Reading Group Guide and Activities
Discussion Questions
Casper came to the United States with very little money. He eventually started a company and worked long and hard until his Swiss cheese factory became the biggest one in Wisconsin. Name 3 things that made Casper a successful businessman. How did these things help him become successful?
When Casper was working at the Coldren Cheese Factory, he, his wife, Frieda, and their young son, Fritz, lived right upstairs. Do you think you’d like to live so close to where your mother or father works? What would be the advantages? What would be the difficulties?
The photos in this book add to a reader’s understanding of how cow’s milk was made into Swiss cheese at Casper’s factory. Which photo told you the most about Casper’s life and work? Explain what you learned from that image.
Have you heard the saying, “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket”? After you read chapter 6, think about those words. Do you think Casper followed this advice? If so, what did he do? Can you think of an example of a time in your life when you didn’t put all your eggs in one basket?
Casper’s father taught him about cheese making. What crafts, skills, or traditions have your parents or grandparents passed on to you? Teach your friends how to do one of those things you’ve learned from a relative.
Host a Swiss cheese–tasting test. Have a paper and pencil for each cheese taster. Buy 3 different kinds of Swiss cheese. Try to find one from Green County or elsewhere in Wisconsin, one from another part of the United States, and one from Switzerland. Cut up the cheese and keep the 3 types separate. Only one person should know which cheese is which! Take a sample of the first cheese and write down what you think about it. What does it taste like? What does it smell like? Does it remind you of anything else? Take a look at the holes. If you were a cheese grader like the man who visited Casper’s factory, what grade would you give it? Before sampling the next one, eat a cracker to clear your palate. After your friends or classmates have tried all 3 and written down their opinions of each, it’s time to find out which cheese is from which location. Were they surprised to discover where their favorite Swiss cheese was made?
The idea for this book came from Casper’s son, Fritz. He shared many of the photos you see in this book with Bobbie Malone of the Wisconsin Historical Society Press. Then the author, Jerry Apps, interviewed Fritz to ask him about his father’s life. If you were going to tell the story of one of your family members, whose would you tell? Interview that person and then write up an outline of the book you’d like a publisher to print. What do you think will make your relative’s story interesting to readers?