even comfort, the youngest generation of budding musicians. Heart and felt are two words that directed my choice of texts: I wanted to tell something about myself, as well as about the joys of childhood ... Stevenson's The Little Land re-creates the imaginitive world that to daydreaming children seems so natural.''