Toomai of the Elephants: book club questions by chapter

🦉 Toomai of the Elephants · meeting 1 of 3

Read: Part One, “The Camp” (pages 1–4, about 4 minutes aloud).
Stop at the end of page 4, and don't read on: the next part is for next time.

1. Why did Little Toomai say the old elephant was afraid of him?
   The story's answer: He had grown up beside Kala Nag and bossed him since he was tiny
2. Who have we met so far, and what does each of them want?
   Listen for: Make a list together on the board; keep it for next time and add to it.
3. The part we just read is called "The Camp". Why do you think it has that name?
   Listen for: Any answer that points to a moment in the part is a good one; ask for the page.
4. Stop here. What do you think will happen next? Write or draw one guess to check next time.
   Listen for: Keep the guesses in an envelope. Don't say whether a guess is right: the next part will.

🦉 Toomai of the Elephants · meeting 2 of 3

Read: Part Two, “The Joke” (pages 5–8, about 4 minutes aloud).
Stop at the end of page 8, and don't read on: the next part is for next time.

1. What did Petersen mean when he said, "Come to me when thou hast seen the elephants dance"?
   The story's answer: He meant never, because nobody had ever seen it
2. Look back at last time's guesses. Which came true, and what surprised you?
   Listen for: Read the guesses out. Nobody was wrong: a guess that missed often shows what the author wanted us to expect.
3. The part we just read is called "The Joke". Why do you think it has that name?
   Listen for: Any answer that points to a moment in the part is a good one; ask for the page.
4. Stop here. What do you think will happen next? Write or draw one guess to check next time.
   Listen for: Keep the guesses in an envelope. Don't say whether a guess is right: the next part will.

🦉 Toomai of the Elephants · meeting 3 of 3

Read: Part Three, “The Night Ride”; Part Four, “The Dance” (pages 9–16, about 8 minutes aloud).
Stop at the end of page 16, the end of the story.

1. How did Kala Nag get loose that night?
   The story's answer: The grass string snapped
2. Why did the elephants stamp until the clearing grew bigger?
   The story's answer: They were making room for their dance
3. Why did the elephants honor Toomai at the end?
   The story's answer: He had seen something no one else had ever seen, and told the truth about it
4. Look back at last time's guesses. Which came true, and what surprised you?
   Listen for: Read the guesses out. Nobody was wrong: a guess that missed often shows what the author wanted us to expect.
5. The part we just read is called "The Dance". Why do you think it has that name?
   Listen for: Any answer that points to a moment in the part is a good one; ask for the page.
6. Now that you know the ending, was it the ending you expected?
   Listen for: Ask what in the earlier parts pointed to it, or pointed the other way.

About the whole story

1. Which character changed the most from the beginning to the end?
   Listen for: Ask what changed them.
2. Which scene would you put on the poster if this were a film?
   Listen for: A way to find the scene that mattered most to each reader.
3. Is there a line or a moment you will remember? Why that one?
   Listen for: Let readers find it in the book and read it aloud.
4. Who would you give this story to, and why them?
   Listen for: A reader who can name the right person has understood what the story is like.
5. If you could ask the person who first told this story one question, what would it be?
   Listen for: Collect the questions; some have answers on the story's page in the library.