Though on the surface, teaching stories often appear to be little more than entertaining fairy tales or folk tales, they enshrine – in their characters, plots, and imagery – patterns and relationships that nurture a part of the mind not reachable in more conventional ways, thus increasing our understanding, flexibility, and breadth of vision. Shocking, often funny, peppered with uncommon common sense, this far-reaching little book can actually prepare you to learn faster and more surely.