Historical
Fiction
The Little
Golden
Llama
by Paul Mason
illustrated by James Watson
PAIRED
READ
All Work and No Play
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STRATEGIES & SKILLS
Comprehension
Vocabulary
Strategy: Make Predictions
Skill: Point of View
benefit, deftly, derision, eaves,
expertise, impudence, legacy,
symmetry
Vocabulary Strategy:
ELL Vocabulary
Greek and Latin Suffixes
livelihood, offering
Word Count: 2,302
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Send all inquiries to:
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ISBN: 978-0-02-118674-7
MHID: 0-02-118674-X
Printed in the United States.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 DOC 15 14 13 12 11 10
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Essential Question
What influences the development of a culture?
The Little
Golden
Llama
by Paul Mason
illustrated by James Watson
Chapter 1
The Glitter of Gold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Chapter 2
Titu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Chapter 3
Sacrifice and Civilization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Chapter 4
Khonu’s Plan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Respond to Reading. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
PAIRED
READ
All Work and No Play . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Focus on Literary Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
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Chapter 1
ld
T h e G lit t er of G o
A herd of llamas passed by Khonu who was sitting on a rock.
A llama looked at him curiously. Khonu was an old man, and
he watched the llamas and smiled. He thought, “You llamas are
very valuable to us. You helped our people succeed.”
Khonu stood up and headed for home. It was getting dark,
but he could still see the llamas deftly walking across the plain
and over the hill. Khonu watched one llama in particular. The
llama looked regal and had pure black wool.
llama
Khonu
Khonu thought, “He looks so much like Titu.” When Khonu
had been a boy, his uncle Urcon had a herd of llamas. Titu had
been Khonu’s favorite llama. The emperor’s people had taken
Titu away from Uncle Urcon’s herd. Khonu thought, “Now, that
was a story …”
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Thonapu put his tools down and said to his son, “Are you
watching carefully, Khonu? Please pay attention. This is for
your own benefit. One day, it will be your livelihood to be a
goldsmith, and you must learn to shape and sculpt gold.”
Khonu said, “I was watching, Papa,” but he had been
thinking about the hillside.
Thonapu handed his son the statue he had been sculpting.
“What do you think?” he asked.
It was a half-finished statue of a golden llama. It was small
enough to sit comfortably in the palm of Khonu’s hand. The
statue had hind legs with tiny, carefully sculpted feet. There
were even gaps between the toes. The llama looked so real that
its tiny tail seemed to move. Khonu wished he could sculpt like
his father. He said, “It looks good, Papa.”
Khonu
Thonapu
statue
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Khonu’s father grunted and said, “It needs much more
work. The legs need to be smoother.” He began to gently
hammer a new sheet of gold for the front legs.
Thonapu had been a goldsmith for many years, just like
his father. One day, Khonu would be a goldsmith, too. This
was Thonapu’s legacy to his son. Becoming a goldsmith was
Khonu’s destiny.
A nobleman had asked Thonapu to make the little gold
statue. The nobleman was going to make an offering of the
statue to Inti, the sun god.
Khonu said, “The llama needs to be finished for Inti,
doesn’t it, Papa?” Khonu knew the festival of the sun was only
a couple of days away. He was looking forward to the ceremony
and the feast.
Thonapu nodded and said, “Yes, it needs to be finished,
and that’s why I need to concentrate. Go and see if your uncle
Urcon needs help.”
Khonu ran through the narrow city streets. His feet slapped
the paving stones, and the noise echoed off the high stone
walls. He ran past women weaving under the eaves of their
houses. Soon he was out in the countryside.
In Other Words exactly like.
En español, just like quiere decir tal
como o exactamente como.
STOP AND CHECK
Why is Thonapu making
a golden llama?
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Chapter 2
Tit u
After a strenuous walk, Khonu found his uncle high up on
the hillside. Khonu greeted his uncle Urcon warmly.
“Have you come to see me? Or perhaps you have only come
to see the llamas?” Urcon joked.
Khonu smiled and went to see the herd of llamas. The
llamas were not bothered by Khonu. Some of the llamas
walked up to Khonu and looked him in the eye. Urcon treated
his animals well, and the llamas were gentle.
Khonu knew that it was not wise to mistreat a llama. Once,
he had seen a man put a very heavy load on his llama. The
llama had sat down and refused to move. A crowd of people
had gathered around the man and the llama. They had laughed
at the man in derision until the man lightened the llama’s load.
herd
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Khonu went to see his favorite llama, called Titu. Titu had
pure black wool and was taller than the other llamas. Titu held
his head high and had a long and graceful neck. Titu’s ears
were alert, and his legs were as strong as tree branches.
Khonu rubbed the fur on Titu’s neck. Khonu observed that
Titu looked a lot like the golden llama his father was sculpting.
Khonu thought it would be fun to travel with Titu. Khonu
knew that llamas can walk over the uneven terrain of the
mountainsides, even at high altitudes, or heights, where the air
is thin and hard to breathe.
Urcon strolled over to Khonu. He looked worried as he said,
“Don’t get too attached to Titu.”
Khonu did not like the tone of his uncle’s voice. It worried
him. He asked, “What do you mean?”
Urcon did not look at his nephew but simply said, “Ask
your father.”
STOP AND CHECK
Why does Khonu like
Titu so much?
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Titu
Urcon
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Chapter 3
ation
iz
il
iv
C
d
n
a
e
ic
if
Sacr
Back at Thonapu’s workshop, Khonu sat in shock. Thonapu
had just told Khonu that Titu was going to be an offering to
Inti, the sun god. Titu would be a sacrifice.
Thonapu said, “You know that Titu belongs to the sun, just
like this golden llama.”
Thonapu tried to explain to his son by telling him a local
legend.
“A long time ago, Inti, the sun god, looked down and saw
the people living like beasts. Inti sent his daughter and son
down to Earth to teach the people to live better.
“Inti gave his son and daughter a golden rod to take to
Earth. Inti commanded, ‘Travel north and push this golden
rod into the ground as you cross the land. When the rod
disappears, you will know you have discovered the place to
build the sacred city.’”
Thonapu paused to hammer a sheet of gold. He inspected
the miniature llama and checked that the legs were in perfect
symmetry.
Language
Detective
Thonapu’s is a possessive noun. Can you
find an example of a possessive noun on
page 4?
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“Inti’s son and daughter traveled
the mountains until they reached a
beautiful valley. They took the golden
rod
rod and pushed it into the ground. The
rod disappeared.”
Khonu smiled and said, “They had
found Cuzco.”
“Yes, they had found Cuzco.” Thonapu
continued, “Inti’s children taught the people
to hunt, farm, build, and cook. We owe so
much to Inti. He is the sunlight that makes our
crops grow each year.”
Khonu was still upset, and he demanded,
“But why must Titu be the offering?”
Thonapu replied, “Llamas are treasured animals.
We can weave cloth from their wool, and we use them to build
canals and clear land for farming. Llamas helped people build
this city.”
Khonu sighed. “I know, Papa.”
His father added, “So we offer the most important animal
to the most important god. There is not a better gift to show
our gratitude.”
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On the day before the festival, the entire city was buzzing
with excitement, but Khonu was not in the mood for
celebrations.
That night at home, Khonu felt like his insides were
twisting, and Thonapu was tired. Thonapu had not finished
the golden llama, so he had apologized to the nobleman.
Khonu’s mother was the only cheerful one in the family.
She was humming as she prepared clothes for the next day’s
festivities.
While his father worried about the unfinished statue,
Khonu had an idea. “Where do they take the sacrificial
llamas?” he asked his mother quietly.
Thonapu grumbled, “Are you still complaining about that?”
Khonu’s mother looked at her son with pity and said,
“They’re in a pen opposite the main square, but there’s nothing
you can do, Khonu.”
Khonu thought, “Oh, yes, there is.”
STOP AND CHECK
Why are llamas important to
the people of Cuzco?
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Chapter 4
K hon u ’s Pla n
After Khonu’s parents had fallen asleep, Khonu crept to
his father’s workshop as quietly as possible. He found the
unfinished golden llama.
Khonu closely examined the miniature llama. The golden
statue was sleek and smooth, which showed his father had great
expertise. The statue was finished except for its head.
Khonu was not as skilled as his father, but he would be
careful. He knew he must finish the statue to save Titu.
The head of the llama needed ears, a mouth, and eyes.
Khonu closed his eyes and imagined Titu so he could engrave
Titu’s face on the statue. A llama that looked dignified, clever,
and kind would be worthy of the sun god.
When he was ready to work, Khonu laid out his father’s
tools in an orderly row. His father had taught him that it was
important to organize the tools before he began.
Khonu picked up the small hammer and
began tapping slowly. His fingers were
shaking. It was going to be
a long night.
hammer
candle
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The next morning before sunrise, Khonu and his family
went to the square in the center of the city. The square was full
of people who were waiting for the festivities to begin. Khonu
heard excited voices all around, and the sound of drums and
pipes filled the air.
Khonu had finished the golden llama an hour earlier. He
carried the statue in his tunic. Khonu hoped his plan would
work.
He spotted the pen with the sacrificial llamas—it was now
or never. Khonu grabbed his father’s hand and said, “Please,
may I say good-bye to Titu?”
Thonapu saw where Khonu was pointing. He said kindly,
“Come along, then.”
Khonu looked quickly over the herd. His heart was racing.
How would he recognize Titu in the dark? All the llamas
looked so similar! Then Khonu saw a pair of ears. The ears
were more alert than the others, and the head rose higher than
the rest.
Khonu shouted, “Titu!”
Language
Detective
Father’s is a singluar possessive noun.
What is the plural possessive noun of
father’s?
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Khonu dragged his father over to Titu. An official was
getting ready to lead Titu away. Before Thonapu could stop
him, Khonu cried out, “Sir, sir!”
The official frowned at the sound of a boy calling to him
with impudence. The official stared at Khonu and snapped at
him, “What is it?”
Khonu said, “That llama there, can he be saved?”
His father hissed, “Khonu!” and tried to pull Khonu back.
Thonapu bowed to the official. “I apologize for my son, sir. He
does not mean anything by it.”
The official asked, “Why should I spare the llama? He is to
become a gift to Inti.”
Khonu reached into his tunic and held out the little gold
llama. “Perhaps Inti would accept this instead.”
In Other Words he wasn’t trying to offend you.
En español, he does not mean anything by it quiere decir
no estaba tratando de ofender.
official
cloak
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Thonapu was horrified. He started to say, “It isn’t finished!”
but the official was already inspecting the tiny, golden statue.
“This is fine work. Did you make it?” he asked Thonapu.
Thonapu looked at the completed statue and was puzzled.
Then he looked at Khonu. His son’s eyes were wide, silently
pleading with his father. Thonapu understood what had
happened. “Yes, sir, it is our work, mine and my son’s.”
The official said, “I congratulate you. It is a fine gift and
worthy of Inti.” The official thought for a moment, then untied
Titu. “You may take this llama back to his herd.”
Khonu and Thonapu bowed to the official. Khonu said,
“Thank you, sir.” Thonapu took his son by the arm, and they
hurried away.
When they were out of sight of the official, Thonapu let out
an enormous sigh of relief. He said to his son, “You owe me a
llama statue, Khonu. You are going to work with me.”
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Khonu stopped to rest and take a final look at the llamas.
The black llama had almost vanished into the evening shadows.
The old man thought, “Yes, you must be a descendant of Titu.”
Khonu’s family had not understood why he saved Titu. Yet
Khonu knew that the hard work had been worth it. Titu had
helped him leave a legacy for his family and for Inti.
Khonu chuckled to himself as he remembered working
through the night before the festival. He had almost gotten his
father into terrible trouble with the official.
The little golden llama with the alert ears and kind, regal
expression had been Khonu’s first work. Since that night, he had
made many more golden offerings.
Khonu shook the memories from his mind. It was time to get
home—his children would be wondering where he was.
STOP AND CHECK
How did Khonu
save Titu?
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Summarize
Use details from The Little Golden
Details
Point of
View
Llama to summarize what the
author thinks about artisans and
their influence on culture. Use
the graphic organizer to help
you.
Text Evidence
1. What text features tell you that The Little Golden Llama
is historical fiction? GENRE
2. Whose point of view does the author mainly show
you? How can you tell? POINT OF VIEW
3. The suffix –able means worthy of. How does this help
you define valuable on page 2? GREEK AND LATIN
SUFFIXES
4. Write about Khonu’s plan from Thonapu’s point of
view.
WRITE ABOUT READING
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Compare Texts
Read about a boy whose work is important to
his culture.
All Work and No Play
Characters:
ROWAN (a glazier, or someone who works with glass)
MASTER BROM (the master glazier)
FRENDREL (an apprentice)
BORIN (a glazier)
ULRIC (a glazier)
Scene: The year is 1200. In a small camp near a
cathedral, glaziers are preparing to work on one of the
cathedral’s stained glass windows.
ROWAN: Come here quickly, Frendrel! Pull on this rope!
FRENDREL hurries to grab the tent rope. ROWAN hits
a tent stake with a mallet, securing the rope.
MASTER BROM: (out of sight, calls from the other side of
the awning) Frendrel! Where is my grozing iron?
I need it to cut this piece of glass.
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cathedral
tent
cart
rope
Illustration: James Watson
Frendrel
Still holding the rope, FRENDREL looks back and forth
from ROWAN to MASTER BROM, unsure what to do.
FRENDREL: Coming, master! As soon as I can!
BORIN: (unloading from the back of a cart) Frendrel! Help
me carry this table!
ULRIC: (searching through a trunk on the ground nearby)
Frendrel, I can’t find my hog’s hair brush!
FRENDREL runs to the cart, finds
and runs to MASTER BROM with
to BORIN and helps him carry the
ULRIC find his brush. FRENDREL
the grozing iron,
it. He runs back
table, then helps
is looking flustered.
MASTER BROM: (coming over to the table) Now, Frendrel,
fetch me the parchment and a cup of water. I am so
thirsty!
The others stop what they are doing and gather around
FRENDREL .
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BORIN: And I!
ROWAN: And I!
ULRIC: And I as well!
FRENDREL hands the parchment to MASTER BROM,
then delivers cups of water. He trips and stumbles. The
glaziers are placing their tools and pieces of colored
glass on the table. MASTER BROM is looking at the
parchment.
FRENDREL: (panting) What story will this window show,
Master Brom?
MASTER BROM: A farmer harvesting his crop under
the hot sun. It’s a lesson in the value of hard work.
Something you would do well to learn, boy!
MASTER BROM shakes his finger at FRENDREL , who
groans and collapses to the ground.
Make Connections
How do the glaziers and the apprentice in All Work
and No Play contribute to their culture? ESSENTIAL
QUESTION
What do The Little Golden Llama and All Work and No
Play tell you about artisans or skilled workers? TEXT
TO TEXT
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2R
Flashbacks
Flashbacks are parts of text that tell what
happened in an earlier time from the main story or article. They
can be used in both fiction and nonfiction.
Flashbacks can provide background about a character or
event or a point of view about events. They can be indicated
in italics to let the reader know that the section of text is set in
a different time. A flashback can also be the main part of the
story, for example, when a character is remembering things
from the past.
Read and Find In The Little Golden Llama, the story starts with
a section in italics. The italics let the reader know that the text is
set in a different time from the main story. At the beginning of
the story, Khonu is an old man. He is looking at a herd of llamas
and thinking back to when he was a boy.
The last line on page 2 indicates that we will now go back in time
to when Khonu was a boy.
The story ends with another section in italics. The section tells us
that the story has returned to Khonu as an old man.
Your Turn
With a partner, think about how much the boy Khonu cares
for Titu. Then write a flashback of the first time Khonu saw
Titu in his uncle’s herd. How did he meet the llama?
What did he notice about Titu, and what did Khonu like
about the llama?
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Literature Circles
Fiction
Setting
Where did The Little Golden Llama take place?
During what time period did it take place?
Plot
What did Khonu do to save Titu?
What was the result?
Conclusions
Looking back as an old man, what did Khonu
think about his plan to save Titu?
Author’s Purpose
What is the author’s purpose for writing
The Little Golden Llama?
Make Connections
How is The Little Golden Llama similar to other
historical fiction you have read?
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Influences
GR U • Benchmark 50 • Lexile TK
Grade 6 • Unit 2 Week 4
www.mheonline.com
ISBN-13 978-0-02-118674-7
MHID 0-02-118674-X
99701
EAN
9 780021 186747
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