The Wild Orphan

This Study Guide prepared by Roslyn Teirney

Ogilvie High School, Tasmania, Australia

roslyn.teirney@education.tas.gov.au

This short novel is an exciting story with wide appeal to older children. Its hero is a boy who adjusts to life in an isolated mountain area of Idaho, USA. His parents appear as minor characters, with the interaction between the boy, an orphan mountain lion and a skunk providing the plot interest. The themes of "Nature vs Civilisation", "Responsibility" and "Growing Up" are significant and the language is clear and evocative. The illustrations by Mort Kuntsler make the setting come to life.

Select this book for

• thoughtful children
• farm children
• those who like animals
• children who have moved
• lonely children
• those whose family goes hunting
• bushwalkers or scouts
• people interested in rural USA.

Robert Froman also wrote a book on Mathematics entitled Less than Nothing is really Something.

SETTING

Idaho in north-west USA is an interesting state to compare and contrast with Tasmania.

This is Rocky Mountains country. About one third of the state is forested and lumbering is important. (Australians use the term forestry rather than lumbering.) Other industries in Idaho are papermaking, sheep, wool and food processing. The "Idaho Potato" is famous internationally and the other main crops are sugarbeet, barley, wheat and apples. Mining takes place for silver, antimony, lead, zinc and mercury. Idaho has an area of 83,557 square m. Its population (in 1970) was 713,008.

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A cave is a special place in this novel. What is a cave?

Caves in Tasmania - Rocky Cape; Gunn’s Plains; Hastings Caves.

Chauncy Vale - subject of a novel - They Found a Cave by Nan Chauncy.

Caves in New Zealand - Waitomo - Glow-worm caves sacred to Maori culture.

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Chapter One

1. Who is the hero of the story? (Clue - back cover)
2. Idaho is in the ................. hemisphere. If in Tasmania we are just starting Autumn in March, in Idaho the season beginning is ...................
3. We hear in the story that it was snowing in March. In general, then, would the location of the novel be colder or warmer than your part of Tasmania?
4. What word do the Americans use instead of the season we call Autumn?
5. Discuss this quote from the text: And the lioness knew that people were the dangerous animals. (p.6)
6. Where Australians would say "breastfeed", Americans say "nurse". When you nurse somebody in Australia, what do you do? How many meanings for the word can you come up with?
7. How old is the mother mountain lioness?
8. How many babies does she have? What is the name for a baby lion?
9. The female cub is the "runt of the litter". Does this phrase remind you of another famous children’s novel from America? (Wilbur in Charlotte’s Web by E. B. White)
10. The thin bluish membrane which surrounds the baby lions in the womb is called the Birth Sac. Who can tell the class about seeing an animal being born? Did you see its mother remove a birth sac? Do human babies have a sac too?
11. The last sentence in this chapter is ominous - From that moment on, the mother lion was doomed. Guess, from the context, what is meant by the descriptive word ominous.
12. Words to say, spell and define:

    grizzlies wariest invading nipple tongue membrane crouching pounced squeal

Chapter Two

1. If Jeff’s father is Harry Steiner, what is Jeff’s full name (Christian and surnames)?
2. Translate into Australian English the American English term "flashlight".
3. Two people take notes about facts about the American Mountain Lion from their own research while the rest of the class rereads page 15. Listen carefully as the research team reports back to the class. Is there anywhere else in the school where you could quickly gain information about the animal?
4. Words to say, enjoy and talk about. Make sure everyone on your table can understand these words. Practise spelling them and look meanings up in a dictionary too:
   Poisoning cabin vegetables silver value mountain terrified independent claustrophobia
5. Sketch a map of the area around the Steiners’ small farm showing cabin, barn, silver mine, pine forest etc.
6. Go to your library shelves and count how many books are on one shelf. (Measure it.) Calculate how much shelf space would be required to display Jeff’s 300 books.
7. MOVING
   • Jeff’s father moved to his grandfather’s silver mine to make a fresh start in life. What circumstances led up to his family making that decision?
   • Has anyone in your group ever moved house? Why did your family move? How did it feel to leave? When did you feel you had settled in to your new home?
   • When people move, often they experience mixed feelings. This is true of adults as well as children. As a class, list Jeff’s hopes, fears and other feelings during the move.
8. HOME SCHOOLING
   • At his new home, Jeff had to have his lessons from his mother, who was a licensed teacher. How would you feel if you were being homeschooled where you live now?
   • What do you think would be the advantages and disadvantages of homeschooling?
   • Jeff has 300 books to assist his learning. Estimate the number of books you and your family have at home.
   • What sorts of printed publications might you find in these places at home:
     1. kitchen
     2. loungeroom
     3. children’s bedroom
     4. toilet ?
9. TEASING, BULLYING
   • Some of the boys in Jeff’s class taunted him. (p.11) Why? Would these boys have been Jeff’s friends? What does "taunted" mean?
   • Is it OK that people tease others
     1. if their football team loses?
     2. if they have a hole in their jumper?
     3. if their hair needs brushing?
     4. if someone from their family has been in trouble with the law?
     5. if they don’t speak English fluently?
     6. if they work hard at school and usually do well?
     7. if they have a birthmark?
   • What would you say to the bullies if you were Jeff?
10. MINING
    • Mining is often associated with rugged, frontier country and hard-working, dedicated people. A single miner was called a P.....................
    • Find out where silver was/is mined in Tasmania. What other minerals are mined in our state? What is happening to our mines now?
    • Compile a list of mining words. Here are some to start: tunnel, pit, shaft, cut.......

Chapter Three

1. Use your dictionary to discover the exact meanings of these words. If more than one definition appears, reread the word in context to decide the appropriate meaning to note:
   porcupine quills swallow wean romp ambush nuzzled scent keen browsing scattered bounds
2. Give examples from Chapter 3 to demonstrate the author’s observation that
   The difference, in size and strength, between the little female and her brothers was getting a little greater almost every day.
3. The final sentence of this chapter:
   It was the last time she would ever hear them.
   is also ominous.TRUE or FALSE?

Chapter Four

1. Why did the hunter want a lionskin? (See p. 19)
2. Describe the hunting party. Include equipment mentioned as well as hunting animals.
3. Do any of your family or friends go shooting? Why? When? How do they prepare for a hunting trip?
4. Find this sentence on page 22: Never had he seen an animal so handsome nor a spectacle so dramatic. Who is the "he" referred to here? What was the animal? What made the spectacle dramatic?
5. He seized the two cubs by their hind legs and tossed them to the dogs. They quickly tore the cubs to pieces.
   How does this excerpt make you feel?
6. Act out a word from this list and have your group guess the word. Use mime and/or sound effects.
   Snarled lunged spellbound trudged staggered straining dreamed whining
7. Words to use in a sentence which indicated you understand their meanings:
   Carcass ridge clump vicious leash rifles awe lurched
8. CRUELTY TO ANIMALS
   • Jeff was so upset when he saw the hunter throw the lion cubs to the dogs that he was physically sick. How do you feel about
     1. killing of animals (eg baby fur seals) for clothes
     2. testing cosmetics and medicines on animals
     3. the RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals)?
9. HUNTING SAFETY

   What risks are there of accidents to those who go hunting?

   For safety’s sake, hunting and hiking groups often recommend that there are at least three members in a party. Why do you think three might be seen as a safe minimum number?

Chapter Five

1. Here are three sentences from pp 23-24. What do they tell us about the relationship between Jeff and his parents?
   • His father knew that Jeff was miserable and he did not want to be teased.
   • Jeff realized that his father was giving him an excuse to get away.
   • Son - I know how you feel. I’m glad you feel that way.
2. CARING FOR AN ORPHANED ANIMAL
   • How did Jeff teach the cub to drink the milk?
   • Can you write a few sentences from your own experience of caring for an orphaned or rejected animal - eg lamb, joey, chicken?

   • The expression "starving to death" is rather over-used. Another term to indicate an overused, tired expression is a cliche. Write into your notebooks: "Starving to death is an example of a cliche." We often exaggerate when expressing ourselves, but here there is a real possibility that the cub could starve.
   • Verbs to enjoy. Think about these, LSCWC [=Look, Say, Cover, Write, Check] as you revise their spelling then use three of your choice in sentences of your own:
     stirred sniffed sucked swelled poked startled
   • Imagine you are Jeff. Write a letter to the teacher of the class* you have left and tell her about your new home and your adventures so far. OR Make a postcard from cartridge paper, setting out your message and address correctly and sketching a suitable picture onto the other side.

     You could pretend this is the name and address of your former teacher:

     Mrs M. Knudson,

     Boise Elementary School,

     850 W. Front Street,

     BOISE ID 83707

      

Chapter Six

1. LAWS OF NATURE
   • On p. 35 the following sentence appears: Jeff knew the lion would never hurt him.
   • Do you think this was a sensible way of approaching a growing wild animal? Is Jeff’s view of the situation realistic?
   • What did Jeff provide for Beauty? Do you consider it is true to say He became her mother? Why/Why not?
   • Human babies, just like baby animals, need food, warmth, security and love. Can you think of any other basic needs with which they should be provided? (No more than 3.)
2. KEEPING A SECRET
   • Jeff has not owned up to his parents about keeping the lion cub in the barn. How do you feel about that? Is Jeff heading for trouble? Do you predict someone will discover the cub or Jeff will let them know?
3. PETS
   • A lion cub and a skunk are rather unusual pets. Make a short list of (a) common household pets (b) other farm pets (c) movies about pets.
   • What responsibilities do you have as a pet owner (a) to the animal and (b) to other family members?
4. PET NAMES
   • Why did Jeff call his skunk Lord Lovett? (See pp 34-35)
   • How did your pets get their names?
5. Interesting words to say, spell and learn:
   clamored foraged swooped noble reproached asylum security persuade.

Chapter Seven

1. Jeff, Beauty and Lord Lovett could be described as having a mutually supportive relationship. Do you agree? If so, how do they support each other?

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