Chapter 1: The Squirrel

Working with the Poem

Question 1:

Why does the poet say the squirrel “wore a question mark for the tail”? Draw a squirrel, or find a picture of a squirrel sitting on the ground. How would you describe its tail?

The poet says that the squirrel wore a question mark for its tail because the shape of a squirrel’s tail resembles a question mark.

Question 2:

Do we usually say that an animal ‘Wears’ a tail? What do we say? (Think: Does an animal wear a coat? Consult a dictionary if you like, and find out how ‘wear’ is used in different ways.)

Usually, it is said that an animal ‘has’ a tail. The poet has used ‘wore’ in the poem in order to make an image of what he saw. This is an example of imagery.

The use of the word ‘wear’ in different situations can be shown with the help of the following sentences:

My friend was wearing yellow on Sunday.

Our Science teacher always wears a smile.

Movie stars wear their hair in different ways.

Question 3:

“He liked to tease and play”. Who is teasing whom? How?

The squirrel is teasing the poet and his friends. When they ran around its tree, it went the other way.