Tila's Lots · The five-night book · ages 3-5
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Read by an AI-generated voice. The words on this page are the transcript.
Rows of Four
The hammer rang once. A spark jumped off the anvil and did not go out. It waited. They followed.
The spark landed on Bà Tư's garden gate.
The gate had a new hinge.
By it, a tiny hammer.
"Twelve little seedlings," said Bà Tư.
"Let's see what you do."
Two otters bounced in. Miro and Moro!
Dig, dig. Dig, dig. Dig, dig.
Three rows, side by side.
Same size, side by side.
Tí planted them fast.
Here. And here. And here!
Some rows got lots. Some got a … few.
"How many?" asked Bà Tư.
Tí counted. One, two, three, four.
Five, six, seven … Oh!
He had lost his … place.
A springy frog popped up. Skipper!
"Hop by the row," said Skipper.
Skipper hopped. Five! Then four?
Then three? Skipper stopped.
"Every row the same," said Skipper.
Same size, side by side.
Tí looked at the rows.
Five. Four. Three.
He moved one seedling from the long row
to the short row. Gently.
Four. Four. … Four!
Skipper hopped along the rows.
"Four, eight, twelve! Hop, hop, hop!"
Twelve little seedlings. Three rows of … four.
Same size, side by side.
Four, eight, twelve! Hop, hop, hop!
The spark dimmed to a warm dot and settled back on the anvil. The Green was just the Green again.
Back on the Green
Tí put his cars in a row.
Then another row the same.
"Hop by the row," said Tí.
Who you met
-
Bà Tư The grandmother who sews and lets the children count from VầnTots -
Miro & Moro Matching strips are the same size and lie side by side from PatchPals -
Tí a child of the Green Notices small things; says "again" -
Skipper Equal rows can be counted by hopping a whole row at a time from ArrayPals
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 or made up?
True
- Three rows of four is twelve, and so are rows of five, four and three, but only equal rows can be counted four, eight, twelve.
- Gardeners plant seedlings in straight, evenly spaced rows so that each plant has room to grow and is easy to water. Source
Stretched
- Tí moves a seedling and it is fine. What we simplified: Little seedlings can be moved gently if you keep the soil round their roots; a grown-up can show how.
Made up
- Bà Tư's garden is made up. Miro and Moro come from PatchPals, Skipper from ArrayPals, and Bà Tư from VanTots.