![Delia Gondar reads a book to her children Delia María and Conchita before bedtime, in her home in Marianao, Cuba, around 1955.](https://imagenes.elpais.com/resizer/v2/F2PR3OYWLJAKHHWKZLHUDJTZKI.jpg?auth=47994f0cac303eab63477c5478c2f55dc3b74c2d110e311498d1b8572fbe76e2&width=414&height=233&focal=1485%2C166)
The fascinating ritual of reading bedtime stories and what it reveals about humans
Our ancestors told stories to ward off fear. The routine has shaped us as a species
Our ancestors told stories to ward off fear. The routine has shaped us as a species