The story in three lines. On the last walk, the path crosses the lane at the edge of the Green, where the baker's bicycle goes by slowly. Mem keeps Bà Tư's three words, Hopp freezes until the bicycle has passed, and Stepp lays the stepping stones over the ditch in order. Tí, who never lets go of the lantern, hangs it on the gate so his hands are free to wait. At the lane he says the three words himself.

The five nights. Read it once and let your child listen. On the second night, pause before the last word of each refrain line. On the third, play it as a game: freeze on "stop", jump on "go". On the fourth, stop before each new friend and ask "who's next?" On the fifth, let them read it to a toy.

One thing to do at the table. Play "stop, wait, go" with a cup of buttons. When you say go, your child moves one button. When you say stop, hands go flat on the table. Make the waits a little longer each round. Then swap, so your child gives the signals.

The grown-up layer. Waiting when you want to act is called inhibitory control, one of a group of skills sometimes called executive function. It develops slowly through the early years, and practice in play helps. Saying the rule out loud ("stop, look, go") gives it a handle, which is why so many children's songs work this way. On a real street, children this age should always cross holding an adult's hand. Book four closes the walk: four panels fold into one paper lantern.