Edited by Vinuri Randhula Silva, Books and storytelling have long been part of our human identity. Author Cerrie Burnell shows this is why stories are for everyone – whatever your background We all know that glorious feeling of clutching a book in our hands. Whether it’s a brand-new gift, or something we’ve borrowed from a fabulous library, or perhaps a long-loved family treasure creased from re-reading... But there is a specialness that comes from holding a story and knowing that you can step in or out of it, whenever you wish. When my daughter asked me, ‘But how did the first book begin?’, I didn’t have a coherent answer. I’ve just always accepted that books are a kind of magic. But the journey of a book and how they first began is its very own cross-cultural, historical adventure that weaves its way around the globe. Spoken word and cave drawings Before we had books, we had stories. Storytelling was a communal act: a retelling of daily life to teach a lesson, instil a warning or