The story in three lines. Reedmere's mill needs the forge, but the map of the marsh crossing has lost its key, and fog hides the stones. Inkling decides the solid-looking dots are stones, until Aska asks who made the map and Beto's pole shows the dots are lily pads. With the torn-off key found, the map turned to north and the start pinned, they cross by the safe zig-zag, seven stones instead of five.

One question to ask. "The straight way was shorter. Why didn't they take it?" Shorter isn't always better if it isn't safe. Ask what the map needed before anyone could trust it.

One thing to do at the table. You need paper and pencils. Each of you draws a map of one room from above, with three symbols and a key that says what each one means. Don't show the key. Swap maps: can the other person guess what the symbols mean? Then reveal the key. Finally, turn the map so it matches the room, and put an X on "you are here".

The grown-up layer. Reading a map takes three separate skills: knowing what the symbols mean (the key or legend), matching the map's directions to the world (orientation), and finding where you are on it. Children often treat a map like a picture and assume what a mark means. Asking "who made this, and how do we know?" is the same habit adults use with any chart or diagram.

A safety note to say out loud: the children cross with a grown-up and a guide rope. Never cross real water on stepping stones without one.

Let your child tell the story back in their own words first. Telling it back is how the key-tag goes on the belt.