Lions at Lunchtime
By Mary Pope Osborne
Grades 2-5; Genre - Historical Fiction with Fantastical Elements; GRL M; AR pts: 1.0
To find their third riddle, Jack and Annie travel to Africa where they get to see wild animals and learn how animals and the Masai tribe work together to survive.
Comprehension Questions
Chapter 1
- What did Jack and Annie see that made them think the tree house was in the woods? A tiny deer/ gazelle p. 2
- What did Jack and Annie need to do to become Master Librarians? Solve 4 riddles p. 4
- How many riddles have Jack and Annie solved so far? 2 p. 4
- Where was Morgan going to send Jack and Annie? Africa p. 5
Chapter 2
- Name two animals that Jack and Annie saw when they got to Africa. Giraffes, zebras, gazelles, horned animals p. 10
- What does “migrate” mean? When animals move to a different place to live for part of the year p. 11
- Who did Annie want to help across the river?Wildebeests, horned animals p. 10
- What animal did Jack keep looking for, but couldn’t find? Lions p. 14
Chapter 3
- Tell me about giraffes. Lions don’t attack them, their feet are as big as dinner plates, they’re the tallest animal in the world, have a powerful kick p. 15
- Who did Annie want to help? Wildebeests that were scared to go into the water p. 17
- What was Jack carrying in his backpack? Peanut butter, loaf of bread, notebook p. 18
Chapter 4
- What did Annie fall into? Thick black mud p. 20
- Why do you think the wildebeests jumped into the water and came toward Annie? They thought she was guiding them to the other side p. 22
- What did Jack use to help Annie reach the roots? A stick p. 22
- What was circling over Annie when she was stuck in the mud? Vultures p. 25
Chapter 5
- After Annie got out of the mud, where did she guide the wildebeests so they wouldn’t get stuck in the mud? To a sandy spot on the bank of the river p. 26
- How did Jack and Annie chase the hyenas away? They acted like a scary monster p. 29
- Where did Annie want to go to get clean? A pond that some zebras were drinking at p. 31
Chapter 6
- When Jack and Annie were at the pond, what stepped out of the shadows? An elephant p. 32
- How did Annie get the mud off of her? The elephant sprayed her p. 35
- How did Jack feel about Annie’s behavior? He was frustrated and going crazy p. 38
- Who did Annie want to follow next? A little gray bird p. 38
Chapter 7
- Where did the bird lead Jack and Annie? To a beehive p. 41
- How do the birds and Masai tribe members work together? The bird leads the Masai to the beehive, the people scatter the bees and get the honey, and the bird gets the honeycomb p. 42
- What’s the answer to the riddle Morgan wanted them to find? Honey p. 46
- Who was standing in the shadows and watching Jack and Annie? A Masai warrior p. 47
Chapter 8
- What did Jack and Annie give to the warrior? A peanut butter and honey sandwich p. 50
- How did the warrior feel about the sandwich? He liked it, happy p. 52
- What did Jack finally see as they headed back to the tree house? Lions p. 55
- Where were they? Sleeping in the shade of the tree the tree house was in p. 55
Chapter 9
- What is a pride of lions? A family or group of lions p. 58
- What was one of Jack’s plans to get past the lions and into the tree house? To tiptoe; get under the giraffe’s belly and walk underneath it until they reach the rope ladder p. 59, 62
- What did the lion do when Jack and Annie left the giraffe’s belly and ran for the ladder? He growled and leaped at the ladder p. 64
Chapter 10
- Why weren’t Jack and Annie hungry for lunch anymore? They had a picnic with the Masai warrior p. 68
- What did they decide to tell their mom when she asked them why they weren’t hungry? That they ate their sandwiches on the way home from the store. P. 70
- How many more riddles do Jack and Annie need to solve to become Master Librarians? One p. 68