Elsie’s Sandwich Share

Elsie and Noah had made a cosy reading den under the garden table. Aunt brought one large rectangular sandwich on a plate. “There is enough for both of you,” she said. Elsie pushed the book aside to make room.

Aunt had not cut the sandwich yet. “How shall we share it?” asked Noah. Elsie drew a line with her finger, very close to one edge. Noah looked at the two spaces. “That would give one of us a tiny piece.”

“We need equal parts,” said Elsie. Aunt gave her a paper rectangle the same shape as the sandwich. Elsie folded it so that the two short ends met. She pressed the fold, then opened the paper again.

A line ran through the middle. The two parts were the same size. “Each part is one half,” said Aunt. Elsie folded the paper once more to check. One part fitted exactly over the other. Noah nodded. “That looks fair.”

Aunt used a kitchen knife safely away from the children to cut the sandwich through its middle. She put one equal half on each plate. Elsie and Noah carried their plates back to the den.

“Could we have made halves another way?” asked Noah. Aunt showed them a second paper rectangle. She folded it lengthways. This made two long, narrow parts. They were equal too, although they looked different from the first halves.

Elsie compared the paper models. “A half is one of two equal parts,” she said. “The parts can look different when we cut in a different direction.” Noah put the two halves of one model back together to make a whole.

They ate their sandwiches while Aunt read the next page of their book. A breeze rustled the den’s blanket roof. Elsie slid Noah’s bookmark back into place. After lunch, it would be his turn to choose the next story.