Summary
Una and Jiro stop to watch a magic show. They meet a ladybird called Spot. When Spot decides to join the adventure, the pair becomes a trio of friends. The more the merrier.
Number focus
Three
Before reading
What happened in the last chapter? Una found herself in trouble, with her boat stuck in a tree. Jiro, the clever mouse, worked up a plan and together they pulled the boat free. The 2 mice formed a friendship with Jiro joining Una on the adventure along the river.
Key themes
Threes please: Many things in our lives come in threes, some obvious and some not so obvious. The story and imagery are both rich in opportunities to discuss collections of 3 that may not be so obvious, such as traffic lights or a 3-piece suit or that juggling often starts with 3 objects or that the mole’s name has 3 words all starting with M — ‘Magnificent Magic Marvin’. ‘Tri’ also means 3 so be on the lookout for words that feature this 3 letter prefix such as ‘triangle’, ‘tricycle’ or ‘trio’.
Three Act Play: The ‘rule of threes’ is a powerful tool that appears throughout stories, comedy and magic. The ‘beginning, middle and end’ structure of these things helps to establish a very simple pattern. We find jokes funny when they surprise us, such as Marvin’s miserable magic show. The first 2 acts fail, but the final disappearing act works (a little too well) which comes as a pleasant surprise. Three acts in stories also lead to growth. At the start of the story we meet Spot, who faces challenges in the middle, and reaches resolution at the end. You can also reference famous fables that follow this pattern too, such as ‘The Three Little Pigs’ or ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’.
Past, present and future: Spot is the third and final character to join the trio of adventurers. This marks a significant part of the overall story with Una and Jiro welcoming Spot into their group — ‘The more the merrier’ – 1 more than 2 is 3!
Through the stories, we have learned about Una, Jiro and Spot’s pasts, enjoyed meeting them in the present and look forward to their future adventures together as 3. Have students reflect on their journey so far, using the number frieze to generate discussion. What numbers have they already explored? Who will they meet next? What will they get up to? What numbers come next?
