
Section 1: Pages 3-21
Vocabulary
- dusk: the time between sunset and total darkness
- crouch: bending at the knees and squatting down
- rescue: to find and help someone or something that is lost or needs help
- beacon: a bright light set up in a prominent position
- kindling: easily combustible small stick used to start a fire
- hearth: the floor of a fireplace
Vocabulary Sentences
- There is a dog rescue organization in our city.
- Dusk is my favorite time of day when everything glows purple.
- Larry always makes his own kindling with his hatchet for his campfires.
- The survivors made a giant fire beacon on the beach so that airplanes might see them.
- Terry had to crouch down to evade notice.
- The villager set her sourdough bread out on the hearth to rise.
Comprehension Questions
- Poets and children are the two types of people who understand Teddy when he speaks. (pg. 4)
- To help him save Flora and Nickle, Sylvan taught Teddy the definition of the word rescue. (pg. 4)
- Sylvan tells Teddy the light is their beacon. (pg. 7)
- Flora says she and her brother left the car because it was going to be towed off the road. (pg. 10)
- Teddy tells Nickel that Sylvan’s computer is not connected to the outside world. (pg. 13)
- Nickel responds by reminding Flora that their mother went to go get help. (pg. 16)
- Sylvan’s favorite foods were baked beans, chicken soup and crackers. (pg. 18)
Section 2: Pages 22-42
Vocabulary
- plastered: make hair like flat by applying a liquid to it
- grizzled: having or streaked with gray hair
- furiously: extremely energetic or hurried manner
- rummaging: search in a messy way through a mass or receptacle
- poignant: designed to make an impression. Deeply touching
- dawn: the first appearance of light in the sky before sunrise
Vocabulary Sentences
- Don’s uncle Bob, has a gray grizzled beard that flows over his belly.
- The bike riders took off their helmets revealing plastered hair stuck to their heads.
- A herd of elk huddled together in the extreme cold before dawn.
- The movie I watched left me with a poignant sense of joy.
- Five contestants were playing furiously each trying to beat the others in the game.
- All the people at the garage sale were rummaging through the piles of clothes and shoes.
Comprehension Questions
- By listening to the weather box, Nickel learns that the storm will last for days. (pg. 23)
- Sylvan tells Teddy to trust him because Ellie will write a wonderful poem. (pg. 27)
- Inside the cabin, the wind sounded like a wild song. (pg. 29)
- 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. (pg. 32-33)
- Flora invents meals that looked terrible but taste good. (pg. 39)
- Nickel’s laugh reminds Teddy of Sylvan’s laugh. (pg. 40)
- Nickel reassures Teddy that something good will happen. (pg. 42)
Section 3: Pages 43-59
Vocabulary
- grainy: course-grained, gritty
- tweed: nubby woolen fabric
- curmudgeon: crusty, ill-tempered
- sarcasm: critical snarky remarks
- faraway: dreamy or absent-minded
- pantry: closet used for storage of food
Vocabulary Sentences
- When the pantry door was opened, flour moths came flying out.
- Abdul loves grainy mustard on his ham sandwiches.
- As a child, Louis always had a faraway look in his eyes during class.
- The old woman next door is a curmudgeon she never has a pleasant word for anyone.
- There is a beautiful caramel colored tweed jacket in the window for sale.
- Manuel’s everyday conversation is peppered with sarcasm.
Comprehension Questions
- Teddy spoke right out that Sylvan got very sick. (pg. 44)
- Teddy makes Ellie Laugh by saying, “No, he’s a poet.” (pg. 47)
- Teddy can smell Sylvan’s fever. (pg. 50)
- Teddy tells Flora she has been brave. (pg. 55)
- Sylvan writes and reads to Teddy everyday. (pg. 57)
- Ellie knows that Teddy can get into the house and find his food in the pantry. (pg. 58)
- Nickel, Flora, and Teddy could hear ice pellets hitting the windows and the roof. (pg. 59)
Section 4: Pages 60-88
Vocabulary
- burst: to break open into pieces
- nag: to annoy by repetitive complaining
- landline: a telephone line that transmits signals via wires
- guardian: someone who watches over to protect
- dribble: to cause liquid to flow very slowly in spurts
- blushed: to redden from embarrassment
Vocabulary Sentences
- The balloon burst when it hit the wall
- Most houses no longer have landlines anymore because most people use cell phones.
- Please stop nagging me about going to the water park!
- The orphans were assigned a guardian as soon as they were rescued.
- The water was barely flowing at a dribble
- The child blushed when the teacher called on him for the answer to the math problem.
Comprehension Questions
- Nickel, Flora, and Teddy heard nothing. (pg. 60)
- Ellie leaves Sylvan her cellphone so he can call her landline. (pg. 64)
- Sylvan reminds Ellie that she offered to be Teddy’s guardian. (pg. 67)
- Teddy wags his tail and jumps on Ellie. (pg. 69)
- Ellie heard that Nickel and Flora were saved by a family with six children. (pg. 71)
- Ellie realizes that Nickel and Flora can hear Teddy’s wise words. (pg. 73)
- Flora whispers to Teddy that her father doesn’t hear his words. (pg. 81)