Question

And the Eldest Magician said, “How wise are little children who see and are silent! What was the beast like?”



And the little girl-daughter said, “He was round and he was flat; and his eyes grew upon stalks; and he walked sideways like this; and he was covered with strong armour upon his back.”



And the Eldest Magician said, “How wise are little children who speak truth! Now I know where Pau Amma went. Give me the paddle!”



–“The Crab That Played with the Sea,”

Rudyard Kipling

What evidence supports the conclusion that the author’s purpose is to teach a moral to children?

“He was round and he was flat.”
“Now I know where Pau Amma went.’”
“He was covered with strong armour upon his back.”
“How wise are little children who speak truth!”

Answer 1

“How wise are little children who speak truth!”

This line explicitly states a moral lesson (praising truthfulness in children), showing the author’s intent to teach that value.