Summer of the Monkeys — Chapter 2

About This Passage

This passage shows Grandpa and Jay Berry Lee starting to build monkey traps together. Wilson Rawls uses small action words — 'picked up,' 'looked,' 'flew' — to show that Jay Berry is very excited. Notice the word 'flew.' Jay Berry does not really fly, but Rawls uses that word to show how fast he runs. This is called figurative language. It helps the reader feel Jay Berry's excitement.

Narration Prompt

Tell the story of Chapter 2 in your own words. Where does Jay Berry go with Rowdy? What does Grandpa tell him about the monkeys? Why are the monkeys in the Cherokee bottoms? How much money is the reward? What does Grandpa teach Jay Berry about making monkey traps?

Discussion Questions

1. Grandpa tells Jay Berry that the monkeys escaped from a circus train wreck. There are about thirty of them, and one is a chimpanzee worth one hundred dollars. What in the story tells you that Grandpa knows a lot about the monkeys before Jay Berry even asks? Why do you think grandpas know so many things that boys do not?
2. Jay Berry has always wanted a pony and a .22 rifle. When Grandpa says Jay Berry can catch the monkeys for reward money, Jay Berry says he 'flew completely out of gear.' What in the story tells you that the money means more than just a pony? How might a boy's whole future change if he could earn a hundred dollars?

+ 2 more questions in the complete study guide