CLASS 10 NCERT SUPPLEMENRTY BOOK CHAPTER

2. About the Author(1925-2019)
- Is a famous author of children books.
- Her main works include: 'Plays and Programs for Boys and
Girls', 'The Cry Baby Princess', ‘The Book That Saved the
Earth’ etc.
-Claire penned over 70 children’s plays.
Born-May 17, 1925 in U.S.A. Died-April 12,2019.

3. ABOUT THE LESSON/PLAY
‘The Book That Saved the Earth‘ is a story that
revolves around a book of nursery rhyme titled
‘The Mother Goose’ that has been picturized
as the book that saved the Earth from an alien
attack.

4. CHARACTERS
HISTORIAN
GREAT AND MIGHTY THINK-TANK
APPRENTICE NOODLE
CAPTAIN OMEGA
LIEUTENANT IOTA
SERGEANT OOP
OFFSTAGE VOICE

5. NEW WORD MEANING.
► Squiggles: illegible writing or markings
► Invasion: attack
► Mighty: very brave/ strong
► Earthling: people of the Earth.
► Pantomimes: silent acting.
► Twirling: moving
► Primitive: ancient
► Manned: controlled by man
► Dubiously: doubtfully
► Trifling: insignificant

6. PROLOGUE
SCENE - 1
► Mother Goose is a well-known book of nursery
rhymes in English. Do you think such a book can
save Planet Earth from a Martian invasion? Read
this play and find out.
► The Book That Saved the Earth’, is written in the
form of a play.
► Time: The twenty-fifth century.
► Place: The museum of ancient History:
Department of the twentieth century on the
Planet Earth.

7. Historian
► The historian welcomes audience to the museum
of ancient history in the twenty-fifth century.
► She informs them how a book saved the Earth
form a Martian invasion in 2040.
► The play emphasizes the significance of book.

8. MARS SPACE CONTROL
► Great and Mighty Think-Tank Commander-in –Chief,
most powerful and intelligent creature, the ruler of
Mars orders the invasion of Earth.
► Think-Tank calls Martians a handsome race and they
are more attractive than the ugly Earthlings with
their tiny heads.

9. ► SCENE-2
► Captain Omega Lieutenant Iota and sergeant Oop
arrive Centerville Public Library on the Earth. But
they fail to understand where they are. They
puzzled to see books and cannot identify them.

10. ► Think-Thank closely examines those books and calls it
a sandwich. Sandwiches are the main staple of Earth
diet.
► He orders his crew to eat them. At last Oop tastes it
and finds it not delicious. He says they are dry as
Martian dust. Further he added how the Earthlings
can get those sandwiches down without water.

11. Apprentice Noodle
The trainee under Think –Tank, Noodle points out that
he has seen surveyor films of those sandwiches.
Earthlings did not eat them. They used them as some
sort of communication. Think-Tank orders them to
listen to the communication device.

12. But Captain Omega fails to hear anything. Noodle
suggests that the Earthlings did not listen to the
sandwiches (books). They opened them and
watched them. Think-Tank clarifies that those
sandwiches are not for ear communication but they
are for eye communication. He asks Captain Omega
to take the large colorful sandwich which appears
to be important.

13. Omega pics up a very large volume of Mother Goose.
It appears to contain pictures of Earthlings but they
cannot understand the little lines and squiggles and
dots and pictures. Noodle suggests that Space
people should be given vitamin to improve their
intelligence.
: It appears to contain pictures of Earthlings.

14. After consuming vitamins the crew is able to read
nursery rhymes. Omega reads the rhyme with great
seriousness.

15. Think-Tank interprets the rhyme in his own way. He
declares that the Earthlings have discovered how to
combine agriculture and mining. They can grow
crops of rare metals. They can grow high explosives
too.

16. Then Iota reads out the rhyme of ‘Hey diddle diddle!

17. Think-Tank interprets the rhyme saying that the
Earthlings have reached a high level of civilization. They
have taught their domesticated animals musical culture
and space techniques. Even their dogs have a sense of
humour. They may be launching an interplanetary
invasion.

18. Think-Tank orders to notify the invasion fleet that
there will be no invasion today. Then Oop reads the
next rhyme, ‘Humpty Dumpty sat on the wall’.

19. Oop turns large picture of Humpty Dumpty towards
Think-Tank and audience. After looking at the
picture, Think-Tank declares that the Earthlings
have seen him. The word ‘Had a great fall’ , means
they plan to capture Mars Central Control and him.

20. He asks Noodle to prepare a space capsule for him
to escape. He orders the Martian fleet to evacuate
Mars and decides to flee to the Alfa Centauri, a
hundred million miles away to escape from
Earthlings.

21. HISTORIAN
► Tells, that is how one dusty old book of nursery
rhymes , ‘ Mother Goose’, saved the world from a
Martian invasion.
► Earthlings resumed contact with Mars, and
became very friendly with the Martians.
► Great and Mighty Think-Tank was replaced by the
wise and wonderful man, Noodle.

22. The Earthlings taught the Martians the difference between
sandwiches and books. Earthlings have established a
model library in the Martian capital of Marsopolis. But
there is still one book that the Martian can never bring
themselves to read. Have you guessed it?
‘MOTHER GOOSE!,
MOTHER GOOSE !

23. POINTS TO REMEMBER
-The book that saved the Earth is a unique story where
the author describes futurism in a fun and mysterious
way.
-It is written in the form of play. The play opens in the
25th century. The play emphasizes the significance of
book.
-Great and Mighty Think-Tank is the Commander-in-
Chief and the ruler of the Mars. He is greeted by
Apprentice Noodle. Think-Tank is planning to put the
Earth under his control.

24. -Think-Tank’s preparations are shattered when
Lieutenant Iota is canning books in a book case.
-Captain Omega Lieutenant Iota and Sergeant Oop
arrive on the Earth.
-Think-Tank from the Mars interprets the book to be
crude refreshment and calls it a sandwich.
- Iota and Omega are ordered to eat the sandwich.
Finally Oop tastes and finds it not delicious.

25. -Noodle advises the book to be opened and
understand.
-Omega is able to transcribe the code on taking
vitamins
-Omega transcribes nursery rhymes on Mistress
Mary, Cat and the fiddle and Humpty-Dumpty had a
great fall.
-Think-Tank comes to conclusion that Earthlings are
planning to attack them.

26. -Think-Tank orders Noodle to prepare space capsule. He
orders the Martians to evacuate the planet Earth
immediately. Think-Tank decides to migrate to Alpha
Century, which is one hundred million miles away from
Mars.
- Noodle who has become friendly with the people on the
Earth, takes over as the leader.
-Earthlings teach the Martians the difference between the
sandwiches and books.
-The Historian is very happy at the Earth being saved by
the dusty old book of nursery rhymes ‘Mother Goose’.

27. Character sketch-Great ad Mighty Think-Tank
► Think-Tank likes to be called the ‘Great and the
Mighty’. He orders and commands. He is the ruler
of Mars, but has no intelligence. He thinks books
to be sandwiches. He is wrong about everything.
He demands that the crew obey him. He likes to
pass on other’s idea as his own. He is a coward
who simply boasts about his power. Think-Tank
interprets the old book of nursery rhymes in his
own unique way. He concludes that the people on
the Earth are more advanced and powerful .

28. Apprentice Noodle
Noodle is one of the crew members of the invasion team
that came to invade the Earth. He is known as
Apprentice Noodle. He is the coordinator between
Think-Tank and The invasion team. He echoes Think-
Tank in every manner. He is a very clever creature. He
knows that Think-Tank being commander- in-chief has
to be obeyed. So he keeps on praising Thank-Tank and
also passing sarcastic remarks. It is only Noodle who
thinks particularly and differently about the books
which were considered as sandwiches to eat. But Think-
Tank took over the idea as his own. But Noodle is not
sad at all. He is a blind and true follower of Think-Tank.

29. Justification of the title of the play, ‘The
Book That Saved the Earth’.
► A good title should reflect the theme, idea or the
traits of a character. It should revolve around any
of the above. The story or the play should be
woven around any one of them. In the play –‘The
Book That Saved the Earth’, a book of nursery
rhymes of ‘Mother Goose’ is responsible for
stopping the Martian invasion on the Earth. Think-
Tank the ruler of Mars plans to invade Earth
before lunch and sends probe to get more
information about earthlings.

30. They enter a library but cannot figure out
what items books are. They take vitamins,
increase their intelligence then read the
rhymes from ‘Mother Goose”. Think-Tank
misinterprets the rhymes, takes them as
threats to him and the Mars. Scared, he calls
back probe, drops the idea of invading and
escapes with his subjects to Alpha Centauri,
a hundred million miles away from Mars
Moral : ‘It is totally incorrect to invade
another country.’

31. Read and Find out.
► Why was the twentieth century called the ‘Era of
the Book?’
► Who tried to invade the Earth in the twenty –first
century?
► What guesses are made by Think-Tank about the
books found on Earth ?
► Why did Think-Tank wish to contact Space Probe?