About Cook Learning & Story Press
Where stories and science meet — and where every lesson begins with wonder.
Some stories begin in a garden. Ours began there too — but it started long before that.
Tamara Cook grew up in Washington State, surrounded by evergreens, ocean air, and quiet curiosity. Her mother immigrated from Korea, and from third grade through high school, Tamara served as her mom's English tutor. Those long evenings — patient, careful, searching for the right words together — taught her something that no classroom ever could: that real learning happens in the space between two people who trust each other.
Those same evenings often ended with Night Court or Star Trek, a bowl of freshly cut fruit between them, and a little girl falling in love with science, storytelling, and the stars.
That experience — bridging worlds through language, patience, and shared curiosity — became the invisible thread woven through everything Cook Learning & Story Press creates.
That girl grew up to earn an MBA, a PMP certification, and a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt. She spent seventeen years building operational frameworks for complex programs, managing portfolios exceeding $700M, and designing systems that help people and organizations perform at their best.
She learned how to build things that last.
But her greatest work began in a garden — with her daughter Olivia.
Watching Olivia explore the natural world — asking questions, noticing things, wondering out loud — Tamara saw something that structured curriculum often misses. Children don't need more information. They need a reason to care.
That insight became the foundation for everything Cook Learning & Story Press creates. The Fairy Garden Series. The science curriculum. The discovery kits. The worksheet generator. The stories that begin every lesson before a single standard is introduced.
All of it exists because one mother watched her daughter look closely at a garden and decided the world needed learning experiences worthy of that kind of wonder.
Today Cook Learning & Story Press is a complete K–5 learning ecosystem — story-driven, NGSS and Common Core aligned, designed for families, educators, and institutions who believe that how children feel about learning matters as much as what they learn.
The Heart Behind Every Story
Olivia Delano-Cook is not just the inspiration behind this work. She is central to it. Her imagination, her questions, her sense of wonder — these are woven into every fairy garden adventure, every lesson, every story.
The fairies' curiosity is her curiosity. Their discoveries are hers. Olivia's artistic spirit and delight in the natural world remind every reader that wisdom often begins with a simple question asked out loud.
Together, Tamara and Olivia write to remind readers of all ages that learning is its own kind of magic — and that we are each made of a little bit of starlight.
Where the Resilience Comes From
Cook Learning & Story Press exists in part because of a Korean immigrant who learned English at her kitchen table with her daughter, and who faces Alzheimer's today with the same quiet courage she brought to everything.
Tamara's father remains by her side as her devoted caretaker. Their enduring love and resilience are present in every story this company tells — in the patience woven into every lesson, the gentleness in every character, and the belief that even the smallest acts of kindness can change everything.
To cultivate early scientific thinking through story-driven exploration.
We believe curiosity is the beginning of discovery. Through stories, nature exploration, and hands-on learning, children develop the wonder that leads to understanding.
"When learning feels meaningful, it lasts. And when it begins with a story — it becomes something a child carries for the rest of their life."