← The Green

The Wandering Forge · ages 6-8

The Bridge of Unequal Halves

The idea: halves are two equal parts of one whole.

Read it

One story, three ways: Sprout for a new reader, Grower in short chapters, Reader as a full chapter book. Same plot, same ending.

Who is in this book

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

  • Halves are two equal parts of one whole. Seven and five make twelve, but they are not halves. Source
  • Eight and six make fourteen, two more than twelve. Half of twelve is six.
  • Some real bridges are built out from both banks at once and joined in the middle. Source
  • From the real world: the crews who dug the Channel Tunnel started from England and from France and met in the middle, under the sea, in 1990. Source

Stretched

  • Real bridge builders measure in metres, and they check where the two ends will meet long before they build. What we simplified: Counting planks and knots keeps the numbers small enough to hold in your hands.

Made up

  • Halvingford, its two crews and the talking BarPals are made up.

Tell it back

Tell the story in your own words: who was there, what went wrong, and what they found out. Then an even-rule goes on your belt.

Ring the hammer for someone

Pick this book for someone younger. The link carries only the book, and it will wait for them on the Green.

Across the Table → For the grown-up: the story in three lines, one question to ask, and one thing to do together.