Pole?)
But the all-time favorite is ...
Aunt Elvis Ne
(Everybody should have an Auntie Elvis!)
By the way an anagram
for HUMPHREY HAMSTER is:
Share Rhymes Thump
(So whether your rhymes thump or not, share
them!)
Questions for Readers
Humphrey and Og
• Why does Humphrey feel jealous about Og’s appearance in the classroom?
• Have you ever been jealous of a friend or family member before? What made you feel jealous? Were you able to get over those feelings of jealousy? If so, what helped you?
• Humphrey feels that Og does not want to be friends. Why does he think that? Is it true?
• Have you ever formed an opinion about a classmate and then later found out you were wrong?
Tabitha
• Tabitha is the new kid in Room 26. She has a hard time making friends until Humphrey lends a helping paw. Have you ever changed schools and been “the new kid”? How did you feel on your first day of school? How long did it take for you to make a friend? Did the other students try to make friends with you? What did you do to make friends?
• Think of a time when you met a group of kids you didn’t know (first day of school, sports practice, after-school program). How did you feel? How did other kids or grown-ups make you feel welcome?
• Why did Tabitha hang on to her toy bear, Smiley, even though the other kids felt she was odd? What did Humphrey do to help her reach out and make friends?
• Do you have a favorite stuffed animal?
• Humphrey is surprised that boys and girls can be best friends. How did Seth end up being Tabitha’s first friend? If you’re a boy, have you ever had a close friend who was a girl? If you’re a girl, have you ever had a close friend who was a boy? Do you believe boys and girls can be good friends? If a boy and girl are friends, do their friends sometimes tease them or give them a hard time? Why do you think this is?
Crabby Abby.
• Miranda’s stepsister, Abby, seems extremely mean when Humphrey first meets her. But by the end of his visit, she seems nice. Why was Abby crabby in the beginning ? What changed her?
• Many children live in families with stepsisters, step-brothers, half-sisters and half-brothers. Do you have any step-siblings? If so, how did it feel when you first met them? Did you learn to get along over time? What helped you get to know them better?
• Miranda and Abby try to stay awake all night by telling each other scary stories. Do you have a favorite ghost story?
Heidi and Gail
• Humphrey becomes very upset when best friends Heidi and Gail stop speaking to one another. Have you and your best friend ever had a big argument? How did you feel? Were you able to make up and become friends again? If yes, what steps did you take to make up? If no, what could you or the other person have done? What did you learn from that experience?
• What are some of the qualities you look for in a friend? What are the things you like about your best friend?
• Mrs. Brisbane sang a song to Tabitha that said, “Make new friends but keep the old; One is silver and the other’s gold.” What does that song mean to you?
Mean Martin Bean
• Humphrey helps put Mean Martin Bean, the school bully, in his place. Later what adult helps Martin learn to be friendlier to the other students? How does he do that?
• The children who rode the bus with A.J. and Garth were all afraid of Martin Bean, but Humphrey helped them. Name three other things they could have done to deal with Martin’s bad behavior.
• Have you ever had an experience with a bully or seen someone else have one? How did you or the other person handle it?
• Why do you think someone becomes a bully? Name at least three reasons a person might act like a bully.
• Do you ride the bus to school? What kind of problems have you run into on the bus? What would it feel like to be a bus driver? What kind of problems might you have?
The Poetry Festival
• Poetry doesn’t have to rhyme, but Mrs. Brisbane’s assignment to the class was to write a poem six lines long with rhyming words. Many students wrote poems about Og because his name was easy to rhyme. How many words can you think of that rhyme with Og?
• None of the students could think of a word to rhyme with “Humphrey.” But Mandy Payne realized that her name rhymed with “candy cane.” Take your first or last name and see if you can find a word that rhymes with it.
• Do you have a favorite poem? What is it? Read it out loud to a friend or your parents.
• Kirk wrote a poem about a frog in which the first letter of each line spelled the word Frog. This is called an acrostic poem. Pick your favorite animal and write an acrostic poem.
All About Og
• Og is a common green frog, but there are many types of frogs. Some live only in water, and some live on land near the water. Some, like Og, live on both water and land. Using the Internet, an encyclopedia, or an animal reference book, see how many different kinds of frogs you can find.
• Using the Internet or a reference book, find out what frogs live in the wild in your area of the country. Have you ever found a frog in the wild?
• Frogs and hamsters and dogs and cats are just a few common pets people have. Ask your friends and classmates what kinds of pets they own. Which pet is most popular with your friends?
Turn the page for the Answer Key.
Answer Key
WHO AM I? ANSWERS
1. Gail
2. Kirk
3. Green
4. Abby
5. Mac
6. Smiley
7. A.J.
8. Mandy
9. Og
10. Humphrey
OG POPS HIS TOP! SOLUTION
Friendship According to Humphrey Page 12
