← The Bridge That Went Out with the Tide
Gullwick, the Island That Shares · Sprout · ages 6-8
The Bridge Is Out
The hammer rang once. A spark jumped off the anvil and did not go out. It waited. They followed.
The ferry horn blew once. Lan and Beto got off at Gullwick.
The bridge was gone. The storm took it.
"Eight planks, and not one fewer," said Poppa Pike. He had three.
"I will get five!" said Lan. She did not count first.
"Spares! Who's got spares?" said Gilly. Gilly had two planks. Beto had rope.
Lan ran to Vera. "Can I have your plank?"
"It's my only one," said Vera.
"Wait. That's her last one," said Rafi. "Ask for a spare, not a last."
"Does it help both?" said Barter. Beto gave his rope. Gilly gave two planks. Now they had five.
"Try the seven patch," said Lucky. "Six ways to make seven." They found two planks. Now they had seven.
One more. No spares were left. Vera ran to get Ambo.
"Here," said Ambo. "It's not a trade." Now they had eight.
"Everybody lays one," said Poppa Pike. Plank, plank, plank. The bridge held.
The ferry horn blew twice. Home.
The spark dimmed to a warm dot and settled back on the anvil. The Green was just the Green again.
Back on the Green
Lan wanted Tí's moon cake. It was his last one. She put her hand down. She went to find a spare to swap.
Tell the story back to someone. Who helped first?
Who you met
-
Poppa Pike The bridge is built by everyone laying one plank from IslePals -
Lan a child of the Green Goes first; makes a friend in a minute -
Gilly Know your spares before you swap from IslePals -
Vera Give from what you can spare from TradePals -
Rafi Ask for a spare, never someone's last from TradePals -
Barter A swap is fair when it helps both sides from TradePals -
Lucky With two dice, seven has the most ways to come up from SevenPals -
Ambo The commons — whoever has the most can give one so nobody is left short from IslePals -
Beto a child of the Green Takes things apart
Every recurring character has a short tune, so you can tell who is on stage before a word is said. The tunes play only when you tap, and the Reading Access sound switch turns them off.
The Honest Page
Which parts of this story are true, stretched, and made up?
True
- Two dice make seven six ways, more than any other total.
- A swap is fair when both sides end up better off. Source
- Three planks and two planks make five; five and two make seven; seven and one make eight.
Stretched
- The tide does not number driftwood patches or roll them like dice. What we simplified: The seven patch stands in for a dice game so the odds can be seen.
Made up
- Gullwick, its bridge and its talking islanders are made up.
- No island has a Fair-o-meter. People have to check that themselves.