Part 1

Summary:

Jody cannot stop thinking about the little fawn. He remembers holding it in his dreams. He goes to his father, Penny, who is now resting and feeling better. Penny tells Jody that he almost died but is safe now. He also tells Jody that he is proud of him for being brave and calm.

Jody feels sad about the fawn. The fawn’s mother was killed to save Penny’s life. Jody says the fawn may be alone, hungry, and scared in the forest. He asks his father if he can go back and find the fawn. He wants to bring it home and take care of it.

Penny thinks quietly. He knows Jody is right. He feels it would be wrong to let the fawn die after its mother saved his life. Penny agrees and allows Jody to go and bring the fawn home.

Jody tells his mother about the fawn. At first, she is shocked and worried. But she agrees because there is no other food for the fawn except milk. The doctor and Mill-wheel also support Jody’s decision.

Mill-wheel takes Jody on his horse to look for the fawn. Jody is hopeful that the fawn is still alive. He believes it is a male fawn because its white spots are in a straight line. They ride away to search for the little animal before it is too late.

Comprehension Check – Answers

1. What had happened to Jody's father?
   Jody’s father was bitten by a snake and became very sick from the poison.

2. How did the doe save Penny's life?
   The doe was killed, and its liver was used to draw out the snake poison from Penny’s body.

3. Why does Jody want to bring the fawn home?
   Jody wants to bring the fawn home because its mother was killed to save his father, and he does not want the fawn to starve.

4. How does Jody know that the fawn is a male?
   Jody knows the fawn is male because its spots are in a straight line, while female fawns have spots scattered in different directions

Part 2: 

Summary: 

Jody keeps thinking about the fawn as he travels with Mill-wheel. They pass the empty clearing where everything had happened earlier. Jody remembers the exact place where his father was bitten by the snake and where the doe was killed.

Jody asks Mill-wheel to go north. As they get closer, Jody starts feeling that he wants to be alone. He feels shy and scared to share his feelings. If the fawn is dead or missing, he does not want anyone to see his sadness. If the fawn is alive, he wants the meeting to be private and special.

Jody tells Mill-wheel that the bushes are too thick for the horse and that he can go alone on foot. Mill-wheel worries about Jody. He is afraid Jody might get lost or bitten by a snake. Jody promises to be careful and says he knows the directions by using a tall pine tree as a guide.

Mill-wheel finally agrees and leaves. Jody waits until the sound of the horse is gone and then walks alone into the forest. The forest is quiet. Suddenly, a buzzard flies up, and Jody reaches the clearing. He sees the dead body of the doe with buzzards around it. He scares them away.

Jody looks for the fawn in the grass but cannot find it. He walks around the clearing, listening carefully, but there is no sign of the fawn. The rain has washed away the fawn’s footprints. Jody feels worried but keeps searching.

Comprehension Check – Answers

1. Jody didn't want Mill-wheel with him for two reasons. What were they?

   • If the fawn was dead or missing, Jody did not want Mill-wheel to see his sadness.

   • If the fawn was alive, Jody wanted the meeting to be private and special.

2. Why was Mill-wheel afraid to leave Jody alone?
   Mill-wheel was afraid Jody might get lost in the forest or get bitten by a snake.

Part 3

Summary: 

Suddenly, Jody sees movement in front of him and is shocked. It is the fawn. The fawn looks at him with wide eyes and does not try to run away. Jody is so happy and emotional that he cannot move at first. He gently talks to the fawn and touches its soft neck. The fawn stays calm and trusts him.

Jody slowly hugs the fawn and lifts it up carefully. He is afraid it might get scared, so he avoids the place where the fawn’s dead mother lies. Carrying the fawn is difficult because its long legs get stuck in bushes, but Jody protects it and keeps going. He feels amazed that the fawn trusts him so completely.

When Jody gets tired, he puts the fawn down. The fawn tries to stand and bleats softly. Jody remembers that a fawn will follow a person if it is carried first. He walks away slowly, and the fawn follows him. This makes Jody very happy. Sometimes he carries the fawn, and sometimes it walks behind him.

When they reach home, the fawn refuses to climb the steps, so Jody picks it up and takes it inside. He proudly shows the fawn to his father, Penny, who is glad Jody found it.

In the kitchen, Jody gives the fawn milk. At first, the fawn does not know how to drink from the gourd. Jody dips his fingers in the milk and puts them in the fawn’s mouth. Slowly, the fawn learns to drink the milk and enjoys it. Jody feels great joy and love while feeding the fawn.

Comprehension Check – Answers

1. How did Jody bring the fawn back home?
   Jody carried the fawn in his arms and sometimes let it walk behind him. When it got tired or scared, he picked it up again and carried it home.

2. Jody was filled with emotion after he found the fawn. Find three words or phrases that show how he felt.

   • “The touch made him delirious”

   • “His heart thumped with the marvel of its acceptance of him”

   • “He was light-headed with his joy”

3. How did the deer drink milk from the gourd?
   Jody dipped his fingers in the milk and put them into the fawn’s mouth. While the fawn sucked his fingers, Jody slowly lowered them into the milk so the fawn could drink.

4. Why didn’t the fawn follow Jody up the steps as he had thought it would?
   The fawn was afraid and did not know how to climb the steps, so it stopped and refused to go up.

Word Meanings

• drift back to – to think again about something from the past

• dilated – widened or enlarged

• a close shave – a narrow escape from danger

• kept your head – stayed calm and sensible in a difficult situation

• hemmed in – trapped or left with no choice

• acorns – nuts of oak trees

• sidled back – moved back quietly and carefully

• every which way – in all directions

• makes a bearing – helps to find direction

• buzzard – a large bird that feeds on dead animals

• adjacent – next to or nearby

• parted – moved or pushed aside

• quivering – shaking slightly

• delirious – extremely excited or confused with joy

• convulsion – a sudden shaking movement of the body

• a china deer – something very delicate and easy to break

• sleek – smooth and shiny

• hoist – lift something heavy

• light-headed – feeling dizzy or very happy

• romp – play in a happy, energetic way

• alarm – frighten or scare

• balked – stopped suddenly and refused to move or continue 

Working with the Text

1. Why did Penny Baxter allow Jody to go find the fawn and raise it?

Penny allowed Jody to take the fawn because the doe was killed to save his life. He felt it would be unkind and ungrateful to let the young fawn die of hunger. He also felt thankful to be alive and trusted Jody’s sense of responsibility.

2. What did Doc Wilson mean when he said, “Nothing in the world ever comes quite free”?

Doc Wilson meant that everything has a cost. Penny’s life was saved, but the doe had to die for it. So, something valuable was lost in order to save something else.

3. How did Jody look after the fawn after he accepted the responsibility of doing so?

Jody took great care of the fawn. He carried it gently, protected it from bushes, fed it milk patiently using his fingers, and made sure it felt safe and comfortable. He treated the fawn with love and kindness.

4. How did Jody’s mother react when she heard he was going to bring the fawn home? Why did she react this way?

At first, Jody’s mother was shocked and worried. She was concerned about how they would feed the fawn. However, she agreed because she understood that the fawn had no mother and needed care, and she was ready to give it milk.

Working with Language

1. Change the following questions into reported speech

a) Penny said, “Do you really want it, son?”
→ Penny asked Jody if he really wanted it.

b) Mill-wheel said, “Will he ride back with me?”
→ Mill-wheel asked if he would ride back with him.

c) He said to Mill-wheel, “Do you think the fawn is still there?”
→ He asked Mill-wheel if he thought the fawn was still there.

d) He asked Mill-wheel, “Will you help me find him?”
→ He asked Mill-wheel if he would help him find the fawn.

e) He said, “Was it up here that Pa got bitten by the snake?”
→ He asked if it was there that his father had been bitten by the snake.

2. Transitive or Intransitive Verbs

Transitive Verb

A transitive verb is a verb that needs an object to complete its meaning.

You can ask “what?” or “who?” after the verb.

Examples:

• He kicked the ball.
  (kicked what? → the ball)

• Jody carried the fawn.
  (carried what? → the fawn)

• She found him.
  (found who? → him)

These verbs are transitive because they have an object.

Intransitive Verb

An intransitive verb is a verb that does NOT need an object.

You cannot ask “what?” or “who?” after the verb.

Examples:

• He slept.
  (You cannot ask: slept what?)

• The fawn wobbled.

• Jody walked all day.

These verbs are intransitive because they do not take an object.

Jody then went to the kitchen. - Intransitive

The fawn wobbled after him. - Intransitive

You found him. - Transitive

He picked it up. - Transitive

He dipped his fingers in the milk. - Transitive

It bleated frantically and butted him. - Transitive

The fawn sucked his fingers. - Transitive

He lowered his fingers slowly into the milk. - Transitive

It stamped its small hoofs impatiently. - Transitive

He held his fingers below the level of the milk. - Transitive

The fawn followed him. - Transitive

He walked all day. - Intransitive

He stroked its sides. - Transitive

Its legs hung limply. - Intransitive

3. Dictionary Order & Idioms / Phrasal Verbs

Dictionary order

1. clearing

2. make

3. parted

4. pick

5. sweet

Idioms / Phrasal verbs

• parted – part ways, part with

• clearing – clear the air

• make – make up,  make for

• sweet – sweet talk, sweet deal

• pick – pick up, pick on, pick out

Speaking

1. Do you think it is right to kill an animal to save a human life? Give reasons.

I think it is right to kill an animal to save a human life only if there is no other choice. Human life is very precious, and saving a life is important. In This is Jody’s Fawn, the doe was killed to save Penny’s life. However, we should not kill animals unnecessarily. We must respect animals and nature and protect them whenever possible.

2. Persuading parents to keep a tiny animal as a pet

If I found a tiny animal on my doorstep, I would calmly talk to my parents. I would tell them that the animal needs care and love. I would promise to feed it, clean after it, and take full responsibility. I would explain that having a pet teaches kindness, responsibility, and care for living beings. I would also assure them that the pet would not disturb the house. This way, I would try to convince them to let me keep it.

Writing

1. Paragraph: My New Pet

I have a new pet who keeps me very busy. It is playful, lively, and sometimes naughty. It runs around the house happily and rolls in the mud. It dirties the bed and hides the newspaper, but I still love it. It is very loyal and follows me everywhere. It eats up food quickly and drinks up milk happily. Though it is sometimes disobedient, it is my best companion and makes me feel joyful and loved.

2. Human Life and Nature

(i) Examples of natural resources we use

• Air

• Water

• Soil

• Trees

• Animals

• Sunlight

• Minerals

(ii) Paragraph: Our Relationship with Nature

Human life depends completely on nature. We take air to breathe, water to drink, food to eat, and land to live on. Nature gives us everything, but we do not always give back. We cut trees, pollute water, and harm animals. We should protect nature by planting trees, saving water, and keeping our surroundings clean. If we care for nature, nature will care for us.

3. What to do if a snake bites you?

If a snake bites a person, they should stay calm and not panic. The person should not run or move too much. The bitten area should be kept still. A doctor should be called immediately, and the person should be taken to a hospital as soon as possible. Not all snakes are poisonous, but it is safer to treat every snake bite as dangerous. Home remedies should not be used. Only proper medical treatment can save a life.