Summary of 'The Adventures of Toto' (Class 9)

The author's Grandfather was an animal lover who ran a private zoo in his house. One day, he bought a pretty, mischievous little red monkey named Toto from a tonga-driver for five rupees. Because Grandmother hated new pets, Toto's presence was initially kept a secret. However, Toto immediately showed his true colors by tearing the wallpaper and shredding the author's school blazer into pieces.

Toto was a menace. He was transferred to the servants' quarters where he didn't allow the other animals to sleep. When Grandfather took him to Saharanpur in a canvas bag, Toto poked his head out at the station, scaring the ticket collector who charged Grandfather an extra three rupees, classifying Toto as a 'dog'!

At home, Toto almost boiled himself alive. He got into a large kitchen kettle to take a warm bath but didn't realize there was a fire underneath. Luckily, Grandmother rescued him just in time.

The final straw came during lunch. Toto grabbed a large dish of pullao (rice) and started eating it. When Grandmother screamed, he threw a plate at her. He then took the dish, climbed a jackfruit tree, ate all the rice, and deliberately threw the empty dish down, breaking it into a hundred pieces. Grandfather finally realized that Toto was too destructive to keep as a pet. He found the tonga-driver and sold Toto back to him for only three rupees, suffering a loss of two rupees.