Ditto to what Phoenix406 and silverdovex have said.
The Storybook opens at game reset time each day, midnight PT, and you get new chapters for the day. On the previous day after you have completed the tasks for the day,
1. Prepare the what you need for the new day according to the information posted in Post 1. Plant, evolve, breed etc.
2. Save up explosives for those tasks that require you to mine. Make sure you have plenty.
As for what to evolve ahead, there's no specific since we have different animals in our forests at different growth stages. You can refer to the Evolution Chart in the Creatures Guide for evolving times. Also make sure that you have the animals needed for breeding in the chapters, at level 4 which is the minimum level required in order to breed. To make sure you have sufficient food needed, you can check out the respective animal in the Creatures Guide to see how much food is needed to grow them to specific level. As for battling, I have a Battle Chart in the Main Guide which shows you hit strength. The information of the game is in the Guides. If you dont find what you need, feel free to post in respective threads or the Question thread and we have helpful members in the community ready to share and help you.
Here are the Guides for Fantasy Forest Story.