The Poet’s Dog

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: Pages 3-21

Vocabulary
  1. dusk: the time between sunset and total darkness
  2. crouch: bending at the knees and squatting down
  3. rescue: to find and help someone or something that is lost or needs help
  4. beacon: a bright light set up in a prominent position
  5. kindling: easily combustible small stick used to start a fire
  6. hearth: the floor of a fireplace
Vocabulary Usage in the Book
  1. “It’s our beacon,” he’d told me. (Ch. 2, pg. 8)
  2. He led me to his sister crouched under a big tree, a blanket wrapped around her. (Ch. 1, pg. 2)
  3. I found the boy at dusk. (Ch. 1, pg. 1)
  4. “There’s wood and kindling on the hearth.” (Ch. 2, pg. 9)
  5. “There’s wood and kindling on the hearth.” (Ch. 2, pg. 9)
  6. “Did someone leave you behind before Sylvan rescued you?” (Ch. 2, pg. 16)
Vocabulary Sentences
  1. There is a dog rescue organization in our city.
  2. Dusk is my favorite time of day when everything glows purple.
  3. Larry always makes his own kindling with his hatchet for his campfires.
  4. The survivors made a giant fire beacon on the beach so that airplanes might see them.
  5. Terry had to crouch down to evade notice.
  6. The villager set her sourdough bread out on the hearth to rise.
Comprehension Questions
  1. Poets and children are the two types of people who understand Teddy when he speaks. (Ch. 1, pg. 4)
  2. To help him save Flora and Nickle, Sylvan taught Teddy the definition of the word rescue. (Ch. 1, pg. 4)
  3. Sylvan tells Teddy the light is their beacon. (Ch. 2, pg. 7)
  4. Flora says she and her brother left the car because it was going to be towed off the road. (Ch, 2, pg. 10)
  5. Teddy tells Nickel that Sylvan’s computer is not connected to the outside world. (Ch, 2, pg. 13)
  6. Nickel responds by reminding Flora that their mother went to go get help. (Ch, 2, pg. 16)
  7. Sylvan’s favorite foods were baked beans, chicken soup and crackers. (Ch, 3, pg. 18)

Section 2: Pages 22-42

Vocabulary
  1. plastered: make hair like flat by applying a liquid to it
  2. grizzled: having or streaked with gray hair
  3. furiously: extremely energetic or hurried manner
  4. rummaging: search in a messy way through a mass or receptacle
  5. poignant: designed to make an impression. Deeply touching
  6. dawn: the first appearance of light in the sky before sunrise
Vocabulary Usage in the Book
  1. In the clearing close to the woods stood a deer, the color of dawn, watching us. (Ch. 6, pg. 42)
  2. He turns back to his computer and writes furiously. (Ch. 4, pg. 34)
  3. Sylvan and I are the only ones with gray, grizzled hair. (Ch. 4, pg. 24)
  4. His hair was plastered to his head. (Ch. 4, pg. 23)
  5. His writing is funny, sly, and sometimes poignant. (Ch. 6, pg. 37)
  6. “Flora is rummaging through the refrigerator like a hungry weasel, searching for something mysterious, and possibly poisonous.” (Ch. 6, pg. 36)
Vocabulary Sentences
  1. Don’s uncle Bob, has a gray grizzled beard that flows over his belly.
  2. The bike riders took off their helmets revealing plastered hair stuck to their heads.
  3. A herd of elk huddled together in the extreme cold before dawn.
  4. The movie I watched left me with a poignant sense of joy.
  5. Five contestants were playing furiously each trying to beat the others in the game.
  6. All the people at the garage sale were rummaging through the piles of clothes and shoes.
Comprehension Questions
  1. By listening to the weather box, Nickel learns that the storm will last for days. (Ch, 4, pg. 23)
  2. Sylvan tells Teddy to trust him because Ellie will write a wonderful poem. (Ch. 4, pg. 27)
  3. Inside the cabin, the wind sounded like a wild song. (Ch. 5, pg. 29)
  4. Nickel tells Flora that he likes it as long as there is wood to burn, food to eat and mom and dad aren’t worried. (Ch. 5, pg. 32-33)
  5. Flora invents meals that looked terrible but taste good. (Ch. 6, pg. 39)
  6. Nickel’s laugh reminds Teddy of Sylvan’s laugh. (Ch. 6, pg. 40)
  7. Nickel reassures Teddy that something good will happen. (Ch. 6, pg. 42)

Section 3: Pages 43-59

Vocabulary
  1. grainy: course-grained, gritty
  2. tweed: nubby woolen fabric
  3. curmudgeon: crusty, ill-tempered
  4. sarcasm: critical snarky remarks
  5. faraway: dreamy or absent-minded
  6. pantry: closet used for storage of food
Vocabulary Usage in the Book
  1. “Curmudgeon,” whispers Ellie as she kisses me on the top of my head. (Ch. 8, pg. 51)
  2. She had a faraway look. (Ch. 9, pg. 54)
  3. We were eating pancakes that Flora had made without milk, strange and grainy, and wonderful with lots of maple syrup. (Ch. 7, pg.43)
  4. But she knows that I can get in the house and find my open bag of dog food in the bottom pantry bin. (Ch. 9, pg. 58)
  5. “Thank you Doctor Dog,” says Sylvan with sarcasm. (Ch. 8, pg. 51)
  6. Sylvan comes into the living room dressed in a tweed jacket over a blue shirt. (Ch. 7, pg. 46)
Vocabulary Sentences
  1. When the pantry door was opened, flour moths came flying out.
  2. Abdul loves grainy mustard on his ham sandwiches.
  3. As a child, Louis always had a faraway look in his eyes during class.
  4. The old woman next door is a curmudgeon she never has a pleasant word for anyone.
  5. There is a beautiful caramel colored tweed jacket in the window for sale.
  6. Manuel’s everyday conversation is peppered with sarcasm.
Comprehension Questions
  1. Teddy spoke right out that Sylvan got very sick. (Ch. 7, pg. 44)
  2. Teddy makes Ellie Laugh by saying, “No, he’s a poet.” (Ch. 7, pg. 47)
  3. Teddy can smell Sylvan’s fever. (Ch. 8, pg. 50)
  4. Teddy tells Flora she has been brave. (Ch. 9, pg. 55)
  5. Sylvan writes and reads to Teddy everyday. (Ch. 9, pg. 57)
  6. Ellie knows that Teddy can get into the house and find his food in the pantry. (Ch. 9, pg. 58)
  7. Nickel, Flora, and Teddy could hear ice pellets hitting the windows and the roof. (Ch. 9, pg. 59)

Section 4: Pages 60-88

Vocabulary
  1. burst: to break open into pieces
  2. nag: to annoy by repetitive complaining
  3. landline: a telephone line that transmits signals via wires
  4. guardian: someone who watches over to protect
  5. dribble: to cause liquid to flow very slowly in spurts
  6. blushed: to redden from embarrassment
Vocabulary Usage in the Book
  1. Flora actually blushed. (Ch. 11, pg. 71)
  2. Surprisingly, Flora burst into tears. (Ch. 10, pg. 61)
  3. Flora dribbled frosting on my kibbles. (Ch. 11, pg. 68)
  4. “…And as you offered, you will be Teddy’s guardian to help him find a life with someone who hears his wise words…” (Ch. 10, pg. 67)
  5. “…You can call my landline if you need me…” (Ch. 10, pg. 64)
  6. “Don’t be a nag,” says Sylvan. (Ch. 10, pg. 63)
Vocabulary Sentences
  1. The balloon burst when it hit the wall
  2. Most houses no longer have landlines anymore because most people use cell phones.
  3. Please stop nagging me about going to the water park!
  4. The orphans were assigned a guardian as soon as they were rescued.
  5. The water was barely flowing at a dribble
  6. The child blushed when the teacher called on him for the answer to the math problem.
Comprehension Questions
  1. Nickel, Flora, and Teddy heard nothing. (Ch. 10, pg. 60)
  2. Ellie leaves Sylvan her cellphone so he can call her landline. (Ch. 10, pg. 64)
  3. Sylvan reminds Ellie that she offered to be Teddy’s guardian. (Ch. 10, pg. 67)
  4. Teddy wags his tail and jumps on Ellie. (Ch. 11, pg. 69)
  5. Ellie heard that Nickel and Flora were saved by a family with six children. (Ch. 11, pg. 71)
  6. Ellie realizes that Nickel and Flora can hear Teddy’s wise words. (Ch. 11, pg. 73)
  7. Flora whispers to Teddy that her father doesn’t hear his words. (Ch. 13, pg. 81)