Lupa
SECOND STRONGEST
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Lupa is a tall grey wolf with a fluffy tail and a honey-coloured bandana. She is the second biggest animal in Hollowmere Valley. Only one animal is bigger than Lupa, and that is Ursa the bear.
Lupa likes to count things. She counts stars. She counts lily pads. And in the hiding game, she counts something very important.
"How many animals are bigger than me?" she asks herself.
She holds up one paw. "Just one. Ursa."
That means Lupa can tag almost everyone home. When she meets a badger, the badger goes home. When she meets a hare, the hare goes home. When she meets the mouse, the mouse goes home too.
There are only three things Lupa must watch out for. Ursa the bear is bigger. Briar the bramble pops anyone who bumps her. And the other village's wolf is exactly her size, so if the two wolves meet, they both go home.
One night, Lupa crept toward a hidden piece by the far pond. Her heart went thump, thump. She did not know who it was. It might be a hare. It might be a badger. Or it might be Ursa.
Lupa stopped and counted again. Only one animal is bigger than me, she thought. And this piece has been moving, so it isn't a bramble, because brambles never move. If I meet anyone smaller, I win the meeting. So going forward is a good idea.
That thought made her feel steadier. Her tail stopped twitching.
She stepped forward. Bump. The two pieces turned over.
It was a hare! "Home you go," said Lupa gently, and the hare hopped off to her burrow.
But the next time, Lupa remembered something else. A piece that had marched out boldly, straight at her friends, might be the biggest of all. So when she saw that bold piece coming, Lupa stepped aside and let it pass.
Later it turned over. It was Ursa.
"Good counting, Lupa," said Mosswick the owl from his branch.
That is Lupa's way. She knows that only one animal is bigger, and that pieces which never move might be brambles. So she goes forward bravely toward pieces that move, and she steps aside when the bold one comes. Counting the bigger ones helps her decide.
Reading together with a grown-up? A card for the grown-up
For the grown-up: ask one question, then wait. When they answer, add one word to what they said. Tap the button when they have said something — that is one turn each, a circle. Nothing is recorded or kept.
Let them finish it
Say “Lupa says: I'm next to biggest — only Ursa is bigger, so …” and stop. Let them finish it.
Now wait. Count slowly to five in your head. Their answer is worth the quiet.
Circles together: 0
The HollowPals ensemble
Lupa is one of the friends in HollowPals. Each friend shows you one idea by how they act; meet them all and you have the whole subject.
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Ursa
A big bear - the strongest; she tags anyone home except Puck, if he reaches her first
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Puck
A tiny mouse - the smallest, but he tickles Ursa home when HE strikes first
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Burdock
A badger - the only one who can clear a bramble
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Skipwell
A hare - runs many squares in a straight line, so moving far gives him away
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Hopwell
A hare - looks first and runs fast; cheap to send, often goes home
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Briar
A bramble - never moves; anyone who bumps her goes home, except Burdock
