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Long Noodle, Short Noodle
Reading level 4 · First sentencesAges 3–5

Long Noodle, Short Noodle

by ReadRead · 90 sec

The noodle is long. Now the noodle is short! A very first book for very new readers: one short sentence on every page, and the picture always shows the word.

10pop-up spreads
25things to tap
2new words
Words in this book
longshortbirthdaycandlegrandmahappyhooraykitten
Peek inside

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Inside the book

It is Grandma’s birthday, and Ming is helping Mum make birthday noodles. Mum pulls the noodle long, long, long, all the way down to the floor. Nibble! The kitten bites one, and now it is short. Grandma’s red scarf is long. The candle on the peach bun is short. The kitten gets some short noodles of its own. At dinner, under the red lanterns, the longest noodle is for Grandma. Slurp, slurp!

Mum pulls a long, long noodle while Ming watches in Long Noodle, Short Noodle.
Mum pulls a long, long noodle while Ming watches in Long Noodle, Short Noodle.
The kitten nibbles Ming’s noodle, and now it is short.
The kitten nibbles Ming’s noodle, and now it is short.
Noodles and a red scarf hang on the bamboo drying pole: tap one to make it long or short.
Noodles and a red scarf hang on the bamboo drying pole: tap one to make it long or short.
Under glowing red lanterns, Grandma lifts her long birthday noodle.
Under glowing red lanterns, Grandma lifts her long birthday noodle.

The new words in this book

long

From one end to the other is far. It comes up 9 times, and every time something on the page really stretches long: Mum’s noodle growing down to the floor, Grandma’s red scarf, and Grandma’s birthday noodle.

short

From one end to the other is near. It comes up 6 times: the kitten nibbles the noodle short, the little birthday candle bobs down, the kitten gets a dish of short noodles, and noodles on the drying pole shrink up small.

Made for children just starting kindergarten. Each page has one short sentence (3 to 6 words) in one pattern: “The noodle is long.” / “The candle is short.” Only one word changes, so a child can say the page with you by the third spread. Every other word is one a 4-year-old already knows, like noodle, kitten, candle, scarf, Mum and Grandma. In many Chinese families, long noodles on a birthday wish a long life (长寿面), which is why the longest noodle is for Grandma.

Questions to ask while you read

Pause after each spread and ask one question. There are no right answers; the point is to get your child talking.

  1. 1What are Ming and Mum making?
  2. 2Stretch your arms: how long is the noodle now?
  3. 3Who nibbled the noodle? Is it long or short now?
  4. 4What colour is Grandma’s scarf? Is it long?
  5. 5Is the candle long or short? Can you blow it out?
  6. 6What does the kitten get to eat?
  7. 7Which noodle is long? Which noodle is short?
  8. 8Who gets the long noodle?
  9. 9Tap a noodle. Does it go long or short?
  10. 10Can you say “Happy birthday, Grandma”? Slurp, slurp!

How hard is this book?

4
Reading level · KFirst sentences

About 50 words, one short sentence at a time, one pattern that repeats.

56words in all
25different words
5.1words per sentence
6longest sentence
More books at this level
Words a child can sound out, by phonics step
Step 1 · short a, i, o34%
Step 2 · all short vowels39%
Step 3 · blends57%
Step 4 · magic e, ee/ai57%
Step 5 · ar/or, oo/ou89%
Step 6 · longer words100%
Grammar in this book
  • Questions × 1Tap! Is it long or short?
Words that may stop a reader
birthdaycandlehappyhooraykittennibblenoodlenoodlesslurpgrandma's
All 22 words, most used first

long 9 · is 6 · short 6 · noodle 5 · the 5 · and 2 · for 2 · noodles 2 · slurp 2 · birthday · candle · grandma's · happy · hooray · it · kitten · make · nibble · now · or · scarf · tap

Names don’t count: the picture shows who it is.

Tips for parents

  • First time: use Read to me and just enjoy the pictures together. It takes about a minute and a half.
  • Act the words: stretch your arms wide on “long”, and bring your hands close together on “short”.
  • Read it again and pause before the last word of each page, so your child can say “long” or “short”.
  • At your next noodle dinner, lift a noodle up high together: is it long or short?
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