For grown-ups
Big ideas. Better choices. Stronger young leaders.
Underneath the rocket ships and the six million inflatable llamas, this is a story about a child learning that being in charge and being a leader are two different jobs. These pages are the practical side of that: what the story opens up, and what to do with it at the kitchen table or in a classroom.
What the story supports
Conversations this book tends to start
Read it once for the jokes. The second reading is where these come up.
Listening and empathy
Evan hears everything and listens to none of it, until listening is the only thing that works.
Emotional regulation
The story starts with anger at bedtime and ends with a calm conversation at the kitchen table.
Accountability and apology
Evan apologizes without being told to, and without a but attached to the end of it.
Collaborative problem-solving
The company only works when Evan stops solving alone and starts solving with people.
Responsible decision-making
Six million inflatable llamas is a funny consequence of a real habit: deciding before understanding.
Leadership versus authority
Being in charge and being a leader turn out to be two entirely different jobs.
Creativity with purpose
Evan's imagination is never the problem. Aiming it is the skill he learns.
Creating family and classroom agreements
The story ends with rules made together, which is where the activities on this site pick up.
Resources
Downloads for home and classroom
These are placeholders in this prototype. The Family Rules Builder and the Possibility Maker already work, and both print.
- PDFComing soon
Family Discussion Guide
Chapter-by-chapter conversation prompts for reading together at home.
- PDFComing soon
Classroom Activity
A 30-minute lesson on listening, decisions, and building agreements as a group.
- PDFComing soon
Leadership Reflection Questions
Short written prompts for counselors and youth leadership programs.
- PrintComing soon
Printable Family Rules
A blank storybook-style poster for rules your family writes together.
- PrintComing soon
Imagine the Impossible Worksheet
The Possibility Maker activity as a one-page worksheet for offline use.
Available right now
The Family Rules Builder and the Possibility Maker both work in the browser and print to a clean page.
Open the activities
Discussion questions
Six questions worth asking after the last page
- 1
Why did Evan think being the boss meant doing whatever he wanted?
- 2
What happened when Evan made decisions without listening?
- 3
How did asking questions change the company?
- 4
What is the difference between a boss and a leader?
- 5
Why was Evan's apology important?
- 6
What rules would help your family or classroom work together?
Privacy, plainly
- Children do not create accounts, and none are offered.
- No child’s name, photo, work, or personal information is collected.
- Activities save to the browser on the device you are using. Clearing site data removes them, and nothing is uploaded.
- Nothing a child writes here is ever displayed publicly.
- The newsletter form is intended for adults, and in this prototype it sends nothing anywhere.
Full privacy policy text: placeholder for the live site.
Contact
School visits, classroom sets, reading events, and press enquiries will be handled here.
Contact details coming soon
In the meantime, join the Evan Inc. list and new material will find you.