We live in a world of ambiguity, pulled by a natural tension between what we hope is real, what is real, and what we can do about it. Our imagination and critical thinking work together to help us create meaning out of the events of our lives.

And stories, guided by our imagination, are where ambiguity, and what can seem like a lot of meaningless nonsense come together to help us succeed through developing executive skills, co-operative intelligence, forecasting skills, creativity, relationship skills, and the ability to communicate and thrive successfully in the ever changing world. It all starts with curiosity, creativity and imagination, which grow and thrive on a steady diet of stories.

So read each STEPi book loud and soft, make up stories for each picture, ask questions about why, where and who, and what would you do? Know that one book can make an extreme difference whether it’s for a baby just slapping the pictures, whooshing the pages, finding the bug, or an older learner or adult thinking about the meaning in the story, delighting in the art, or crafting other creative and imaginative ways to tell the story.