Once

Chapters 1-5

Reading Check

1. Because his glasses steam up (Chapter 1)

2. He tries to convince Mother Minka to let Dodie be first in line for the bath. (Chapter 1)

3. Whether his parents will recognize him after almost four years (Chapter 2)

4. The “torture squad” (Chapter 2)

5. There are not as many food shops as he remembered. (Chapter 5)

6. Bread and water (Chapter 5)

Short Answer

1. Felix believes that receiving a whole carrot is a sign from his parents that they will finally come to retrieve him from the orphanage. (Chapter 1)

2. Felix’s yellow notebook is a gift from his parents. He knows his parents will recognize it because it is the “only notebook with a yellow cardboard cover” in the orphanage. He uses it to write creative stories about his parents’ travels for their bookstore. (Chapter 2)

3. Mother Minka tells Felix that Sister Elwira put the carrot in Felix’s soup because “she felt sorry for [him].” Felix begins to worry that his parents are not aware that there is a group of “thugs” burning Jewish books.