When schooling avoids storytelling, the schooling maladapts us for being human. When Reggio children study the shadows they draw a lot of shadows - from imagination, from observation, after tracing real shadows on sidewalks etc. This is representation of experience, or representation of theory and not experience, but it is all scientific inquiry. These hypotheses, once drawn, can be compared with future experience, and found correct or incorrect or, interestingly, sometimes correct. Whether true or false, these stories help children examine their world more carefully, thinking like scientists think.
Stories always engross humans, so they are rich stuff of which to make learning.
To change back he must pass under the barrier again, from the other side. If he goes across the barrier as a cat, he must go over it, to avoid its magical properties. When Rodari helps us see connections between science or math and story he helps us knit our lives back together. When he helps us see how education and art come together, he helps us do our jobs well. It is more fun.