Vocabulary List & Definitions
SPROUT: 1.(verb). to begin to grow; shoot forth. 2. (noun).-a seedling
Chapters
Chapter 1
Sprout: (verb) to begin to grow; shoot forth; (noun) a seedling
Burdensome: (adjective) difficult to carry out or fulfill; taxing Intricately: (adverb) in a very complicated or detailed manner
Enchanted: (adjective) 1. placed under a spell; 2. filled with delight
Bewilderment: (noun) a feeling of being confused
Perplexed: (adjective) completely baffling; very puzzling
Wonderment: (noun) a state of awed admiration or respect
Quill: (noun) 1. any of the main wing or tail feathers of a bird; 2. the
hollow, sharp spines of a porcupine or hedgehog
Adornment: (noun) a thing that adorns or decorates; an ornament
Chapter 2
Milled Grain: (noun) grain ground into flour
Courteous: (adjective) polite, respectful, or considerate in manner
Sarcastically: (adverb) in an ironic way; intended to mock or
convey contempt
Mournful: (adjective) feeling, expressing, or inducing sadness, regret,
or grief
Intolerable: (adjective) unable to be endured
Insufferable: (adjective) too extreme to bear; having or showing unbearable arrogance or conceit
Avalanche: (noun) a mass of snow, ice, and rocks falling rapidly down a mountainside
Flagon: (noun) a large container in which a drink is served, typically with a handle and spout
Chapter 3
Nuisance: (noun) a person, thing, or circumstance causing inconvenience or annoyance
Midsummer’s Eve: (noun) celebration of the longest day of the year ( June 21) in the northern hemisphere
Evicting: (verb) expel someone from a property, especially with the support of the law
Labyrinth: (noun) a complicated, irregular network of passages or paths in which it is difficult to find one’s way; a maze
Chapter 4
Cowering: (verb) crouch down in fear
Prostrate: (adjective) lying flat on the ground because you are too tired, hurt, or defeated to get up
Extinguished: (verb) put an end to; cause a fire to cease to burn
Chapter 5
Lanky: (adjective) ungracefully thin and tall
Vaulted: (adjective) having an arched roof or ceiling
Primulaceous: (adjective) of or pertaining to the plant group Primulaceae or primrose (a type of flower)
Valid: (adjective) having legal efficacy or force
Incantation: (noun) a series of words said as a magic spell or charm
Horizon: (noun) the line at which the earth’s surface and sky appear
to meet
Multitude: (noun) a large number of something or a gathering of people
Universe: (noun) all existing matter and space considered as a whole
Malice: (noun) the intention or desire to do evil; ill will
Gleeful: (adjective) exuberantly or triumphantly joyful
Chapter 6
Boughs: (noun) branches of a tree
Diligently: (adverb) having or showing care and conscientiousness in one’s work or duties
Wizard: (noun) a man who has magical powers, especially in legends
and fairy tales
Plight: (noun) an unfortunate, difficult, or precarious situation
Wickedness: (noun) the quality of being evil or morally wrong
Peculiar: (adjective) strange, odd, unusual; special
Skiff: (noun) a shallow, flat-bottomed, open boat with a sharp bow and square stern
Chapter 7
Menacing: (adjective) suggesting the presence of danger; threatening
Bidding: (noun) the ordering or requesting of someone to do something
Predicament: (noun) a difficult, unpleasant, or embarrassing situation
Valiant: (adjective) possessing or showing courage or determination
Deceive: (verb) cause someone to believe something that isn’t true
Tadpole: (noun) the young fishlike stage of a toad or frog
Chapter 8
Gadget: (noun) a small mechanical or electric device or tool, especially an ingenious or novel one
Paraphernalia: (noun) miscellaneous articles, especially equipment
needed for a particular activity
Troublesome: (adjective) causing difficulty or annoyance
Ultimately: (adverb) finally; in the end
Chapters
Chapter 1
- Discuss the meaning of the phrase “A good home is like good growing soil for children.”
- What do you think of when you say the boy's name, “Sprout?”
- How old do you think Sprout was when he received his gift?
- How would you feel if you were told, "It's time that you begin filling the pages of your life"?
- What was meant by the phrase “The rest of the story is going to be mostly up to you”?
- Why was the gift so wonderful to Sprout at first but then bewildering?
- Why does Sprout's father say, “Each page you write can never be erased or rewritten."?
- What do you do when confronted with a task? What did Sprout do?
Chapter 2
- What made his usual familiar walk to town seem new and different on this day?
- How does a voice "like gravel kicked from a horses hoof” sound?
- Discuss the Miller’s view of the world.
- How did Sprout feel after hearing the Miller’s adjectives?
- What made the Miller change his view of his life?
- Discuss the meaning of “A story begun with good adjectives will have a better ending.”
- Why did the Miller say, "What a story that is!" when he referred to the Knight's tale?
Chapter 3
- How was Sprout feeling as he entered the tavern?
- Why did one arm of the knight move easily while he could hardly move the other?
- Discuss the author’s meaning “a knight is a knight, and that should account for something” Is a name important? Should we live up to a name?
- How should a knight behave? Was the knight’s behavior a good example of his rank?
- The dragon did not like to be scolded for bad behavior. Discuss in your personal experience.
- What did the author mean by the statement about the Knight's sleep being “ the kind that comes from a tale too long and too often told”?
- What was the difference Sprout noticed between the knight he saw and the knight in the tale?
Chapter 4
- Discuss "The difference between a good story and a good story." What did the author mean here?
- What happened that changed the Dragon from fierce to afraid?
- What lesson did Sprout learn from his experience with the Knight and his tale?
- Why was Sprout disappointed after his experience with the Knight?
Chapter 5
- What was Sprout seeking next to add to his book?
- Talk about what knowledge means to you.
- Sketch how the library may have looked?
- What did the Door-Keep and Sprout discover they had in common?
- When Sprout came upon the Librarian, what was she trying to do?
- Why did the Door-Keep wink?
- What did the author mean when the Librarian said, "The sooner one gets started, the closer one gets to never having it."
- What did Sprout compare the search for knowledge to?
- What are the building blocks of knowledge according to the Librarian?
- Describe some of the attributes Sprout learned about knowledge?
- Is gaining knowledge easy or hard?
- What is meant by the Door-Keep's statement, "Knowledge needs lots of sunshine to keep it clear and healthy."
Chapter 6
1. Compare how Sprout felt when he left the Library to when he left the Tavern.
2. What important lesson did Sprout learn about haste?
3. When you come to a Y in the “road,” how do you decide which direction to go?
4. Recount an experience you had, like the girl, where you suddenly felt lost.
5. Why do you think the girl was so trusting of Toad to honestly help her?
6. What knowledge did the girl gain from her experience with Toad and the old woman?
7. How did the old woman make her living?
8. What character traits did Sprout demonstrate after he heard Dawn’s story of Toad and the old woman taking advantage of her?
Chapter 7
1. How was Sprout’s behavior different from Dawn’s when dealing with Toad? How did that change how Toad treated each of them?
2. List some examples of things that may have value to one person while being worth nothing to another.
3. How would you describe Sprout’s decision to give up his red book? Was it easy or hard for him? Why?
4. When the owl swooped down and stole the Old Hag’s shawl, what happened to the Old Hag?
5. How would you describe Sprout’s efforts to help Dawn?
6. What did the Wizard mean by, “Lost is just the other end
of found”?
7. Discuss the statement, “Wisdom takes many forms.”
8. How did the Wizard differ from the Old Hag when he spoke?
9. What is meant by the statement, “Good deeds are their own best reward”?
10. How does the Wizard describe wisdom?
Chapter 8
1. What happens when you put goodness and wisdom together? Give an example from your own experience.
2. How did Sprout see the Forest at first? What did he learn and how did he feel about it after his experiences with the Wizard?
3. Does a good deed always need money for payment?
4. What did the Wizard tell Sprout about finding a hero?
5. What happens when one starts to think of oneself as a hero?
6. The Wizard said, “We are always free to choose between goodness and wickedness.” What are some examples in your life when you had to choose between the two?
7. Why did the Wizard advise Sprout not to be too hasty in his departure?
Chapter 9
1. Why did Sprout decide to give the Gardener his father’s seeds? What do the seeds symbolize in this moment?
2. Why do you think Sprout wrote only the word “Gratitude” in his book before closing it? What does that say about what he valued most?
3. How does Sprout’s return home show he has changed or grown from the beginning of the story?
4. What role does storytelling play in this chapter? How is planting seeds similar to telling stories?
5. List some of the lessons Sprout learned and added to his red book.
6. What did the author mean when he wrote, “All life books will end with a happy, loving home”?