This half term in English we are looking at stories from other cultures. Below is an extract from The Jungle Book, written by Rudyard Kipling.

It was seven o’clock of a very warm evening in the Seeonee hills when Father Wolf woke up from his day’s rest, scratched himself, yawned, and spread out his paws one after the other to get rid of the sleepy feeling in their tips.

Mother Wolf lay with her big grey nose dropped across her four tumbling, squealing cubs, and the moon shone into the mouth of the cave where they all lived.

‘Augrh!’ said Father Wolf, ‘it is time to hunt again’; and he was going to spring downhill when a little shadow with a bushy tail crossed the threshold and whined: ‘Good luck go with you, O Chief of the Wolves; and good luck and strong white teeth go with the noble children, that they may never forget the hungry in this world.’

It was the jackal – Tabaqui, the Dish-licker – and the wolves of India despise Tabaqui because he runs about making mischief, and telling tales, and eating rags and pieces of leather from the village rubbish-heaps. But they are afraid of him too, because Tabaqui, more than anyone else in the jungle, is apt to go mad, and then he forgets that he was ever afraid of anyone, and runs through the forest biting everything in his way. Even the tiger runs and hides when little Tabaqui goes mad, for madness is the most disgraceful thing that can overtake a wild creature. We call it hydrophobia, but they call it dewanee – the madness – and run.

‘Enter, then, and look,’ said Father Wolf stiffly; ‘but there is no food here.’

‘For a wolf, no,’ said Tabaqui; ‘but for so mean a person as myself a dry bone is a good feast. Who are we, the Gidur-log [the Jackal-People], to pick and choose?’ He scuttled to the back of the cave, where he found the bone of a buck with some meat on it, and sat cracking the end merrily.

‘All thanks for this good meal,’ he said, licking his lips. ‘How beautiful are the noble children! How large are their eyes! And so young too! Indeed, indeed, I might have remembered that the children of Kings are men from the beginning.’

Now, Tabaqui knew as well as anyone else that there is nothing so unlucky as to compliment children to their faces.

Answer the questions below in full sentences.

Bronze

What did the Jackal do that was unlucky?

Silver

Look at the second paragraph. Find and copy one word that means: a) The wolf had lots of energy when it woke up. b) The same as whinged or complained. c) The same as banquet.

Gold

Why did the Jackal compliment the children?

Why did the father wolf let the Jackal into the cave?

Platinum

Write the next part of the story. What do you think will happen next?

68 responses to “Year 4 Reading Challenge Summer 1”

  1. Bhavdeep B.

    Platinum
    I think they will fight.

  2. Bhavdeep B.

    English
    Bronze
    He was a dish licker and would run if people saw him and he used to complimented the children.
    Silver
    A. Spring downhill
    B. whined
    C. Feast
    Gold
    1.They gave him scraps of food
    2.To let him have the little scraps of food left

  3. Sidrah S.

    Bronze :
    Because he complimented children to their faces
    Silver:
    1. squealing
    2. tumbling
    3. lay

  4. Hasan N.

    Bronze
    He is unlucky because he complimented the children to their faces.
    Silver
    1.squealing
    2.tumbling
    3.lay
    Gold
    The jacket complimented the children because they gave him a good meal
    He let the jackal because there was a meal and he wanted him to stay calm.
    Platinum
    I think the father lion will attack him and ward him off. This is because he did something really unlucky and shouldnt of complimented the children to their faces.

  5. Fatima S.

    Bronze she was happy 😃. Silver humbled she Jumped

  6. Kinza Noor A.

    Bronze
    He was unlucky because he complimented the children to their faces.

    Silver
    1.squealing
    2.scratched
    3.downhill

    Gold
    1.He got good food from them
    2.father wolf let the Jackal into the cave because

  7. Vanessa N.

    Bronz
    The wolf dun somthing unlucky he ate something els
    Silver
    Hunt for food
    From

    Vanessa

  8. Ebeid M.

    Bronze
    He is unlucky because he complimented the children to their faces.
    Silver
    1.squealing
    2.tumbling
    3.lay
    Gold
    The jacket complimented the children because they gave him a good meal
    He let the jackal bcuz there was a meal and he wanted him to stay calm.

  9. Aadam R.

    Bronze
    He was a big dish licker and always runs away when people see him.
    Silver
    A.Squealing B.Tumbling C.Lay.
    Gold
    Because they gave them good food.

  10. Camarni H.

    he said like complements to the cubs/littlewolfs

  11. Ilyas Ali K.

    bronze
    I think the Jackal complimented the children to their faces was an unlucky move.

    silver
    a) The wolf had lots of energy when it woke up – spring (downhill)
    b) The same as whinged or complained – whined
    c) The same as banquet – a feast

    gold
    The Jackal complimented the children because he got food.

    The father wolf let the Jackal into the cave because he was scared. The jackal might go mad and bite everyone.

  12. Subodh K.

    Bronze:
    He was a dish licker and run away from people
    Silver:
    1. Scratched
    2:Tumbling
    3.lay
    Gold:
    1.Jackel complain of there faces😀
    2. Because he had food to give him

  13. Aiza B.

    Bronze:The unlucky thing that jackal did was compliment the children
    Silver: tumbling feast squealing
    Gold: he gave them food
    Father wolf sent the Jakal into the cave because he was too mischievous

  14. Safa A.

    1. he had diffrent faces

    2. becuaes he runs alote to go and get the machine

  15. Carter D.

    bronze
    he ate stuff
    silver
    dad wolf said augr lets go hunt

  16. Sidra M.

    Bronze
    He complimented children to their faces.

    Silver
    a Tumbling
    b Squealing
    c Feast

    Gold
    a Because wolf children left some meat on the bones
    b Jackal is known for madness

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