Story Elements
Who are the main characters in the story?
Elephant, monkey, giraffe, tortoise, snake
Who talked to the wise old snake first?
The giraffe
"Once upon a time, there lived a wise, old snake..."
What does it mean to be "wise"?
Knowing right from wrong and making good choices
Why did the animals choose Giraffe and Elephant to go to the snake first?
They thought that bigger, faster animals would do a better job (or that Tortoise was too slow)
What is the setting of the story?
A forest
What must the animals be able to do in order to eat the fruit of a tree?
Say the tree's name
"I am here on behalf of all the animals in the forest."
What does it mean to do something "on behalf" of someone?
To do something for (in the place of) someone else
Why did the tortoise repeat the word "bojabi" to himself all the way back?
To help him remember
What is the problem in the story?
The animals want the fruit but don't know the tree's name
Why did the elephant forget what the snake told him?
He was playing in the mud
"I am the cleverest animal in the forest, so there is no way I will mess this up."
What does it mean to be "clever"?
To be good at figuring things out quickly or finding smart ways to solve a problem
Why did the snake tell the tortoise the name of the tree, but not the monkey?
The tortoise was kind and humble, but the monkey wasn't
What is the solution to the problem?
Who ended up solving the animals' problem?
The tortoise
"The wise, old snake was not impressed by the monkey's boasts."
What does it mean to boast?
To brag about yourself to try to sound better than others
What was the lesson of the story? What is the author trying to say?
You shouldn't assume someone can't do something just because they are small, slow, or different
How is the tortoise different from the other animals?
Why didn't the snake tell the monkey the name of the tree?
He said the monkey was too proud
"And never again did they underestimate the tortoise or the other small, slow animals of the forest."
What does it mean to "underestimate" someone?
To think that someone is less smart or strong than they really are
What might have happened if the animals had let the tortoise go with them at the beginning?
They would have had fruit to eat sooner!