1. What language do the children understand at the start of the extract? 2. How are (a) the girls and (b) the man described? 3. What do you learn about the setting of the story in this extract? 4. How did Coco get her name? 5. (a) Who is the man? (b) Why is he trying to go home?
6. Describe the man’s good-luck charm. Explore 3 3
1. What makes the girls think that the man is a soldier? 2. How do you imagine a soldier might look? 3. Why do you think the soldier does not want the girls to tell anyone that he is there? 4. What obstacles does the soldier face in his effort to return home?
Investigate
It is very likely that the soldier in this story is absent without leave (AWOL). This means that he did not have permission to leave the army.
1. Find out what happened to soldiers who went AWOL during the First World War.
2. Discuss the consequences for soldiers who went AWOL. Do you think the punishment was fair?
Create
1. Write a short story in which someone acts without permission. For example, your character might go somewhere their parents do not allow them to go. What happens when they are found out?
2. Have you ever done something that you were not allowed to do? Write a personal essay based on this experience.
Did you feel guilty? Were you caught? What consequences did you face?
