ABSTRACT

In a distant kingdom in a distant past, aware of the value of stories, a wise king appointed a royal storyteller whose sole job was to tell stories to the royal court but especially to the somewhat spoilt and precocious young princess. As an only child and hence the only heir to the throne, the king and queen bent over backwards for her, appointing an army of attentive servants to immediately satisfy her every wish and whim—one of whom was the storyteller. Like all good storytellers, he knew full well the power of stories to entertain, inform, and educate us. He knew that they can teach us values, show us how to solve problems, and provide experiential learning where we may not have actually had the experience. He knew that stories can heal and change; that they could add light to darkness, joy to despair, and peace to distress.