Jean-Pierre by L.L. Weedon
Jim, newly arrived in England for his first winter, is small, thin and frail for his age, unable to keep up with his cousins Oswald, Molly and Bobs. While the others rush out to play in the snow, Jim stays behind by the fire with Aunt Margaret's St. Bernard, The Viking, who tells him that bigness is not the same as bravery, citing Jean-Pierre, a boy with a crooked back who was small like Jim yet "splendid." The Viking recounts his own history: born in Switzerland among the mountains where the monks of St. Bernard trained dogs, including his father Mon Brave, to rescue lost travellers. One winter, two children, Jean-Pierre and his little sister Rose Marie, called "the Fairy of the Mountains," were left alone when their father was cut off by snow while away buying food. Jean-Pierre's note explained that, with no food for three days, he and Rose Marie would attempt the lower pass to reach the Monastery, and that he would keep her from the cold. Mon Brave was sent ahead through a heavy storm, and that night the puppies heard the dogs' baying announcing the children had been found. Monks went out with lanterns along the narrow, perilous track. Mon Brave returned carrying Rose Marie strapped to his back, wrapped in Jean-Pierre's own coat, socks and shirt, which he had given her to keep her warm. The Viking's story trails off as the other children return from their snow games, and Jim, still thinking of Jean-Pierre's courage and devotion to his sister, agrees that it was "splendid."
By L.L. Weedon · Genre: Children's Literature, Adventure, Historical Fiction · 1,484 words
First lines
THE STORY OF THE ST. BERNARD
IT was their first winter in England, and the Buckland children were staring out of the window at the snowflakes that tumbled over each other in their hurry to reach the ground.
Similar titles
- A Little Queen Of Hearts by Ruth Ogden
- The Princess And The Goblin by George Macdonald
- A Centurion Of The Thirtieth by Rudyard Kipling
- The Knights Of The Joyous Venture by Rudyard Kipling
- The Wonderful Wizard Of Oz by L. Frank Baum
- The Story Of A Woolly Dog by Laura Lee Hope
Genres
- Children's Literature — Written for young readers with simple prose, moral lessons about character over physical capability, and protagonists who are children.
- Adventure — Core narrative centers on survival in harsh Alpine mountain conditions, rescue operations in dangerous snowstorms, and physical challenges that drive the plot.
- Historical Fiction — Set in historical Alpine monasteries with period details about rescue dog training by monks, traditional winter survival methods, and the cultural context of the Swiss mountains.
- Fantasy — Features a talking St. Bernard dog who narrates a story, blending realistic elements with magical realism through anthropomorphic animal characters.
Tags
children's literature · fairy tales · Victorian fiction · animal narrators · dogs · rescue dogs · St. Bernard dogs · Switzerland · mountains · monastery · winter · snow
What this Textopian page supports
Jean-Pierre is listed on Textopian as a short story by L.L. Weedon, dated Date unknown.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: L.L. Weedon
- Date: Date unknown
- Language: English
- Genres: Children's Literature, Adventure, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Fairy Tale
- Length: 1,484 words
- Structure: 1 section, 26 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Jean-Pierre by L.L. Weedon
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph