Rudyard Kipling was born in India and worked as a journalist there after moving to England as a child. The story is about a mongoose named Rikki-Tikki-Tavi who is adopted by a family in India and protects their home from two evil cobras, Nag and Nagaina. Rikki explores the garden and learns of the cobras' plan to take over the empty bungalow. He works to stop them and ultimately kills both snakes, bringing safety and happiness back to the family and other animals.

1. Rikki-Tikki - Tavi By: Jinal Patel, Mai-Thy Bui, and Mohamed Ibrahim

2. About the Author Rudyard Kipling was born on December 30 th 1865 in Bombay, India. He was the son of John Lockwood Kipling and Alice Kipling. His father was an artist and a teacher of agricultural sculpture. When he about six years old he moved back to England and lived with his foster parents. In 1882, he returned to India and worked as a journalist. Rudyard was very fascinated by wildlife.

3. Major Characters and Setting Rikki Teddy Teddy’s parents Darzee the tailorbird Darzee’s wife Nag Nagaina Chuchundra Segowlee, India Garden Bungalow

4. Synopsis This story is a fable about a mongoose that is found by a family of three. Once Rikki settles in his new home, he goes and explores his new surroundings. In the garden there are two snakes that are very evil and want to take over the bungalow. When Rikki heard of their plans, he tries to stop them. He ended up killing both of the snakes and all of the animals in the garden were happy and the family was safe. I don’t want to give away too much so you have to read the book yourself to find out all of the details to the story.

5. Vocabulary Flinched - [467]-Moved back, as if away from a blow. Verb “ But just as Teddy was stooping, something flinched a little in the dust, and a tiny voice said: “Be careful. I am death!” It was Karait.” Synonym-Avoid Antonym- Confront I flinched when she yelled at me. Consolation -[472]-Something that makes you feel better. Noun “ Well! It may be some consolation to you when you’re dead to know that I shall settle accounts with the boy.” Synonym-Alleviation Antonym- Annoyance We got third place in the game, but our consolation was that we won.

6. Vocabulary Continued… 3- Cunningly -[472]-Cleverly. Adjective “ There, in the warm litter about the melon very cunningly hidden, he found twenty eggs, about the size of a bantam's eggs, with whitish skin instead of shell.” Synonym-Sharp Antonym-Dumb We cunningly studied for the test knowing that we would have it today.

7. Check Your Comprehension When does Rikki first meet the cobras? -He first met the cobras when he went to the garden and saw Darzee the tailorbird saying that Nag ate his eggs. What is Nag and Nagaina’s plan to control the bungalow? -Nag and Nagaina planned to kill the family so that the bungalow would be empty and Rikki would leave and the bungalow would be theirs. How does Rikki protect Teddy’s father from Nag? -Rikki protects Teddy’s father when Nag was sleeping and Rikki plans to bite his head and fight him there.

8. Critical Thinking Critical Thinking [1-3] How do the animals in the story resemble humans? The animals in the story are like humans because they talk, sing, think, etc. just like humans. They have many human characteristics because this short story is a fable. What human personality traits might each of the following animals represent? Rikki- Rikki is a very brave and smart mongoose. I can say this because he helped Teddy’s Family and the rest of the garden animals stay out of danger by killing the two cobras Nag and Nagaina. Nagaina- Nagaina was Nag’s wife. She was also smarter, stronger, and much more evil than what Nag was. Chuchundra- Chuchundra is a muskrat that is a brokenhearted little beast. He is afraid to go into the middle of the room and always stays in his corner that he never moves from. Darzee- Is a daddy tailorbird. He isn’t very smart and does not take fast action. He also has a short-term memory. Darzee’s wife- Darzee’s wife is the total opposite of her husband. She is very smart, takes fast action, and remembers way more than Darzee. Compare the personalities of Rikki and the two cobras. Rikki is a smart, kind, caring, brave, and healthy young mongoose. Whereas Nag and Nagaina are evil, careless, and also brave in a way. I would say brave because when they are to start a fight, the cobras get frightened and know that the mongoose is most likely to win and still they take a chance of fighting the mongoose.

9. This picture of a cobra resembles one of the characters who was big black cobra. Extra Features This is a picture that resembles Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, the main character of the story. This title, resembles a way or writing a summary or notes based on the story. Three quiz questions for Rikki-Tikki-Tavi would be: What was Rikki-Tikki-Tavi’s personality throughout the story? What the main idea of Rikki-Tikki-Tavi? How do the animals behave together in the story?

10. Jacobs, Heidi H., Richard Lederer, and Sharon Sorensen, Editors. Prentice Hall Literature (Bronze Edition) . Upper Saddle River NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 2000. 21 Jan. 2009 <http:// www.kipling.org.uk/kip_fra.htm>. 21 Jan. 2009 <http://www.online-literature.com/kipling/>. Bibliography