When Stories Meet Statistics: An Evening with Megan Preston Meyer

Last week, we had the privilege of hosting Megan Preston Meyer at The Thinking Spot for what turned out to be one of those conversations that lingers with you long after the last book is signed. Megan, who lives in Switzerland and writes children's books that tackle complex subjects like supply chain management and statistics, brought her latest work, "Max Entropy & The Avalanche," to our little corner of Minnetonka.

August 28, 2025 author event with Megan

What struck me immediately wasn't just the book itself—a delightful poem about prediction, uncertainty, and friendship—but the deeper conversation it sparked about how we learn, remember, and make sense of the world around us.

The Power of Planting Vocabulary

There's something profound that happened during our discussion that I can't stop thinking about. Megan shared feedback from a reader whose second-grade grandson enjoyed the story but didn't quite grasp concepts like R-squared. His older brother, at eleven, was curious enough to ask what these terms meant.

This reminded me of a conversation I'd had earlier with a Minneapolis teacher about vocabulary gaps between suburban and urban kids. The younger child may not understand "R-squared" today, but those words—those precise, technical terms—are now planted in his mind like seeds. Years from now, when he encounters these concepts again, there will be recognition, familiarity, a foundation already laid.

It's scaffolding, as we discussed that evening. We don't need to dumb things down for children. Instead, we can trust their incredible capacity to absorb and store vocabulary that will serve them later. Megan's approach of "slipping facts into stories" echoes something that resonates deeply with how our minds have evolved over thousands of years.

Stories: Our Original Technology

During our conversation, I found myself reflecting on something remarkable: for 300,000 years, humans communicated primarily through stories. The printed word has existed for maybe 2,000 years—a blink of an eye in human evolution. Our brains are literally wired to receive, process, and remember information through narrative.

This is why Megan's work feels so natural and necessary. When she describes "Max Entropy & The Avalanche" as a poem that "came to her all at once" in about twenty minutes, she's tapping into something primal about how we process and share knowledge. The subsequent year of illustration and refinement is just the modern packaging of an ancient technology.

Rima mentioned research showing the deep connection between music and memory—how we remember songs from our youth decades later while forgetting conversations from yesterday. Megan's rhythmic, rhyming approach to complex concepts isn't just clever; it's neurologically sound.

The Art of Collaborative Creation

What fascinated me about Megan's process was her partnership with Bulgarian illustrator Aneta Amersdorffer. Working across continents, they've developed an iterative creative relationship where Megan provides the framework and Aneta brings visual insights that enhance the story in unexpected ways. The subtle detail of putting "R²" on Max's hat instead of just in the text? That's the kind of collaborative magic that makes learning stick.

These small visual elements work on what Megan called our "subconscious"—those details that register below our awareness but shape how we understand and remember the material. It's a reminder that the best educational tools work on multiple levels simultaneously.

Looking Beyond Children's Books

Perhaps the most exciting part of our conversation was when we started imagining applications beyond children's literature. With AI transforming how adults need to learn and adapt, the storytelling techniques that work for kids might be exactly what grown-ups need too.

As I mentioned to Megan, I've been experimenting with using concrete stories in my own presentations about data science and AI. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive—people remember the stories, and through them, they remember the concepts. There's something about narrative that bypasses our analytical defenses and plants ideas directly into long-term memory.

The Bigger Picture

What Megan is doing transcends any single book or even children's publishing. She's demonstrating how we can make complex, essential knowledge accessible and memorable. Whether it's supply chain management, statistical thinking, or uncertainty—topics that will only become more important as our world grows more complex—narrative offers a bridge between expert knowledge and public understanding.

As we wrapped up the evening, signed books in hand (including one for our future grandchildren, should they choose to have any!), I was reminded of something Tolkien wrote: "Not all those who wander are lost." Sometimes the most important learning happens not through direct instruction, but through stories that let our minds wander, connect, and discover.

Want to explore Megan's work yourself? "Max Entropy & The Avalanche" is available at The Thinking Spot, along with her delightful "Adventures of Supply Jane & Fifo" series. Come by and see for yourself how statistics can become poetry, and complex ideas can find their way into young minds through the ancient magic of story.

Arun Batchu is co-owner of The Thinking Spot bookstore in Minnetonka, where science meets story and curiosity finds community.