The story in three lines. One of the kite's two tails tears. Tí tries to stretch it, but Noodle shows that you line the ends up before you compare. Bean points at the bit that sticks out, and when the otter twins hold out two ribbons, Tí finds the one the same size.

The five nights. Night one, just listen. Night two, pause before the last word of each refrain line. Night three, stop at the guess page. Night four, do the "now you" with two spoons. Night five, let your child tell it to a toy.

One thing to do at the table. Find two strips of paper or two pieces of string of different lengths. Ask which is longer, then hold them up without lining the ends. Then line the ends up and ask again. Cut a piece the same size as the bit that sticks out and lay it on.

The grown-up layer. Young children often judge length by where the far end is and forget the near end. Lining up the starting points is the first rule of measuring. The bit that sticks out is the difference, which later becomes subtraction. StretchTots and PatchPals play with these ideas.