Pablo and Birdy

Pablo and Birdy Bundle

IMPORTANT: Comprehension questions will be in chronological order as you read through the story. Page numbers are approximate, and will vary with different editions of the book.

Section 1: Chapters 1–10

Vocabulary
  1. elusive: difficult to find, catch or achieve
  2. flotsam: the wreckage of a ship or its cargo found floating on or washed up by the sea
  3. perpetual: never ending or changing; occurring repeatedly
  4. inferior: lower in rank, status, or quality
  5. intricate: very complicated or detailed
  6. strut: a rod or bar forming a part or a framework and designed to resist compression
  1. “Every year, in fact, the children went on a two-week marine expedition in
    search of the elusive Seafarer.” (pg. 32)
  2. “The day after a major storm could bring all manner of flotsam floating in on
    the waves.” (pg. 8)
  3. “Only gulls, with their perpetual hunger, wheeled and cried above them,
    scanning the beach for something to eat.” (pg. 5)
  4. “That was usually where conversation about Seafarers stopped, with a sad
    look on Emmanuel’s face at how inferior human ears were to Seafarer’s
    ears.” (pg. 29)
  5. “To the right and left, below the grotesque’s stone ledge, their intricate
    mud nests could be seen.” (pg. 70)
  6. “He disdained the other Isla chickens, who clucked and strutted their way
    along the sidewalks and in the cafes, in favor of hanging out with the
    parrots.” (pg. 19-20)
Comprehension Questions
  1. Pablo and Birdy’s almost doing morning ritual is to almost fly. (pg. 5)
  2. When a storm is on its way, Emmanuel and Pablo prepare by wheeling in the t-shirt racks, rolling up the awnings, buttress the door with sandbags and lock the store tight. (pg. 7)
  3. Everyone in Isla knows the story of how Pablo and Birdy arrived on Isla after a storm in an inflatable swimming pool. (pg. 10)
  4. Every time Birdy hears the words, “for dear life,” she cocks her head as if the words reminded her of something. (pg. 16)
  5. Pablo goes to the beach to talk to Birdy about things he can only tell her. (pg. 18)
  6. Rhody is not a parrot, but a Rhode Island Red rooster. (pg. 19)
  7. Isla is famous for its birds, especially its talking birds. (pg. 24)
  8. Television’s most zealous Seafaring Parrot reporter is Elmira Toledo who always wears a trench coat and purple glasses. (pg. 32)
  9. Pablo’s very first word was “Birdy.” (pg. 49)
  10. In his room Pablo has a hammock instead of a bed. (pg. 69)
  11. Seafaring Souvenirs opens at 10 am just in time for the tourists. (pg. 74)

Section 2: Chapters 11–19

Vocabulary
  1. frequent: occurring or done many times, in many cases in quick succession
  2. inconspicuous: not clearly visible or attracting attention; not conspicuous
  3. indistinct: not clear or sharply defined
  4. precocious: having developed abilities at an earlier age than usual
  5. ruckus: a disturbance or commotion
  6. slink: to move smoothly and quietly with gliding steps in a stealthy manner
  1. “She was a frequent presence on the tiny television that Pierre kept in the
    bakery next to his doughnut-mixing counter.” (pg. 89)
  2. “Whatever it was (too big to be a mouse or a cat or even a sleepless
    chicken), it was trying to stay inconspicuous, huddled up against
    the sides of the building.” (pg. 137)
  3. “Passersby meandered along, their chatter indistinct.” (pg. 80)
  4. “The precocious baby looked around, saw that everyone else was
    focused on the festivities, and seized his chance.” (pg. 123)
  5. “The ruckus attracted a small crowd, including the double-decked bus,
    which ground to a halt next to the bakery.” (pg. 110)
  6. “The dog slunk forward just an inch.” (pg. 82)
Comprehension Questions
  1. Pierre says that a rash of unsolved crimes would not be good publicity for Isla. (pg. 85)
  2. Pablo does not allow tourists to take pictures of Birdy because she is not a tourist act. (pg. 88)
  3. Darren Mandible has strong feelings about the weather, especially the winds of change. (pg. 93)
  4. The two things that the winds of change portend are possible arrival of a Seafaring Parrot or the leaving from the island of a Seafaring Parrot. (pg. 95)
  5. Pablo tells Birdy that he would write, “My mother,” on Lula’s chalkboard. (pg. 101)
  6. When Birdy looks right at the dog, the dog’s head is filled with staticky noise, laughter, voices and shrieks. (pg. 105)
  7. Pablo is able to count five elephant ears in the jaws of the little dog, before he veers right, hurdles over Peaches, and zooms down the sidewalk. (pg. 109)
  8. Three of the smells that come out of the building that house the café are tortilla soup, chicken mole and quesadillas. (pg. 116)
  9. In the early mornings as Emmanuel, Lula and Pierre sit in the bakery and drink their coffee and eat pastries they argue over the theories concerning Pablo’s arrival to the Isla. (pg. 118)
  10. Around the time of Pablo’s non-birthday the types of dreams he has are ocean dreams. (pg. 125)
  11. The four things that Pablo knows are absolutely verifiably true are the necklace that he had never taken off; Birdy; the swimming pool; the green blanket. (pg. 135)

Section 3: Chapters 20-28

Vocabulary
  1. adamant: refusing to be persuaded or to change one’s mind
  2. contemplate: to look or think thoughtfully for a long time
  3. iridescent: showing luminous colors that seem to change when seen from different angles
  4. picturesque: visually attractive, especially in a quaint or pretty style
  5. piffle: nonsense
  6. unison: simultaneous performance of action or utterance of speech
  1. “‘The fishermen were adamant about what they’d seen,’ said Elmira,
    ‘and their descriptions of the bird were virtually identical.’” (pg. 145)
  2. “In fact, it was fascinating to contemplate.” (pg. 148)
  3. “Now she was up on the windowsill again, her wings lifted ever so
    slightly, so that her blue-green under-feathers gleamed iridescent in the
    lamplight.” (pg. 170)
  4. “Exciting new wind development just off-shore of the picturesque
    island town of Isla!” (pg. 180)
  5. “Piffle was one of Elmira Toledo’s favorite words.” (pg. 145)
  6. “A small dove cooed her way in after them, close behind Sugar Baby, as if
    she were trying to fit in, but Peaches and Mr. Chuckles turned in unison
    and hissed at her and she turned tail and scuttled out.” (pg. 143)
Comprehension Questions
  1. Elmira Toledo’s trademark line is, “This is Elmira Toledo, reporting on behalf of you and the winds of change, fortune lost or fortune gained.” (pg. 145)
  2. The people of Isla sell bird souvenirs, but not the birds themselves they are free. (pg. 151)
  3. The shadow that Pablo sees halfway across the steel cable leading to the grotesque’s ledge is Birdy. (pg. 157)
  4. If the man did not put his plate onto the floor that was signal that the dog would get no food that night. (pg. 167)
  5. The distant crowing of a rooster pierces the dog’s dream. (pg. 168)
  6. Given the choice Pablo would choose cheese quesadillas over Cuban food. (pg. 170)
  7. Emmanuel says that the Buena Vista Social Club reminds him of Old Cuba where he had come from as a little boy. (pg. 171)
  8. If Emmanuel could dance with anyone in the world it would be his mother. (pg. 176)
  9. For the first time that Daniel Mandible can recall the Isla winds are blowing away from the island rather than blowing onshore. (pg. 180)
  10. According to legend Seafaring Parrots that are kept in captivity die. (pg. 183)
  11. When Birdy untucks her head she hold out one of her blue-green feathers to Pablo. (pg. 198)

Section 4: Chapters 29–38

Vocabulary
  1. bewildered: to be confused, perplexed
  2. impervious: unable to be affected by
  3. perilous: full of danger or risk
  4. swoop: to move rapidly downward through the air
  5. undulate: to move with a smooth wavelike motion
  6. writhe: to make continual twisting, squirming movements or contortions of the body
  1. “They looked around the room and then at on another bewildered.” (pg. 214)
  2. “The clouds were gone now, and stars glittered high in the heavens,
    impervious to the wind that was bending the palm trees toward the
    ocean as far as Pablo could see.” (pg. 248)
  3. “Soon the baby birds would begin their perilous tumbles from the mud
    nests, their parents swooping back and forth nervously.” (pg. 284)
  4. “The cable swayed high above them, a gray snake, and across the chasm of
    the air, small birds swooped back and forth.” (pg. 241)
  5. “The street cable began to shimmer, undulating back and forth.” (pg. 241)
  6. “Pablo watched it twist and writhe in the wind, a phantom bird descending
    to the street below.” (pg. 258)
Comprehension Questions
  1. Emmanuel suggests that they call in fake tips of Seafaring Parrot sightings to put Elmira off of Birdy’s trail. (pg. 216)
  2. Emmanuel, Pierre and Lula made up stories to explain Pablo’s arrival at Isla so that he had a happy story. The truth was probably too sad. (pg. 218)
  3. When Birdy dips her head into the crook of Pablo’s neck she pulls out the Dios men bendiga pendant. (pg. 221)
  4. Emmanuel’s family left Cuba because they did not trust the new government. (pg. 226)
  5. Pablo says Birdy has been talking in her sleep for the past couple of weeks. (pg. 232)
  6. The principle known as Occam’s Razor is that the simplest explanation is usually the right one. (pg. 233)
  7. Birdy knows all of Pablo’s secrets. (pg. 240)
  8. Pablo has to knock on the door of Pierre’s Goodies threw times before Lula opens the door. (pg. 244)
  9. The large neon script on the helicopter spells out TOLEDO TIP LINE. (pg. 251)
  10. Emmanuel names the little dog Osito. (pg. 274)
  11. If looked at in a certain way an elephant ear looks like a heart. (pg. 284)