When Choices Have Consequences, What Will Your Child Choose?

How Traditional Tales Teach Cause and Effect

Understanding cause and effect is one of the most important thinking skills a child can learn—and illustrated storybooks are a wonderful place to begin. When words and pictures work together, children can follow what happened and why, even if they’re still learning to read.

Visual storytelling reveals the “why.” For children who learn best through pictures, illustrations aren’t just helpful—they’re essential. A character’s expression, a falling object, a sudden change in the scene—all of these visual cues show how one thing leads to another. For kids who struggle with reading fluency, these moments provide access to the deeper logic of the story without relying on text alone.

Late readers still have big ideas. Many children understand more than they can read. Picture books with strong visual cause-and-effect sequences invite them in and help them succeed. Following a pattern—like a Giant making the same mistake three times—gives late readers confidence and allows them to “read” the story in their own way. It’s empowering, not discouraging.

Cause and effect builds empathy. Stories teach children to notice how actions create emotional reactions. When a character makes a selfish choice and suffers the consequences—or helps someone and finds joy—children begin to see that choices matter. This builds not just thinking skills, but emotional intelligence.

Parents and teachers become guides, not lecturers. You don’t need to explain everything. Just pause at the right moment. Ask a thoughtful question. Point to an illustration. When you engage with cause and effect through stories, you help children build logic, reflect on emotions, and connect dots they might not find on their own.

In The Kind Boy Teaches the Giant a Lesson, the Giant makes three careless wishes—and each one brings instant, disastrous results. He wishes for his horse’s neck to break, and it collapses on the spot. He wishes his wife onto the saddle, and she gets stuck there. He wishes for riches, and instead, he ends up in rags.

The boy’s wishes, on the other hand, are thoughtful and kind. He helps others, and in return, he’s surrounded by comfort and goodwill.

These story moments are clear, visual, and emotional. Children can see what each character does, how others react, and what happens next. It’s a perfect playground for understanding cause and effect—without needing to explain every detail.

Visual Clues Teach Children Logic

Illustrated stories help children see how one moment leads to another. When a picture shows a wish gone wrong or a face filled with regret, the cause-and-effect relationship becomes crystal clear—even without reading every word. Then when adults ask thoughtful questions, kids begin to connect actions with outcomes. By asking “What happened first?” or “Why do you think that happened?”—children learn to explain what they see and feel. That’s when the skill sticks. 

Here's Why...

Pictures teach what words can’t. For many children—especially visual learners and late readers—illustrations aren’t decoration. They’re essential. A picture of a horse falling, a Giant looking shocked, or a bag of gold vanishing helps children “see” what’s happening and make sense of it. Without that visual link between action and consequence, cause and effect stays abstract—and frustrating.

Late readers often know more than they can say. Children who struggle with decoding text may still follow a story through its rhythms, repetitions, and visuals. They just need help connecting the dots. When a Giant makes three mistakes in a row, and we stop to ask “What happened each time?” we’re not just checking comprehension—we’re building logic, memory, and confidence.

Stories can show what choices feel like. What we choose affects how we feel. That’s true in real life, and it’s vividly clear in stories like The Kind Boy Teaches the Giant a Lesson. The boy’s generosity leads to peace and comfort; the Giant’s selfishness leads to chaos and loss. Stories give kids a safe space to explore emotional consequences—without lectures or punishment.

You don’t have to be a teacher to teach. The best teaching moments often come from noticing a picture, pointing to a reaction, or asking “Why do you think that happened?” These little pauses turn story time into life lessons. Even ten minutes with the right book can open up big conversations.

Patterns matter more than plot. When a story repeats itself—wish, twist, consequence—it helps children internalize the “if this, then that” logic of the world. Pattern recognition is a major step in understanding not just stories, but behavior, relationships, and choices. Every repeated cause-and-effect moment is a chance to think ahead, predict, and understand.

Try It Out...

1. Read The Kind Boy Teaches the Giant a Lesson aloud with your child or watch the Read-along video. (Scroll down the page to find the Watch the Video button.)

2. Pause when the Giant makes each wish. Help your child connect what happened and why.

   Ask: “What happened every time the Giant made a wish?”

   Ask: “What kind of pattern do you notice?”

   Ask: “Why do you think his wishes turned out badly?”

3. Highlight emotional moments that connect action to outcome.

   Ask: “How do you think the Giant felt when everything he wanted disappeared?”

4. Talk about real-life choices and feelings.

   Ask: “Have you ever made a mistake when you were angry?”

   Ask: “What would you have done with those wishes?”

5. Deepen the conversation by exploring empathy and consequences.

   Ask: “What do you think the Giant learned?”

   Ask: “What would you say to him if you were the Kind Boy?”

6. Share your own stories of wishes, regrets, or unexpected outcomes. Let your child hear how your choices have impacted your life.

Stop 'n' Think

Every choice leads somewhere. Not just in fairy tales—but in real life, too. What can you learn from a Giant who loses everything with three careless words?

Want to help your child learn the consequences of their actions?

Start with The Kind Boy Teaches the Giant a Lesson – an engaging tale of wise and poor choices.