Elementary School Reading Quiz: Retell Stories And Identify Author And Illustrator
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Retell Stories And Identify Author And IllustratorQuestion 1 of 19

Emma loves to read a book called 'The Little Red Hen.' She notices that Maria Lopez wrote the words and David Chen drew all the pictures. The book tells the story of a hen who works hard to make bread.

If Emma wanted to thank someone for creating the words that tell what happens in the story, who should she thank?

Maria Lopez, because she is the author who wrote the story
David Chen, because he drew the pictures that show the story
The Little Red Hen, because she is the main character in the story
Both Maria and David, because they both worked on making the book
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Elementary School Reading Quiz

Elementary School Reading Quiz: Retell Stories And Identify Author And Illustrator

Practice Retell Stories And Identify Author And Illustrator in Elementary School Reading with focused quiz questions that help you check what you know, review explanations, and build confidence with test-style prompts.

What this quiz covers

This quiz focuses on Retell Stories And Identify Author And Illustrator, giving you a quick way to practice the rules, question types, and explanations that matter most for Elementary School Reading.

How to use this quiz

Try each quiz question before looking at the correct answer. Use the explanations to review missed ideas, then come back to similar questions until the pattern feels familiar.

All questions

Question 1

Emma loves to read a book called 'The Little Red Hen.' She notices that Maria Lopez wrote the words and David Chen drew all the pictures. The book tells the story of a hen who works hard to make bread.

If Emma wanted to thank someone for creating the words that tell what happens in the story, who should she thank?

  1. Maria Lopez, because she is the author who wrote the story (correct answer)
  2. David Chen, because he drew the pictures that show the story
  3. The Little Red Hen, because she is the main character in the story
  4. Both Maria and David, because they both worked on making the book
Explanation: The author is the person who writes the words and creates the story. Maria Lopez is identified as the author, so she wrote the words that tell what happens. David Chen is the illustrator who drew the pictures. While both contributed to the book, only the author creates the words of the story.

Question 2

Jake looks at a book called 'Funny Farm Animals' and sees 'Created by Lisa Park' on the cover. His teacher explains that Lisa Park did all the work on this book by herself.

What does this mean about Lisa Park's role in creating this book?

  1. She only wrote the words, and the publisher added pictures later
  2. She only drew the pictures, and someone else wrote the words
  3. She helped the real author and illustrator check their work
  4. She worked as both the author and illustrator for the entire book (correct answer)
Explanation: When you see a reading question about who created a book, pay attention to key clues about the person's role. The passage tells you that Lisa Park "did all the work on this book by herself," which is your most important clue. The correct answer is D because when someone does "all the work" on a book by themselves, they handle every part of creating it - both writing the words (author's job) and making the pictures (illustrator's job). The phrase "Created by Lisa Park" combined with "did all the work on this book by herself" tells you she was responsible for the entire book. Let's see why the other answers don't fit: Answer A suggests she only wrote words while publishers added pictures later, but this contradicts "did all the work by herself." Answer B claims she only drew pictures while someone else wrote words, which also goes against doing all the work alone. Answer C says she just helped check other people's work, but helping someone else isn't the same as doing all the work yourself. When you encounter reading questions about books and their creators, look for signal words like "all the work," "by herself," or "alone." These phrases tell you about the complete scope of someone's involvement. Also remember that many children's books have the same person working as both author and illustrator, especially when the text emphasizes they did everything themselves.

Question 3

Hannah is looking at 'Ocean Adventures' by Captain Mark Stevens with illustrations by Rachel Torres. She wants to write fan mail to thank someone for making the ocean animals look so real and exciting in the pictures.

Who should Hannah write to, and what should she thank them for?

  1. Captain Mark Stevens, for writing such an exciting story about ocean animals
  2. Rachel Torres, for creating illustrations that made the ocean animals look real (correct answer)
  3. Both people, since they both worked equally on making the animals look real
  4. The publisher, since they decided what the ocean animals should look like
Explanation: Rachel Torres is the illustrator who created the pictures. Since Hannah specifically wants to thank someone for how the animals look in the pictures, she should write to the illustrator who was responsible for the visual artwork.

Question 4

Maya finds a book called 'Rainy Day Fun' and sees two names on the cover: 'Text by Oliver Chang, Pictures by Nina Rodriguez.' She wonders why there are two different people listed.

Why does this book have two different people listed on the cover?

  1. One person wrote the story and a different person created the pictures (correct answer)
  2. Both people wrote the story together using the same words
  3. Both people drew pictures together for every page of the book
  4. One person started the book and the other person finished it later
Explanation: The credits show that Oliver Chang wrote the text (author role) while Nina Rodriguez created the pictures (illustrator role). Many books have different people doing these two different jobs to create the complete book.

Question 5

Mrs. Davis reads 'The Helpful Elephant' to her class. When she asks Noah to retell the story, he says: 'An elephant helped some animals fix problems in the jungle. All the animals became good friends.'

What question should Mrs. Davis ask Noah to help him give more details in his retelling?

  1. What did the elephant look like in the pictures?
  2. Who wrote this book and who drew the pictures?
  3. Did you like this story better than other elephant stories?
  4. What problems did the elephant help fix and how? (correct answer)
Explanation: When helping young readers improve their story retellings, teachers focus on encouraging students to include the key story elements: characters, setting, problem, and solution. Noah gave a very general summary, but he missed the specific details that make a story complete and interesting. Answer D is correct because it directly asks Noah to elaborate on the central elements he mentioned but didn't explain. When Mrs. Davis asks "What problems did the elephant help fix and how?" she's guiding Noah to think about the specific challenges the animals faced and the elephant's actions to solve them. This type of question helps students practice identifying cause and effect, sequencing events, and recalling important plot details. Answer A focuses only on illustration details, which don't help with story comprehension or retelling skills. While pictures support understanding, asking about the elephant's appearance won't improve Noah's ability to retell the plot. Answer B asks about author and illustrator information, which is completely unrelated to story retelling and doesn't help Noah practice narrative skills. Answer C asks for Noah's opinion compared to other stories, but this shifts away from comprehension of the current story and toward personal preference, which won't help him retell this specific tale better. Remember that good retelling questions should always push students to elaborate on story elements they mentioned but didn't fully explain. Look for questions that ask "what," "how," "why," or "when" about the main story events rather than questions about opinions, book facts, or minor illustration details.

Question 6

Katie is holding a book called 'The Brave Little Mouse' written by Robert Kim and illustrated by Susan Martinez. Her friend asks her what the author and illustrator do to make a book.

What should Katie tell her friend about how the author and illustrator work together to tell the story?

  1. The author draws pictures and the illustrator writes words to tell the story
  2. The author writes the words and the illustrator draws pictures to tell the story (correct answer)
  3. Both the author and illustrator write words together to tell the story
  4. Both the author and illustrator draw pictures together to tell the story
Explanation: The author's role is to write the words that tell the story, while the illustrator's role is to create pictures that help tell or show the story. They have different but complementary roles in creating a book.

Question 7

Tyler looks at a book called 'Space Adventure' by Dr. Patricia Lee with artwork by James Wilson. He loves the colorful pictures of planets and spaceships.

If Tyler wants to tell James Wilson what he liked most about the book, what should he focus on?

  1. How exciting the story was and what happened to the characters
  2. How the pictures helped him understand and enjoy the story (correct answer)
  3. How well the words in the book were written and organized
  4. How much he learned about real space facts from reading the book
Explanation: James Wilson is the illustrator who created the artwork. When giving feedback to an illustrator, Tyler should focus on the pictures and how they contributed to his understanding or enjoyment of the story.

Question 8

During story time, Rachel listens to 'The Friendly Dragon' and then retells it: 'A dragon lived in a cave and was very lonely. Some children were afraid of him at first, but then they became friends and played together every day.'

If the teacher says Rachel did a good job retelling, what did Rachel remember to include?

  1. She described exactly what the dragon looked like in the pictures
  2. She mentioned the author and illustrator of the book by name
  3. She included the main character, the problem, and how it was solved (correct answer)
  4. She used the exact same words that were written in the original book
Explanation: Rachel included the key elements of a good retelling: the main character (dragon), the problem (loneliness), and the solution (making friends with children). This shows she understood the story structure.

Question 9

Ms. Chen asks her class to retell 'Goldilocks and the Three Bears.' Anna says: 'Goldilocks went into the bears' house when they weren't home. She tried their porridge, chairs, and beds. When the bears came back, she ran away.'

What could Anna add to make her retelling more complete?

  1. She should tell what Goldilocks looked like in the pictures
  2. She should name the author and illustrator of the specific book version
  3. She should explain what happened with each thing Goldilocks tried (correct answer)
  4. She should describe the bears' house in more detail from the pictures
Explanation: Anna mentioned that Goldilocks tried the porridge, chairs, and beds, but didn't explain what happened with each (too hot/cold/just right, too hard/soft, etc.). Adding these details would make the retelling more complete and show better understanding of the story sequence.

Question 10

During story time, Mrs. Garcia shows the class a book about a lost puppy. Alex retells the story: 'There was a puppy named Max who got lost in the park. A girl named Lucy found him and took him home. Then Max lived happily with Lucy forever.'

If the actual story ended with Max being returned to his original family who had been looking for him, what mistake did Alex make in his retelling?

  1. He told the story events in the wrong order from beginning to end
  2. He forgot to mention the names of the author and illustrator
  3. He changed the ending and how the problem was solved (correct answer)
  4. He added too many details about what the characters looked like
Explanation: Alex changed the story's ending from Max being returned to his original family to Max staying with Lucy forever. This changes how the main problem (the lost puppy) was resolved, which is a crucial part of accurate retelling.

Question 11

Kevin is reading 'The Lost Kitten' written by Sandra Green and illustrated by Tom Baker. He wants to create his own book about a lost puppy.

If Kevin writes his own story, what jobs will he need to do to make a complete book like the one he read?

  1. He only needs to write the words since that's the most important part
  2. He only needs to draw pictures since children like books with pictures
  3. He needs to write the words and draw pictures to tell his story (correct answer)
  4. He needs to copy the same story but change the kitten to a puppy
Explanation: To create a complete book like the example, Kevin would need to do both jobs - be the author (write the words/story) and the illustrator (create the pictures). Both roles are important for telling a story in a picture book.

Question 12

Mr. Peterson reads 'The Magic Garden' to his students. When he asks Lisa to retell the story, she says: 'A girl planted seeds. The plants grew really big. The end.'

What would help Lisa give a better retelling of the story?

  1. She should describe what all the pictures in the book looked like
  2. She should tell who wrote the book and who drew the pictures
  3. She should include more details about what happened and how the story ended (correct answer)
  4. She should read the story again using the exact same words as the book
Explanation: Lisa's retelling is too brief and missing important story details. A good retelling should include the main characters, the problem or main events, and how the story ends, with enough detail to understand what happened.

Question 13

Ben is looking at the cover of 'Trucks and Trains' and sees 'Story by Carlos Rivera, Pictures by Amy Chen.' He wants to learn more about how trains work.

If Ben wants to ask questions about the information and facts in the book, who should he contact?

  1. Amy Chen, because she drew the pictures that show the trains and trucks
  2. Carlos Rivera, because he wrote the story and chose what information to include (correct answer)
  3. Both Carlos and Amy, because they both know the same information about trains
  4. A real train driver, because the book people just made up the train information
Explanation: Carlos Rivera is the author who wrote the story and decided what information and facts to include in the text. While the illustrator creates pictures, the author is responsible for the written content and information in the book.

Question 14

During reading time, Sophia retells 'Little Red Riding Hood': 'A girl walked through the forest to visit someone. She met a wolf who tricked her. Everything worked out fine in the end.'

What important details should Sophia include to improve her retelling?

  1. Who the girl was visiting and how the wolf tricked her (correct answer)
  2. What the girl and wolf looked like in the book's pictures
  3. The names of the author and illustrator of this version
  4. The exact words the characters said to each other
Explanation: Sophia's retelling is too vague. She should include key story details like Red Riding Hood visiting her grandmother and how the wolf disguised himself. These details are important for understanding the story events.

Question 15

Sarah is looking at a book called 'My Pet Hamster' by Jennifer White with pictures by Michael Brown. She wants to write a letter to someone to ask how they got ideas for the funny pictures of the hamster doing tricks.

Who should Sarah write her letter to, and why?

  1. Jennifer White, because the author decides what pictures go in the book
  2. Michael Brown, because the illustrator creates and draws the pictures (correct answer)
  3. Both Jennifer and Michael, because they both work on the pictures together
  4. The hamster, because the pictures show what the hamster actually did
Explanation: Michael Brown is identified as the illustrator (the one who made the pictures). Illustrators are responsible for creating and drawing the pictures, including coming up with visual ideas. The author writes the words, but the illustrator creates the artwork.

Question 16

After reading 'The Magic Seeds,' Zoe retells the story: 'A farmer planted special seeds that his grandmother gave him. He took good care of them and they grew into plants that could talk and help him with his work.'

What part of a complete retelling did Zoe include that shows she understood the story well?

  1. She described exactly what the talking plants looked like
  2. She mentioned who wrote and illustrated this particular book
  3. She told the story using exactly the same words as the original book
  4. She explained both what happened and why it was special or magical (correct answer)
Explanation: When you're evaluating story retellings, look for whether the student captured the main elements that make the story meaningful and complete, not just surface details. Zoe's retelling demonstrates strong comprehension because she explained both what happened (a farmer planted special seeds and cared for them) and why it was important or magical (the plants could talk and help with work). This shows she understood the story's central conflict and magical elements, which is exactly what answer D describes. A complete retelling should include the key events and what makes them significant. Let's see why the other choices don't represent good retelling skills. Choice A is incorrect because describing what characters look like focuses on minor visual details rather than the story's meaning. While details can be nice, they're not essential for showing comprehension. Choice B is wrong because mentioning the author and illustrator is about book knowledge, not story understanding - you could know who created a book without understanding what happens in it. Choice C misses the mark because using the exact same words as the original would be memorization, not retelling. Good retellings should be in the student's own words to show they truly understood the story. When evaluating retellings, remember that the best ones capture both the "what" and the "why" of a story. Look for students who can explain what happened and what made those events important, special, or meaningful - this shows they really understood the story's heart, not just its surface events.

Question 17

During story circle, Ethan retells 'The Tortoise and the Hare': 'There was a race between a tortoise and a rabbit. The rabbit was very fast but got lazy. The tortoise kept going slowly and won the race.'

What shows that Ethan understood the main message of this story in his retelling?

  1. He remembered that it was a race between two different animals
  2. He explained how being slow and steady helped the tortoise win (correct answer)
  3. He described what the animals looked like in the pictures
  4. He used the correct names for the tortoise and hare characters
Explanation: Ethan showed he understood the story's lesson about persistence and hard work by explaining that the tortoise won by keeping going while the rabbit got lazy. This demonstrates comprehension of the story's theme, not just the events.

Question 18

Isabella finds a book called 'Dancing Bears' written and illustrated by Maria Santos. She notices that the same person's name appears twice on the cover.

What does this tell Isabella about how this book was made?

  1. Maria Santos wrote the words and also drew all the pictures for the book (correct answer)
  2. Maria Santos only wrote the words, and someone else drew the pictures
  3. Maria Santos only drew the pictures, and someone else wrote the words
  4. There was a mistake on the cover, and Maria Santos only did one job
Explanation: When the same person is credited as both author and illustrator (written and illustrated by), it means that one person did both jobs - writing the words and creating the pictures for the book.

Question 19

During reading circle, Marcus retells 'The Three Little Pigs': 'Three pigs built houses. A wolf came and blew down the stick house and the straw house. The pigs all ran to the brick house and were safe.'

What important story element is missing from Marcus's retelling?

  1. He didn't explain why the wolf wanted to catch the pigs
  2. He didn't mention what happened to the wolf at the end (correct answer)
  3. He didn't describe what the houses looked like in the pictures
  4. He didn't say who the author and illustrator of the book were
Explanation: Marcus told most of the story but left out the resolution - what happened to the wolf after the pigs were safe in the brick house. A complete retelling should include how all the main story problems are resolved.