Stories matter

Stories matter

Have you ever wondered why you read stories? They aren’t simply a means of teaching children the mechanics of reading, are they? Something that then becomes habit? Pick up a book; read it; pick up another. Repeat. Just a way to dispense with any spare time we happen to have. Rather, stories take us away from our world and into another; sometimes several worlds within one book. Stories release us from the tethers that dictate how we must spend our days: the routines of work, home, nutrition, travel, sleep. They let us be someone else for a while; even something else. We can be a dog, a monster, a witch, a giant. But more than that, stories help us make sense of our world and our relationship to it and each other. Finally, stories provide health for our brains: nourishing, guiding, exercising, challenging, stimulating, cleansing and resting them. Whatever stories we read: adventures, picture books, whodunits, stories matter.