CHECK OUT OUR APP!

SEPTEMBER 2016
www.Highlights.com

TC
CATHE H
F U N!
Page 14

BUG
TRAPPage 30

DRAGON
TO THE

RESCUE!
Page 8
 onth
Fu n This M This year,
National
Grandpare
nts Day
is celebrat
ed on
Playground Puzzler September
It’s time for recess! 11.
Help Rachelle find
her way to the
swing set. START

4 Steps to a
Happy Autumn
1 . Make a card for a grandparent.
2. With permission, rake leaves for
a neighbor.
3. Collect cans of food to give to
a local food bank.
4. Do something fun with your
FINISH
family at least once a week,
Answer on page 38.
such as making a puzzle, playing
a game, or watching a movie.

10 for 10
A Memory Game tery Photo
ys
M
Select 10 items, and arrange them on
.
er on pa ge 38

the f loor. Ask a friend to look at the

items for 10 seconds. Then challenge
your friend to look away and name
as many items as he or she can
sw

remember. Switch places and have

An

your friend test you with 10 different

items. Whoever can remember the
most is the winner.

Find tdheaech P icturectsures

Tongue Twister of these 13 pi
Can you fin
this magazine?
Clara cleaned at another place in
the cluttered
cupboard.
 Dear Reader By Christine French Cully
SEPTEMBER 2016
t
70-6.&

t
/6.#&3

t
*446&
/0
 Editor in Chief
Founded in 1946 by Garry C. Myers, Ph.D.,
and Caroline Clark Myers
Editor in Chief: Christine French Cully
https://vk.com/readinglecture
Vice President, Magazine Group Editorial: Jamie Bryant

Neighbors
Creative Director: Marie O’Neill
Editor: Judy Burke
Art Director: Patrick Greenish, Jr.
Senior Editors: Joëlle Dujardin, Carolyn P. Yoder
Associate Editor: Linda K. Rose

in Nature
Assistant Editors: Allison Kane, Annie Beer Rodriguez
Copy Editor: Joan Prevete Hyman
Senior Production Artist: Dave Justice
Contributing Science Editor: Andrew Boyles
Editorial Offices: 
$IVSDI
4USFFU
)POFTEBMF
1"


&NBJM
FET!IJHIMJHIUTDPN
One late spring day, I saw a wild
5P
TVCNJU
NBOVTDSJQUT
HP
UP
)JHIMJHIUTTVCNJUUBCMFDPN turkey and several of her chicks along
8SJUFST
ZPVOHFS
UIBO

QMFBTF
VTF
UIF
QPTUBM
BEESFTT
BCPWF

CEO: Kent S. Johnson

the road near my home. I slowed to look at
Vice President, International: Andy Shafran the f luffy babies as they scuttled around their
Business Offices: 1800 Watermark Drive,
P.O. Box 269, Columbus, OH 43216-0269. mother’s legs, but they quickly moved into the long grass. The
Copyright © 2016, Highlights for Children, Inc.
All rights reserved.
next day, I read about the wild turkey and its chicks, called
HIGHLIGHTS FOR CHILDREN is published monthly. poults, in Nature Watch on page 18. I realized that the poults
*44/
9
QSJOU
I saw were still covered with down, which was why they looked
*44/

POMJOF

Designed for use in the classroom. fuzzier—and cuter—than their mother.

Sometimes we make our list of customer names and addresses
available to carefully screened companies whose products and Where I live, we often see wild turkeys. We see other
services might be of interest to you. We never provide children’s
names. If you do not wish to receive these mailings, please contact wildlife, too, every day. Last night, we saw several deer in a
us and include your account number.
nearby field, and earlier this week we saw a red fox.
Printed by RR Donnelley, Glasgow, KY.
Periodical postage paid at Columbus, Ohio; It may be easier to see sights like these in the
Toronto, Ontario; and at additional mailing offices.
country, but even city dwellers can find plenty of
U.S. Postmaster: Send address changes to Highlights for Children,
P.O. Box 6038, Harlan, IA 51593-1538. nature to watch. I have a young friend who keeps a
Canada Post: Publications Mail Agreement No. 40065670.
Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to P.O. Box 1255, list of all the different birds she sees in her urban
Georgetown, ON L7G 4X7.
To order, make a payment, change your address,
neighborhood. When I lived in a city, I once stopped
or for other customer-service needs, such as changing to watch ants hard at work near an anthill on the
your contact preference, please contact us:
t
0OMJOF
XXX)JHIMJHIUTDPN sidewalk. It was fascinating!
t
$BMM

t
8SJUF


10
#PY

)BSMBO
*"
 Sharing the world with other living creatures is
one of the things that makes life interesting. Do you
As part of our mission to help make the world a better place agree? I hope you’ll write and tell me about the nature
for the children of today and tomorrow, Highlights is committed
to making responsible business decisions that will protect our you see near your home.
natural resources and reduce our environmental impact.

AWARDS Highlights has been given awards by The Association

Your friend, Write to me!
of Educational Publishers, Family Choice Awards, Freedoms
Foundation, Graphic Arts Association, iParenting Media, Magazine Christine@Highlights.com
Design and Production, National Association for Gifted Children,
National Conference of Christians and Jews, National Parenting
Center, National Safety Council, Parents’ Choice, Parent’s Guide
to Children’s Media Awards, and Printing Industry Association.
HighlightsKids.com is a participant in the Kids Privacy Safe Harbor
program of the Children’s Advertising Review Unit (CARU) of the
Council of Better Business Bureaus.
This magazine of wholesome fun
is dedicated to helping children grow in basic skills and knowledge,
in creativeness, in ability to think and reason,
in sensitivity to others, in high ideals and worthy ways of living—
for children are the world’s most important people .
®
 70-6.&  Ŕ /6.#&3  Ŕ *446& /0 

Dear Highlights,
Tickle
the Keys!
—Reagan, Texas September is
o
National Pian
Month.
Here are a few ideas to try, Reagan. Have fun!

1 Cut up scraps of 2 Collect tiny stickers, 3 Learn to make

ribbon and fabric to and use them as stick-on different types of braids.
make colorful hair ties. barrettes. Practice on your doll!

16

8 20
6 BrainPlay 10 Goofus and
What toppings do you like Gallant®
to put on foods? Oh boy, someone left
popcorn everywhere!
7 If the World Were
Made of Rhyme 11 Gallant Kids
Poodles twirling noodles. Braden Lefevre teaches
karate to adults with
8 Dragon Tears disabilities.
Needed!
The town’s well is dry. Will 12 Crafts
the dragon save the day? A dog-leash holder,
a squirrel bank, and
two games.
16 Across the
14 Hidden Pictures ® Playground
Puzzle Annie helps her little brother
This school is (literally!) on his first day of school.
a zoo.
18 Nature Watch
15 Jokes Turkey chicks are
Silly space jokes and more. quick learners.

https://vk.com/readinglecture
 Hot Stuff!
The colors
of
the therma
l pools
at Yellowsto
ne
National Pa
rk are
partly a res
ult of
bacteria.

19 Play “Who 28 Check . . . and

Guesses Best?” Double Check
It’s a family game show! Llamas in pajamas!

20 Protecting the 30 My Sci

Parks
One hundred years ago,
Stephen Mather rescued
our national parks.
22 Hippos Hippos
Take a sensory tour of
Africa with this poem.
25 Animal Switcheroo
Which two need to switch?
Find out the best way to
get rid of skunk spray.
32 Game On!
Will Devin’s strategy help
his team win the game?
39 Paws and Think
Taking care of your eyes.
36 Your Own Pages
40 Ask Arizona®
See drawings and poems by
creative kids like Catherine. Arizona finds a way to feel
close to her grandparents.

26 Voyage to Pluto 42 Dear Highlights

The spacecraft New How to choose a lead singer
Horizons learned a lot for your band.
when it sped
past Pluto.
43 Picture Puzzler
Happy Wolf Welcome to Pasta Plaza!
Catherine Kakuk
"HF

Ŕ
8BTIJOHUPO
SEPTEMBER 2016 5
 ST
Ta
AR
ke
Ho yo

If animals could
T
w ur b
far ra
ca in o
ny n
ou a h
have pets, what go ike
pets do you ? . What
think they’d toppings
have?
do you
put on
foods?
Name some kinds
of signals.

y people know y
an ou
m h
’t

av
n
do

e?
l ls
What ski

FISH ON A DISH.
A NAME ON A FRAME.
What rhyming
things do you have
in your home?
How is a
promise like an
u
a t do yo agreement? HO
Wh lots of W
IS IT DIFFERENT
have our ?
in y ?
room

If no spacecraft had ever been

sent into outer space, what things
wouldn’t we know?

THE
END “I FEEL
BOTH GLAD
AND SAD
ABOUT
MOVING,”
All bears are Lucy said.
What does it mean
to say that someone
mammals, but not all What else is famous?
mammals are bears. could make
someone WOULD YOU LIKE
HOW CAN THAT BE? feel glad TO BE FAMOUS?
and sad? Why or why not?
If the World
Were Made
of Rhyme
B Eil
By Eileen Spinelli
S i lli
Art by Valentina Mendicino

Poodles would twirl noodles.

Cats would dance with bats.
Noses would blow roses
and rats sail off in hats.
Bears would wear long underwear.
Snails would bring the mail.
Hermit crabs would ride in cabs
and whales spout fairy tales.
But then . . .
Kites might bite.
And pink might stink.
And ink might flow
from bathroom sinks.
A world in rhyme
where teapots rot?
Then again . . .
maybe
not.

SEPTEMBER 2016 7
Dragon
Tears
N eeded!
By Maggie Murphy
Art by Susan Batori
S loosh, slosh. Davy ffilled a
bucket with water from a swift ift
creek.
k Weeks agoago, a rroaming
imp had dried up the town’s
well. Now Davy had to walk for
miles each day, carrying water
to his grandmother’s cottage
near the edge of town.
He set the heavy bucket on
the creek’s grassy bank. Then he
cooled his feet in the shallows,
careful not to disturb a water
strider’s perfect balance. A frog
croaked. Ducks paddled by.
Davy jumped up and turned
a cartwheel. “The creek’s a fine
place,”” he said to a duck, “so how
could I complain about coming
here?” Still, trudging back
beneath the searing sun, he
thought, What if the dragon has
forgotten us?
You see, a traveling wizard
had told the town’s
town s mayor,
mayor “The
The
only way to reverse the imp’s
trick is to drop a dragon’s tear
into your well. I’ll send a
friendly dragon your way, but
he’s on his own journey and can’t
stay long. Please understand
that his visit may not solve your
problem. Dragons seldom weep.”
Reaching the cottage, Davy
found his grandmother at the
gate. “I have good news,” she
said, taking the bucket. “The
8
SEPTEMBER 2016
dragon has ar riv
ived.”
“Hooray! ” Davy didid a
handstand. “May I go to
the well and see what
happens?”
“Yes. Remember, though:
no smiles or stunts. The mayor
must simply coax tears from
the dragon.”
On his feet again, Davy said,
“Don’t worry. I’ll act gloomier
than a ghost who’s lost his
gravestone.”
Only a dragon’s tear
could reverse the
imp’s trick.
He waved good-bye, dashed
off, and joined a group of
townsfolk welcoming a dragon
the size of his cottage.
The mayor drew Davy aside
and whispered, “Until the
dragon cries, merriment is
not allowed.”
Davy nodded. “I hope I don’t
seem happy, sir.”
“You’ve never looked more
serious. It’s just a reminder. I’m
thankful for the way you usually
cheer everybody up. However,
this is our only chance for
https://vk.com/readinglecture
magical help.” The mayor
turned to the dragon. “My
friend, are you ready to shed
a tear?”
“I’ll try my best,” said the
dragon, blinking, “but even
onions and toothaches don’t
make dragons cry.”
“So I’ve heard,” said the
mayor, opening a book. “Luckily,
here we have a very sad tale.”
And he read a story that ended
with the death of a faithful dog.
By the time the mayor
finished, most of his audience
was crying. Davy let his own
tears tr
trickle
ickle down his cheeks
cheeks,
hoping to encourage the dragon.
But although the creature’s
pointy ears drooped, his eyes
stayed as dry as the jinxed well.
“What a touching story,” he
said. “I’m terribly sorry I’ve
failed you. Unfortunately, it’s
time I soared away.”
As the mayor thanked the
dragon for visiting, Davy
thought hard. Then he stepped
forward. “Sir Dragon, please
 “Davy,
I’m afraid
this isn’t
quite—”
“Quack!
Quack!”
wait. I’d like to share
something.”
“Dear boy,” said the dragon,
“I’m afraid I haven’t time for
another tragic tale.”
“I’ll be quick. I want to make
my favorite spot, a creek, come
alive for you. My grandmother
loves it there, too. She says the
beautiful place brings tears to
her eyes.”
Davy stepped
forward. “Sir Dragon,
please wait.”
The dragon looked
thoughtful. “I appreciate
charming landscapes, but do
you truly think that telling me
about your beloved creek will
leave me teary-eyed?”
“Oh, I won’t just talk.
I’ll make you feel as if you’re
there. First, I’ll be the water
tumbling downstream.” Davy
somersaulted five times.
https://vk.com/readinglecture
“That’s, um, nice churning
water,” said the dragon.
“Next, you’ll spot a duck,”
said Davy, waddling around.
“Quack! Quack!” Children
giggled. The dragon raised a
claw to cover a smile.
The mayor spoke up. “Davy,
I’m afraid this isn’t quite—”
“A water strider never sinks.”
On all fours, Davy “skated” fast.
A few townspeople bit their
lips, trying not to laugh. To hide
a snicker
snicker, the dragon pretended
to sneeze. “Lad,” he said in a
choked voice, “your performance
is heartfelt. Regrettably, it isn’t
making me sad.”
“Please, Dragon,” begged
Davy, “give me a moment more.
Let your imagination wander to
picture the peaceful creek. Our
scene isn’t complete without a
frog. Croak! Croak!” Hopping
open-mouthed, he stuck out his
tongue and pretended to catch
invisible f lies. “Crr-roaakk!”
Cheeks puffing, the dragon
snorted. Suddenly, he began
laughing so hard his tail
twitched. Two gleaming
teardrops the size of hens’ eggs
pooled in his eyes and slid off
his snout.
Grinning, Davy sprang
forward, caught a falling tear in
forward
his cupped hands, and dropped
it into the well. Snap! The imp’s
spell broke. With a gurgling
sound, pure water filled the well
until it brimmed!
Everyone cheered. The mayor
shook Davy’s hand. “What a
clever idea.”
“Davy,” said the dragon,
“please take a bow—while you
croak like a frog!”
So Davy did.
9
SEPTEMBER 2016
Goaonfd us There’s some of Goofus and Gallant in us all.
When the Gallant shines through, we show our best self.

Gallant
®

Gallant cleans up
his own mess.

Goofus leaves his mess for

someone else to clean up.

“I’m pretty sure it’s a toad. See its

bumpy, dry skin?” says Gallant.

“You don’t know anything! That’s

not an eagle,” says Goofus.

YOUR Goofus and Gallant Moments

“I felt like Goofus “I feel like Goofus “I felt like Goofus
when I kept putting off when I eat with my when I didn’t share.”
cleaning my room.” mouth open.” Aaron, Age 8, Ohio
Ollie, Age 10, Georgia Grace, Age 9, New York

10 SEPTEMBER 2016 Art by Leslie Harrington.

 Gallant
K ds
Braden’s
“Footprints”
What should a brown-belt
karate kid do over the summer?
Braden Lefevre chose to teach
karate to people who might
never have had a chance to learn
it. He created a class for adults
with disabilities at a center that
offers job training for them.
Braden was the center’s first
volunteer to create and teach an
ongoing program. The class was
so popular that the center had to
limit it to 12 students.
“The students taught me
more than I taught them,”
Braden said. One of his students
was blind and in a wheelchair.
Braden asked his instructor,
Guyle Corley, for advice. “He told
me to get him to feel the motion
and he would probably be able to
do it. I tried that and it worked,”
Photo by Jenifer Tull-Gauger.
“I felt like Gallant when
I got all my schoolwork
done and got to hang out
with my friend.”
Aliya, Age 11, California
https://vk.com/readinglecture
Instructors Guyle Corley and Allan Amor
give Braden Lefevre an award for his work.
Braden said. “I learned that
everyone can do something.”
At summer’s end, Braden’s
students gave a 30-minute
karate demonstration in front
of their families and friends.
“They felt like rock stars for the
day,” Braden said. He gave them
certificates for their best skills.
The following summer,
Braden earned his black belt
and returned to the center to
teach karate. He added two new
beginner classes in addition to
an advanced class with his
original students.
When the advanced class
began, Braden said, “I was
assuming that I would have to
reteach some things since it had
been a while.” But the students
remembered what Braden had
“I felt like Gallant
when I introduced a
new girl on my team
to the other kids.”
Titan, Age 8, Missouri
taught them the summer before.
He could tell that they had all
practiced on their own while he’d
been in school.
Braden loves teaching these
students. “I’m really thankful
that I can be around them. It
makes me feel very proud to
know them.”
In presenting Braden with an
award for his work, instructor
Allan Amor said, “Braden made
footprints that are an example
of behavior that other people are
going to be able to follow.”
Highlights is proud to know
this Gallant Kid.
—Jenifer Tull-Gauger
Braden’s Best A dvice
“We need to give
back to the
community. It’s
our home. The
people are what
make it great.”
Tell us when you’ve felt like
Goofus or Gallant! Visit
HighlightsKids.com or write to
Goofus and Gallant Moments
803 Church Street
Honesdale, PA 18431
11
SEPTEMBER 2016
Crafts
Make
Next This
Month
!

Letter
Line-Up
A Game for 4 Players
By Anne Bell

1. Draw a grid on poster

board with five spaces
across and five spaces
down. Use markers to
write the letters of the
alphabet in the spaces,
placing I and J in the
same square. Add a
gift-wrap border.
2. Cut out 25 cards from
cardstock. Write the
letters of the alphabet
on the cards, placing I
and J on the same card.

TO PLAY: Shuff le the cards. if the U card is on the board,

Place five letters on the game
board. Deal five cards to each
player. Take turns placing
letters on the board that fall
before or after letters that are
already there. (For example,
players may place T or V.) If
a player doesn’t have a letter
to play, he or she skips that turn.
The winner is the first player
to place all of his or her cards
on the board.

Craft Challenge! Use stickers, craft foam,

foil, and tape to decorate a notebook cover.

12 SEPTEMBER 2016 Craft samples by Buff McAllister. Photos by Guy Cali Associates, Inc.,
except hands by RFR/Alamy.
 Land
or Sink?
A Game for One Player
By Tara M. Woods

1. Remove the front panel

from a cereal box.
Cover the edges of the
Ha ng a box with duct tape.
leash i 2. Inside the box, use
n paper to make a scene
the dog
’s with a sky and water.
mouth
! 3. For clouds, paint a short
cardboard tube white.
Let it dry. Cut the tube into
six rings, then cut the rings in TO PLAY: Holding
half, forming U shapes. Glue six the edges of the box,
Dog Leash U shapes inside the box. Decorate try to move the ball
them with cotton balls. Use a from cloud 1 to cloud
Holder marker to number the clouds 1–6.
4. Make a small ball from foil. Place
6 without letting it
fall into the water.
By Kathy Ross King the ball in the box.

1. Cut a large bone from

Open h
corrugated cardboard. to add ere
an
Cover it with paper. remove d
2. For the dog, cut two coins!
large triangles from
different-colored
Squirrel Away
cardstock. Glue them
together. Fold down the
Your Money
left and right corners By Kristen White
of the triangle to form
ears, as shown. Add a 1. Glue a circle of thin cardboard over
paper spot on the face. the bottom end of a short cardboard
Glue on wiggle eyes tube. Paint the tube. Let it dry.
and a pompom nose. 2. Pinch the top closed, forming ears.
3. Glue a spring-type 3. Cut feet and arms from paper.
clothespin behind Glue them on. Add wiggle eyes,
the nose with the clip a pompom nose, and an acorn.
facing down. Glue the 4. Cut a tail from craft fur. Glue a
dog to the bone. chenille stick to the back for support.
4. Poke two holes in the Curve the tail, and glue it on.
top of the bone. Tie on
a yarn hanger.

SEPTEMBER 2016 13
 Want ae?
challeng 5
k page 1
Fold bac the
to h id e
clues.
picture

Our School Is a Zoo!

By Rich Powell

In this big picture, find the teacup, sailboat, tack, fish, crescent moon, rake, heart,
bicycle helmet, banana, waffle, bowl, hatchet, worm, comb, pencil, toothbrush,
caterpillar, wedge of cheese, slice of pie, candle, and boot.

14 SEPTEMBER 2016 Check out our Hidden Pictures app!

 JOKES
Picture Clues

teacup “Knock, knock.”

sailboat “Who’s there?”
Astronaut #1: I’m going to the sun.
“Doris.” Astronaut #2: You can’t. It’s too hot.
crescent “Doris who?” Astronaut #1: Then I’ll go at night.
fish Rebecca Li, California
moon
tack “Doris locked. That’s Camp counselor: Why is your nose
why I’m knocking.” swelling up?
bicycle Camper: I bent down to smell a
Boston Green, Texas brose.
helmet
heart Camp counselor: Rose doesn’t
Tourist: I would like to
have a b.
rake purchase a ticket to the
Camper: This one did!
moon, please. Becca Friedman, New York
Tour guide: I’m sorry, but the
moon is full tonight.
waffle
bowl Savvy, New Jersey Make us laugh!
banana Send a joke or riddle, along with your
Duck: Do you take credit name, age, and address, to
cards? I don’t have any bills.
hatchet comb Cashier: Yes you do. There’s
one on your face! 803 Church Street
Honesdale, PA 18431
Jaymes Barker, Illinois

worm

toothbrush
caterpillar
A Sticky Riddle
I’m squishy and sweet
And airy and light.
wedge of I’m brown when I’m roasted.
pencil cheese Inside, I’m still white.
Need s’more hints?
This might do the trick:
slice of I’ll be at the campfire
pie Stuck on your stick.
—Jane L. Patton
candle boot

BONUS
Can you also find
the light bulb,
feather, canoe, Answer on page 38.
and handbell?
SEPTEMBER 2016 15
 Across the
Playground
“I’m going to school today!” announces
my little brother, Trevor, bouncing to
the breakfast table. He’s already
wearing his backpack.
Mom looks at me. “Isn’t it great,
Annie? You’ll both be at the same
school!”
Actually, it’s not great at all. School
used to feel like my thing. Now Trevor
is going to be in my old classroom. With
my old teacher. At least second grade is
in a different part of the building.
“Can I play with you?” he asks as
Mom drops us off.
16
https://vk.com/readinglecture
SEPTEMBER 2016
By Linda Kao
Art by Tracy Bishop
“Isn’t it
great?
You’ll
both be at
the same
school!”
I shake my head. “School rules,
remember? You have to play in the
kindergarten area. I stay on the big
playground.”
I lead him to his classroom.
“Hi, Mrs. Morena,” I say as I tug my
brother forward. “This is Trevor.”
“Hello, Trevor!” Mrs. Morena kneels
so they’re the same height. “Want to
come meet the other kids?”
School used to feel like my thing.
Trevor nods and lets go of my hand.
I’m out the door in a f lash.
“Annie! Emma looks great in glasses.
Come see!” My best friend, Lisa, drags
me to the second-grade classroom.
When the bell rings, the teacher gives
me a seat by an open window. I can see

A loud wail rings out across
the playground.
the kindergarten room if I look outside.
I face forward.
By recess, I’ve forgotten all about
Trevor. It’s great to be back at school!
I’m running to the slide when a loud
wail rings out across the playground.
It sounds familiar.
I look to the kindergarten area.
There’s Trevor sitting in the sandbox,
tears on his face.
“I want to go home!” he howls.
Mrs. Morena is talking to him, but
he’s still crying.
I take another step toward the slide.
Then Trevor wails again. My feet turn,
and I’m running toward him.
But there’s a fence between the
kindergarten area and the big
playground. I can’t go to where he is.
I do the next best thing I can think
of. I stand on the very edge of my
playground and call, “Trevor!”
He looks up and runs to the fence.
I blow him
a kiss.
He stops
crying.
I blow him a kiss. He stops crying. I blow
another one, and he begins to smile.
“What are you doing?” Lisa asks.
“When my mom used to drop Trevor
off at daycare, she’d calm him down by
blowing kisses like this,” I explain.
“Can I try?” she asks.
“Yes,” I say, and she blows Trevor a
kiss. Soon Emma, Grace, Isabel, and
Sara are blowing kisses, too.
Trevor just smiles.
Soon the bell rings. Mrs. Morena
comes to get him, and his face scrunches
up again.
I have an idea. “Trevor! I’ll be in that
window over there.” I point. “I’ll blow
kisses through your window, OK?”
As Mrs. Morena leads him inside, he
tugs her down to whisper in her ear. I
run to my classroom and look out to see
her opening the kindergarten window.
I blow a kiss. Trevor is inside his
classroom. He blows a kiss back
and smiles.
SEPTEMBER 2016 17
Nature Watch
Feather
Functions
Wild Turkey Feathers like
feather on th
the down
e left help
By Peter Friederici birds stay war
m. Feathers
DID YOU KNOW? A wild turkey chick, like the wing
feather on the
called a poult, is able to walk almost as right help bir
ds fly and
soon as it has hatched. The young of protect them
from
many other kinds of birds are born wind and rain
.
featherless and helpless, but young
turkeys are covered with down, and
they quickly learn to follow their
mothers to find foods like insects,
some plants, and seeds. Turkeys
nest on the ground under thick
bushes and grasses. The poults’
spotty brownish coats help them
blend in to avoid being seen
by predators.

TRY TH IS
Look for the tracks of
birds. The wild turkey’s
track can be four to five
inches long. Turkeys have
three strong toes in front
and a short toe in the back.
Their track looks like an
arrow.
Take a close look at any
bird tracks you find. How
many toes do you see in
each track? How are the
toes and tracks positioned?
Can you tell whether the
bird was walking, hopping,
or running?

18 SEPTEMBER 2016
 Play “Who Guesses Best?”
If your family were on a game show, could you answer questions about one another? Try
it and see! Each person answers these questions, then tries to guess what the others said.

1 2 3 4 5
My My My My My
favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite
sport indoor vacation color piece of
game spot clothing

6 7 8 9 10
My My My What I’m What
favorite favorite favorite best at always
meal song story in our makes me
about our family laugh
family

11 12 13 14 15
My hero A word My favorite Something What
(outside of I think character I always I’m most
the family) describes from a book say proud of
our family or movie

Sarah’s favorite
color is . . . Bonus
Prize!
se your
answers
to make
a
All Abou n
t Us”
book .
 Pr tect ng th Parks
Happy 100th
birthday to
the National
Park Service!
By Natasha Wing
In 1872, the United States
established the first national
park in the world, Yellowstone.
The government promised to
protect the park’s land and keep
it in natural condition so that
people could enjoy its wilderness.
Adventurous vacationers
traveled rutted roads by
stagecoach to see geysers,
bison, and volcanic lakes.
Unfortunately, some came
to poach animals, loot artifacts,
and mine natural resources.
As more parks were added,
it became harder for the
government to police them.
Trouble!
By 1900, national parks were
a problem. Three government
departments oversaw nine
parks. And there wasn’t enough
money for upkeep. Trails, roads,
and lodges fell into disrepair.
One day, in 1914, a letter
accusing the government of
ignoring the parks landed on the
desk of a park overseer. It was
signed Stephen T. Mather.
Mather was an outdoor
enthusiast and loved
mountaineering. As a child,
20 SEPTEMBER 2016
he played in the snow at
Yosemite National Park and
camped with friends in the
foothills of California’s Sierra
Nevada mountains. When he
was older, he climbed Mount
Rainier in Washington State.
On a trip to Sequoia National
Park, Mather was so shocked by
the terrible conditions that he
wrote that angry letter.
Stephen Mather
was passionate that
Americans visit
their parks.
When Secretary of the
Interior Franklin K. Lane read
Mather’s letter, he knew this
was the man who could protect
the parks. Mather was wealthy,
charming, full of energy—and
passionate that Americans visit
their parks.
Photos: page 20 from Granger, NYC; page 21 from Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs
Division, Johnston (Frances Benjamin) Collection, LC-USZ62-100864. Art by iStock/Nanang81.
When Lane offered Mather
the job of overseeing all the
parks, Mather accepted. His
assistant, Horace Marden
Albright, was a clerk who knew
the ins and outs of government.
He also knew which politicians
would provide the most help.
The two men would need all the
help they could get!
Many politicians had never
seen a national park. They didn’t
care about saving scenery or
spending funds on “the raising of
wild animals.” “The best thing
the government could do with
the Yellowstone National Park,”
said one senator, “is to survey
and sell it.”
Mather saw the parks as
tourist gold. More tourists
meant more money for the
government. Mather hosted
parties to convince politicians
that he needed funds to spruce
up the parks for vacationers.
But the politicians weren’t
convinced. They wanted to see
 LEFT: Stephen Mather
(center) with other park-
service workers. RIGHT:
Tourists and guides enjoy
a picnic at Yellowstone.
Today’s
Park Service
In addition to its 59
parks, the National
Park Service oversees:
 monuments
 battlefields
 military parks
 historical parks
 historic sites
 lakeshores
 seashores
 recreation areas
 scenic rivers and trails
 the White House!
In total, there are 409
sites covering more
than 84 million acres
in 50 states plus the
District of Columbia,
American Samoa,
Guam, Puerto Rico, and
the U.S. Virgin Islands.
the numbers of tourists
increase. Mather hired a
journalist to write articles and
take scenic photos to inspire
the public to visit the parks. It
worked! Those who braved the
dusty stagecoach rides saw
the most breathtaking views
and geographic formations
in the country.
To the Rescue!
But creature comforts were
lacking. There was no decent
lodging. Tourists had to share
their beds—with bugs! Food
was overpriced and sometimes
spoiled. “Give [a man] a poor
breakfast after he has had a bad
night’s sleep,” said Mather, “and
he will not care how fine your
scenery is.”
Mather demanded that the
army barracks that served
as lodging be knocked down
and replaced with hotels. But
sprucing up the parks was just
the first step. Next, Congress
needed to pass a park bill that
would unite the parks under one
bureau. Then the government
could run them properly.
Mather needed to find people
who could help his cause. If they
could experience the wilderness
firsthand, he was sure they’d
support a national park system.
He invited reporters, a
railroad businessman, and a
congressman on a trip—and
paid all the expenses himself!
On July 15, 1915, Mather
led his mountain party into the
Sierra Nevada. They traveled by
horse and mule, stopping to fish,
photograph wildf lowers, soak in
hot springs, and climb Mount
Whitney. Every chance they had,
Mather and Albright talked
with the men about how they
could help the parks.
On the last night around a
bonfire, Mather spoke: “These
valleys and heights of the Sierra
Nevada are just one small part
of the majesty of America.
Remember that God has given
us these beautiful lands. Try to
save them for, and share them
with, future generations. Go out
and spread the gospel!”
And they did.
Protected!
On August 15, 1916, the
National Park Service bill went
before the Senate and passed.
Days later, it went before the
House of Representatives and
passed again. The bill just
needed one important signature.
On August 25, 1916,
President Woodrow Wilson
signed into law the National
Park Service Organic Act.
The United States now had
a National Park Service, thanks
to the two men who believed
that America’s parks were
worth protecting.
SEPTEMBER 2016 21
Hippos
Hippos
By Carly Schuna
Art by Helen Cann

Hippos hippos Stompers stompers

on the river
with your sharp bright eyes.
Do you see the snake above
that slithers in disguise?
22 SEPTEMBER 2016
Mamba mamba
in the tree
with your sensing scales.
Do you feel the elephants
that stomp and swish their tails?
on the shore
with your flapping ears.
Do you hear the lion queens
that snarl as they draw near?
Lions lions
in the grass
with your button noses.
Do you smell the tall giraffes,
who tower in their poses?
Leaves oh leaves
of Africa
Statues statues with your trembling grace.
in the sun You hide the raw enchantments
with your tar-black tongues. of this amazing place.
Do you taste the crisp green leaves
that are so sweet and young?
SEPTEMBER 2016 23
 The Lucky Penny
By Nancy Ramsey
Art by Stephanie Dehennin

Henry found a after he stepped off the . He put it in

penny school bus

his ffor good luck.

pocket

He had good luck all day. His teacher asked him to feed the .
goldfish

His favorite were in his . He got to play in

cookies lunchbox drums

music class.

Then he found a in his .T

That was not so lucky.
hole pocket

The was gone. It was not in his . It was not on his or

penny desk chair

on the .
floor

As Henry walked toward the after school, he looked down

school bus

and saw the .

penny

“That was lucky!” Henry said. He put the in his other .

penny pocket

24 SEPTEMBER 2016
 A
Animal
Switcheroo
By Teresa A. DiNicola

Two of these animals

must switch places so
that everyone is in the
right spot. Can you
B figure out which two?

Help the
Cartoonists!
Oh no! We have three
cartoons, but no captions.
Give us a hand, and write
a funny caption for any
or all of these cartoons.
Please label your caption
A, B, or C, and mail it to

Help the Cartoonists!

803 Church Street
Honesdale, PA 18431

Please include your

name, age, and address.
We must receive your
reply by October 1, 2016,
to consider it for
publication. Answer on page 38. SEPTEMBER 2016 25
Vo yag e
to
PLUTO
At long last, we’ve
seen distant Pluto
and its many moons.
By Ken Croswell, Ph.D.
In July 2015, a spacecraft
named New Horizons sped past
Pluto, the farthest world NASA
has ever visited. The spacecraft
found tall mountains on Pluto
and deep canyons on its largest
moon. “I think the solar system
saved the best for last,” said
Pluto scientist Dr. Alan Stern.
Pluto is billions of miles from
the Sun and Earth. It is so far
away that our telescopes can’t
see it well. So no one knew what
the spacecraft would see.
Pluto vs. Eris
Pluto belongs to a belt of
objects beyond the orbit of the
distant planet Neptune. If Pluto
were as big as a basketball, the
typical object in this belt would
26 SEPTEMBER 2016
be smaller than a marble.
But in 2005, astronomers
found a similar world, Eris,
which is much farther than
Pluto. “If it’s not larger than
Pluto, then I’ll eat my telescope,”
the discoverer claimed. In 2010,
Eris passed in front of a star and
blocked its light. How long this
event lasted revealed how big
Eris is: 1,445 miles across.
The New Horizons spacecraft
measured Pluto’s size: 1,477
miles across. So Pluto is bigger
than Eris. In fact, Pluto is the
largest object in the solar
system beyond Neptune.
A Cold World with a Heart
Pluto is so far from the Sun
that sunlight there is weak.
So Pluto is cold. The coldest
Applied Physics Laboratory/Southwest Research Institute.
Pluto’s
“heart” is
bigger th
an
Texas!
temperature ever observed
on Earth, near the South Pole,
is -129 degrees F. But the
spacecraft measured Pluto
at -397 degrees F. Pluto is the
coldest world a spacecraft has
ever visited.
Pluto’s mountains
aren’t made of rock.
Instead, they’re
made of water ice!
The New Horizons spacecraft
surprised and delighted
everyone by finding a huge
white “heart” on Pluto. This
heart-shaped region is a
thousand miles across, bigger
than Texas. Scientists named
this heart Tombaugh Regio,
after Clyde Tombaugh, who
Photos by NASA/Johns Hopkins University

discovered
Pluto in
1930.
Pluto’s
“heart” may be
white because of
frozen nitrogen and
carbon monoxide. Nitrogen gas
makes up most of the air on both
Earth and Pluto. But Pluto is so
cold that most of its nitrogen
freezes and turns into ice.
Carbon monoxide is a poison gas
on Earth, but Pluto is so cold
that this gas also turns to ice.
Maybe geysers or volcanoes in
Tombaugh Regio erupt nitrogen
and carbon monoxide gas that
freezes, coloring this area white.
Pluto’s heart has immense
mountains two miles high.
That’s as tall as the Rocky
Mountains. But Pluto’s
mountains aren’t made of rock.
Instead, they’re made of water
ice! Pluto is so cold that its
water ice is as hard as rock.
Glaciers made of nitrogen ice
f low across parts of Pluto.
Mysterious Moons
The spacecraft also looked at
Pluto’s five moons. The largest
is Charon (pronounced “Karen”
or “Sharon”). Spanning 753
miles, Charon is about half
Pluto’s diameter.
While Pluto is orange (see
“An Orange World” at right),
Charon is gray, and it has a
polar cap. The polar caps on
Earth and Mars are bright
white. Charon’s polar cap
is dark.
Charon has canyons that
Pluto’s
largest moon
,
Charon, has
a dark polar
cap.
dwarf the
Grand Canyon
in Arizona. The
Grand Canyon is
about a mile deep;
it formed when a
river cut through rock.
Charon’s canyons are hundreds
of miles long and up to four
miles deep. They probably
formed when Charon’s crust
tore apart.
Charon has craters that
scientists have named for
characters on the TV series
Star Trek: Kirk, Spock, Sulu,
and Uhura.
Like Earth, Pluto and Charon
are round because they have
enough mass that their gravity
squeezes them into spheres.
But Pluto’s other moons are so
small that their gravity isn’t
strong enough to force them
into round shapes.
Styx is egg-shaped. Another
moon, named Nix, is shaped
like a jelly bean. The next moon
out, Kerberos, looks like two
small moons stuck together.
And Pluto’s outermost moon,
Hydra, is shaped like Michigan’s An Orange
lower peninsula.
The New Horizons spacecraft World
looked for more moons around Pluto is orange because it
Pluto but did not find any. That has methane. Methane is natural
disappointed scientists. gas. We burn it in our stoves.
But the mission was a big Pluto is so cold that most of its
success. Someday another methane has frozen and turned
spacecraft may visit, one that into ice. But some methane gas
will circle Pluto again and again. exists in Pluto’s air. When
Then we can study Pluto and sunlight hits this methane, it
its moons for years, discovering turns orange and falls on Pluto,
even more about these distant coloring the surface orange.
and mysterious worlds.
SEPTEMBER 2016 27
 Sock
Stumper
A Game for Two or More Players
By Tamara C. Gureghian

To Play:
1 . Gather five clean tube socks.
2. Look around your home for five small
objects—one to place inside each sock.
(Don’t use anything sharp or fragile!)
3. Have your friends reach inside the socks
and try to guess what the objects are.
4. Take turns filling the socks with
different items.

For More Fun:

t
'FFM
UIF
PCKFDUT
GSPN
PVUTJEF
UIF
TPDL

JOTUFBE
PG
SFBDIJOH
JOTJEF
t
1MBDF
BMM
PG
UIF
PCKFDUT
JO
POF
TPDL

Try using these objects

to stump your friends!
t
3PDL

t
5XJTU
UJF

t
)BJS
FMBTUJD

t
6OPQFOFE
CBOEBHF

t
1MBTUJD
CPUUMF
DBQ

t
$MFBO
UJTTVF

Check . . . and Double Check

Compare these two pictures. Can you find at least 18 differences?

28 SEPTEMBER 2016
 Tent Trouble The
Timbertoes
®

#Z
3JDI
8BMMBDF

Ŕ

"SU
CZ
3PO
;BMNF

“Let’s go camping!” Off they went to find a campsite.

“Here’s a nice place.” They staked the tent. Pa raised the center pole.

Oh no! It was cracked. Pa found a sturdy limb. The kids helped get it ready.

“Let’s try it!” “We did great work.” It was worth it.
SEPTEMBER 2016 29
MY SC
1 The red 2 When a bug
color in the
bends a trigger
trap attracts
hair twice in a
insects.
short time, the
Spotlight trap closes.

It’s a
Trap!
By Andy Boyles
Contributing Science Editor

The Venus flytrap lives

where most plants
can’t. Like other plants,
it uses water, carbon
dioxide, and energy
from sunlight to grow
through photosynthesis
(foe-toe-SIN-theh-sis).
But plants need other
4 The trap
nutrients, too, and can’t 3 Stiff, hairlike releases
survive in soil that lacks projections hold chemicals that
them. The Venus flytrap in the insect as break down
can—by trapping and the trap finishes and digest
digesting insects to get closing. the insect.
those nutrients!

Tell Me Why
Tomato juice can help mask the
smell, but it can’t remove the odor.

Iff you get The smelliest part of a skunk’s spray

comes from sulfur compounds called

sprayed by thiols. The best way to get rid of the

smell is to chemically change the thiols.

a skunk, is A mixture of water, hydrogen

peroxide, and baking soda creates

tomato juice oxygen, which combines with the thiols

to “de-smell” them. (Just don’t get the

the solution? mixture near eyes.) And since skunk

spray is oily, adding detergent to the
Tiffany Zhang mixture helps because detergents
Age 10 i North Carolina break up and remove oils.

30 SEPTEMBER 2016
 Dinosaurs By Dougal Dixon

Zhenyuanlong
jhen-wahn-long
“Zhenyuan’s dragon” (named after the man
who acquired the fossil for a museum)
Is this Until paleontologists studied Zhenyuanlong, they
your had not found such long arm feathers on raptor
guess? dinosaurs (small meat eaters) that didn’t fly.
Too heavy
for flight

Short arms
Try This compared to
size of body

Spout
It Out
If a cup has holes
at different heights,
which hole will spurt
water farther from the
cup? Try it and see! Killing claw

1 Poke two small

holes in a paper cup, WHERE:
one near the bottom China
edge of the cup and
one near the top.
Had a fan of
2 Set the cup on the feathers on
side of a sink, with the the arm, like
holes facing the sink. a wing
Cover both holes with HOW LONG:
your fingers. Fill the 6 feet
cup with water.

3 Uncover the holes.

What happens, and WHEN:
why? Think of your 125 million years ago
WHAT IT ATE:
best explanation, then
Small animals 252 201 145 66 Present
read ours in Answers
Triassic Jurassic Cretaceous Cenozoic
on page 38.

SEPTEMBER 2016 31

GAME
ON!
Five at a Time
5IF
DMPDL
JT
SVOOJOH
EPXO,
CVU

%FWJO
LFFQT
DBMMJOH
UIF
TBNF
QMBZ.
#Z
3JDI
8BMMBDF

Ŕ

"SU
CZ
5JN
+FTTFMM
J ordan darted away from the
line of scrimmage, made a quick
fake to his left, and spun to face
Devin, the quarterback. Devin’s
pass was already in the air,
zipping toward him. Jordan
made the catch but soon felt
two hands tagging him between
the shoulder blades. The play
was over.
Jordan frowned at his friend
Tara, who’d tagged him.
Tara grinned. “Getting a little
predictable, no?” she said.
Jordan shook his head in
frustration and hurried back
to the huddle. He had run
that same square-out pattern
20 times today. “We need some
longer passes,” he said to Devin.
“Five yards at a time,”
Devin said firmly.
“Look at the clock!” Jordan
insisted. A minute and a half
remained in the game, and
their team, the Dragons, trailed
26–21. They were 70 yards from
the end zone.
“We still have two timeouts,”
Devin said. “Plenty of time.”
Devin’s strategy had worked
well all day. All season, in fact.
Jordan had hauled in a dozen
passes today and scored two
32 SEPTEMBER 2016
J or De
d v
in
an
touchdowns. But time was
running out.
Jordan trotted to his position.
A strong breeze made him look
up at the trees, which lined
the field in autumn reds and
yellows. A small crowd of
spectators stood along the fence.
Same pattern. Same catch.
Same tag from Tara after a
short gain.
“We need some
longer passes,”
Jordan said.
Jordan stepped toward Devin
with clenched teeth. “Five yards
at a time is not enough.”
“It’s working!” Devin said.
“Sure,” Jordan replied. “But
do the math. We’d need to hit it
a dozen times before we could
score. We only have time for
four or five more plays.”
“It all adds up,” Devin said.
“Same play. Hurry!”
This time, Devin passed to
Leon on the other side of the
field. The Falcons’ defenders
were hanging back, making sure
Ta Br y
r
an
a
they were on the spot to tag the
receiver as soon as the pass was
completed.
“Line up!” Devin called. There
was no time for a huddle. And
he’d just call the same thing
anyway, Jordan thought.
Jordan caught the football.
He managed two steps before
Tara stopped him.
The Dragons had reached
midfield, but the clock showed
less than a minute.
Jordan poked Devin’s
shoulder. “I’m going long on
this one,” he said.
“We still have time,”
Devin replied.
“Throw it!” said Jordan.
“One more square-out,”
Devin said calmly. “They can’t
stop that play.”
“They don’t need to stop it,”
Jordan said. “Five yards at a
time is great when you have the
entire game in front of you. But
it eats up too much clock. Tara
just hangs back and tags me as
soon as I make the catch.”
“We have time.”
Jordan ran the square-out
anyway and caught the ball.
“Predictable,” Tara said again
as she tagged him.
Jordan called a timeout.
“Nineteen seconds,” he said,
joining his teammates in the
huddle. He wiped his sweaty
forehead with the back of his
hand. “It’s now or never.”
“One more square-out!”
Devin shouted, loud enough for
everyone on the field to hear it.
Then he winked at Jordan and

whispered, “Sell it.”
Jordan winked back. He
caught Tara’s eye as he lined
up. He shook his head and
muttered, “Devin’s stubborn.”
Devin called the signals and
took the snap from the center.
Jordan sprinted forward, made
his usual fake, and turned. But
then he dashed off full speed
along the sideline, catching
Tara by surprise.
Perfect, Jordan thought as
he broke into the open field.
Devin launched a high spiral,
30 yards into the air, and Jordan
stretched for it. He wobbled
“Getting a little
predictable, no?”
slightly as he caught the ball,
then regained his footing. No one
was between him and the goal
line, but Tara was closing fast.
Jordan crossed the 20-yard
line, straining with every step.
He heard Tara’s footsteps on the
grass behind him. He crossed
the 10 with the ball tucked
against his chest.
Tara’s tag sent him
stumbling, and his momentum
carried him across the goal line.
He crashed to the turf.
Had he scored?
(Continued on next page)
A Tip from
the Author
Always warm up your body
and your mind before a
competition or practice.
Run a few laps, do some
jumping jacks and sit-ups,
and imagine yourself
performing at your best.
Rich Wallace is the author of
dozens of sports novels for
kids, including the books in the
Winning Season and Kickers
series. He has coached and
played a lot of sports, too.
SEPTEMBER 2016 33
Six arms reached for the ball.

(Continued from page 33)

Jordan rolled and looked up.

The referee was reaching for
the ball. He hadn’t signaled
a touchdown.
“Time out!” Devin yelled,
racing toward the goal line.
The referee blew his whistle
and placed the ball at the
four-yard line. “Three seconds
left,” he said.
Devin waved for his
teammates to huddle up. “Final
play,” he said. “Leon, get open in
the end zone.” Devin turned to
Jordan. “Guess what?”
“Square-out. I know! But Tara
won’t give this one away. That
pass needs to be on target.”
Tara’s brother, Bryan, moved
over to help her cover Jordan.
Jordan would be double-teamed.
Last play of the season, Jordan
told himself. Make it count!
Tara wasn’t hanging back any
longer. She stood face-to-face
with Jordan as he toed the turf.
At the snap of the ball, Jordan
burst forward. Tara shadowed under it, and it landed safely
him from the left and Bryan in his grasp. He held it aloft. A Tip from a Kid
from the right. “Touchdown!” said the In basketball, put both
Devin’s pass f loated higher referee. Game over!
than usual. Jordan leaped to “See?” Devin said as he pulled hands up when your
catch it; Bryan and Tara soared Jordan to his feet. “They can’t opponent shoots so you
to block it. Six arms reached for stop that play.” can block the shot.
the ball. Tara got a hand on it, “Unpredictable,” Tara said,
Danielle Simon
then tripped over Bryan and the shaking her head. “You wouldn’t
two landed in a heap. Jordan fell make another catch like that in
)OM  Œ 1VLQIVē
to the ground, too, and watched a hundred years.”
helplessly as the ball spun Jordan grinned. “We were Share a sports tip!
wildly through the air. He rolled, lucky.” Send it to
disgusted that he’d missed the “Luck happens when you
chance to win the game. work for it,” Devin said.
Sports Tips
But here came the ball! Jordan laughed. “Five yards 803 Church Street
Jordan reached and got his hand at a time. It all adds up.” Honesdale, PA 18431

34 SEPTEMBER 2016
 Sprinkle
It On
By Radha HS

Kala’s mother made a batch of

cupcakes and asked Kala to put
sprinkles on each one. If Kala
starts by drawing two diagonal
lines of sprinkles connecting
opposite corners of the tin,
how many cupcakes will
still need sprinkles?
Answer on page 38.

In or Out?
By Barbara J. Barata
Add IN or OUT to the letters on
each box to form new words. Which
boxes are IN? Which are OUT?
Which are both IN and OUT?

EXAMPLE:
The TH box is IN
because TH+IN=THIN.
Answers on page 38.
 Your Own A Beautiful Bridge
A dark and shadowy

Pages ref lection in the water

that it crosses.
It is gleaming in the
morning light.
I see it from my window,
Stretching toward the sky.
Friday nights under the lights
Out of breath and Everybody knows what
Out of time as the QB hikes the ball bridges are,
The running back takes the Beautiful works of art,
Ball and starts running he is Helping us cross to places
All on his own he we could not alone.
Lunges over the safety and Owl Sophia Spencer
Lands right in the end zone Gianna Gottfried "HF

Ŕ
0SFHPO
“TOUCHDOW N!”
"HF

Ŕ
/FX
:PSL
Skyler Kistenmacher
"HF

Ŕ
4PVUI
$BSPMJOB
Autumn’s Wings
Autumn’s wings are pretty things,
All yellow and orange and red.
And when she takes f light,
she makes towns bright,
Then all the people stare at the
beautiful sight
And know that autumn was there.
en I wake up,
Ever y morning wh She then f lies more, spreading
My dog is with me, ,
m to go somewhere color galore,
And when I tell hi Then all the people start raking
nt him to be.
He goes where I wa the f loor.
nion, and
He is a good compa Autumn’s colorful work is now
he is.
I like him the way a chore.
,
His name is Tucker
And he is wh o he is.
Then autumn starts fading away,
Eric Pinteralli
"HF

Ŕ
5FYBT
But the people still say they
remember the day
Peyton Ludwig
That autumn was there.
"HF

Ŕ
.JDIJHBO
Emily Cauchon
"HF

Ŕ
/FX
)BNQTIJSF

My baby brother’s eyes Robots

Ollie Barker
are like the stars in the sky "HF

Ŕ
(FPSHJB
they dance.
Jared Marzan
"HF

Ŕ
'MPSJEB

36 SEPTEMBER 2016
 Fireflies
Fireworks in the grass
explode—boom!
Fireflies taking pictures
er Africa
of the night sky. Sunrise ov r
lliste
Kayla McA
Adam Mirmina P MPSBEP
"HF

Ŕ
$
"HF

Ŕ
7JSHJOJB

Maybelle Sheldon Aspen Nelson

"HF

Ŕ
1FOOTZMWBOJB "HF

Ŕ
0LMBIPNB

Bees
is that sound?
Buzz, buzz. W hat
e all around.
Buzz, buzz. They ar
do I see?
Buzz, buzz. W hat
bee.
Buzz, buzz. It is a
u be tter watch out.
Buzz, buzz. Yo t. Sleep
e buzzing all abou
Buzz, buzz. They ar
the bee. The sky is dark.
Buzz, buzz. There’s
g me! I put away my glasses
Ouch! It just stun
Kameron Farrow and lie down.
"HF

Ŕ
*MMJOPJT “Go to sleep,” my mother says
as she turns off the light.
The Candy Land I look at the stars,
sed,
We are in the Candy Land thinking of the day that has pas
Hall,
Violet My little brother and me. and count my blessings.
Gingerbread tables and 1, 2, 3, ZZZZ.
Rainey Ardoin-Hawkins
candy-cane chairs Addy Coleman
"HF

Ŕ
$BMJGPSOJB
Are everywhere we can see "HF

Ŕ
*MMJOPJT
.
We walk outside through
a
gingerbread door
On a path of jelly beans. Share Your
There are even bushes of Creative Work
candy corn We’E
MPWF
UP
TFF
JU!
And things I’ve never see "SU
NVTU
CF
PO
VOMJOFE
QBQFS.
n. 1PFNT
NVTU
IBWF
GFXFS
UIBO
There’s grass of shredded
coconut, 
XPSET.
"MM
TVCNJTTJPOT

Candy-apple trees everyw NVTU CF DSFBUFE CZ ZPV.
here,
Lots of taf fy factories— 8F
DBOOPU *ODMVEF ZPVS OBNF, BHF,
Don’t get taf fy in your ha SFUVSO
ZPVS BOE BEESFTT. .BJM UP
ir!
XPSL,
TP
ZPV

Rachel Dyck NJHIU
XBOU
UP

"HF

Ŕ
.BOJUPCB,
$BOBEB LFFQ
B
DPQZ. :PVS
0XO
1BHFT

$IVSDI
4USFFU
)POFTEBMF,
1"

 Space D
RI DL ES
He always
wins first
Cool . . . a prize at What kind of ship do people
field trip! the science
fair.
1 get married on?
Annie Boland, New York

y
What did the bab
computer call its fa
ther? 2
ssachus etts
Cassie Brown, Ma

What can’t you see and even

the name of the thing it’s in or 3 the strongest person can’t hold?
on. You may have come up Dean Yoshizumi, California
with another answer.
Answers page 30
What is a straw’s 4
favorite month?
My Sci
Spout It Out—You probably saw the
page 2 water stream farther from the lower Castalia Munsch, Georgia
Fun This Month hole than from the upper hole. That’s
Playground Puzzler because there was more weight
pressing down on the water at the
lower hole. The little bit of water
5 How can you
above the upper hole presses down
with some force, but the weight of
all the water above the lower hole
presses down with greater force.
tell that aclock
page 35 is hungry?
Sprinkle It On Kelsey, Iowa
36 cupcakes will still need sprinkles.

In or Out? What did the carpet

Mystery Photo —Apple.
IN boxes: TH (thin), CH (chin
or inch), W (win). OUT boxes:
say to the floor? 6
Saige, Minnesota
AB (about), SC (scout), TR (trout).
page 15 Both IN and OUT: SH (shin/shout),
A Sticky Riddle P (pin/pout), SP (spin/spout).
I’m a marshmallow. What happened to the dog

page 25
page 43 7 that swallowed a watch?
Anthony Lipperini, Maryland
Picture Puzzler
Animal Switcheroo Rita owns Spa-Ghetti, Terry owns the
The fox and the duck must Penne Candy Shoppe, Marty owns
switch places so that each Blinguini Jewelry, and Zoey owns Why didn’t the raisi
n
animal’s name rhymes with Pet-tuccine Groomers. go to the dance?
Covers: Catch the Fun! by Howard McWilliam; What’s Wrong?® by David Coulson
Lauren, Oregon 8
Illustration credits: Page 2: Kevin Zimmer; 6: Erin Mauterer, except (spaceship) iStock/koya79, (microphones)
iStock/ksyu_deniska; 15: Jokes by Rich Powell, “A Sticky Riddle” by Ashley Barron; 19: Jason Tharp; 25: Animal
Switcheroo by Pat Lewis; 28: Sock Stumper by Pierre Collet-Derby, Check . . . and Double Check by Kelly
Kennedy; 30: Josh Cleland; 31: Try This by Robert L. Prince, Dinosaurs by Robert Squier; 35: Sprinkle It On by gs
Keith Frawley, In or Out? by Ward Jenkins. Photo credits: Page 2: iStock/anna1311; 3: Gina Lenz; 4: iStock/Onur What has four le
Döngel; 4–5: nagelestock.com/Alamy; 6: (milk shake) iStock/fcafotodigital, (traffic signal) iStock/inhauscreative,
but cann ot w al k?
(puppy and duckling) iStock/GlobalP, (interlocking blocks) iStock/Bartulis, (young chef) iStock/SensorSpot, (arms
and hands) iStock/Jani Bryson, (girl) iStock/IS_ImageSource, (bear) iStock/Byrdyak; 18: (turkeys) NK Sanford/ 9 James , Colorado
Alamy, (down feather) H. Mark Weidman Photography/Alamy, (wing feather) June Moncrief/Alamy, (bird tracks)
Marvin Dembinsky Photo Associates/Alamy; 30: OJO Images Ltd/Alamy.
8. Because it didn’t have a date. 9. A table.
seconds. 6. “I’ve got you covered.” 7. It got ticks.
38 SEPTEMBER 2016
breath. 4. Siptember. 5. It goes back four
Answers: 1. A relationship. 2. Data. 3. Your
 a w s nd
Visiting the Eye Doctor P a
Think

Why are eye exams important?

What things might an eye doctor
check during an eye exam?
What do eyeglasses and contact
lenses do? Have you heard the
words nearsighted and farsighted ?
What do you think they mean?
How can you take good care of Looks like a
your eyes? cool place!

Art by David Coulson.

 Ask
izona
The Feel-Better
Book
#Z
-JTTB
3PWFUDI

Ŕ

"SU
CZ
"NBOEB
.PSMFZ
Dear Missing,
My grandparents have lived
in a whole different state for as
long as I can remember, so I’ve
had a lot of experience as far
as missing them goes. I usually
get to see them only a couple of
times a year. But they ended
up canceling their summer trip
last month because Gran had to
have knee surgery.
“It’s no fair!” whined my little
brother, Tex. “Poppy was going
to take me fishing.”
“Sorry, kiddo. That’s just
the way the ball bounces,”
said my dad, using one of his
zillion old-fashioned sayings
that all pretty much mean
40 SEPTEMBER 2016
®
“Relax, because there’s nothing
you can do to change this
particular situation.”
“And what about the zoo?”
grumbled my little sister, Indi.
“Gran and I were going to have
a special zoo day, just the two
of us!”
“There will be lots more
summers for special zoo days,”
said my mom. “How about, for
now, we give Poppy and Gran
a call?”
While Tex and Indi talked on
the phone, all kinds of memories
started playing in my head like
a movie: spotting seals from the
ferryboat, riding bikes through
Golden Gate Park, baking
Visit
Gran’s world-famous cookies,
and putting on silly magic shows
with Poppy. For some weird
reason, those happy memories
just made me unbelievably
sad. I started missing my
grandparents so much that
I wanted to cry.
“Here you go,” my mom said,
handing me the phone. “It’s your
turn to talk to Poppy and Gran.”
“Um, I can’t talk right now,”
I told her.
All kinds of memories
started playing in my
head like a movie.
“Why not?” my mom
asked with a squinchy-
upper-eyebrow look.
“Because I can’t!” I said,
and suddenly I was running
down the hall.
Those words and the whole
running-away-from-the-phone
thing surprised even me. I
ended up on my bed with my
f luffy cat named Cow.
Why in the world did you
run away like that? Cow
meowed loudly.
to hear this story read aloud.

“I can’t talk
right now!”
“I didn’t want to cry on
the phone,” I sniff led while
scratching his ears.
I’m sure Gran and Poppy would
have understood, Cow purred.
“Yes, but they already have
enough to worry about with
Gran’s knee troubles,” I said.
“I want to make Gran happy,
not sad!”
Oh, I should probably mention
that Cow doesn’t exactly speak
in people words. But it just so
happens that I’m f luent in cat
talk. Which is the reason I knew
exactly what he meant when he
hopped on my desk and sat in a
basket of markers.
“Hey, good idea!” I said. “I’ll
make Gran a get-well-soon card.”
I started drawing
pictures of all those fun
memories I was talking
about earlier (you know—
riding bikes and baking
cookies), and before long,
my get-well-soon card
had turned into a get-
well-soon book! For some
reason, drawing pictures
of our good times together
made me feel better. Plus,
I could totally imagine
Gran’s sparkly smile
when she received the
book in the mail. When
I was done, I kissed my wise cat
on his little pink nose and went to
give my grandparents a call.
“I made you a present,” I told
Gran. “Do you want it to be a
surprise, or do you want to know
what it is?”
“Hmm,” she said. “I think I’d
like to know right this minute!”
So I described all the different
pictures in the memory book. And
as I did, we remembered together.
“That seal was so funny,” said
Gran. “Do you remember how
he waved to us as our ferryboat
passed by?”
“Oh, Gran, I miss
you so much.”
Before long, my
get-well-soon card
turned into a
get-well-soon book!
I giggled. “And Poppy joked
that we should invite him to join
us for lunch! Oh, Gran, I miss you
so much.”
“Oh, my little lambykins, do I
ever miss you!” Gran said. “And
I can’t wait to get your special
memory book in the mail.”
So, dear Missing, as you
can probably tell, I one-million-
percent relate to your situation.
As for handling the sad feelings,
I found that making a memory
book and remembering the good
times over the phone with my
grandmother helped me feel
way better. You should give it
a try—I hope it helps!
Ciao for now,
Arizona
 Dear I have a problem
speaking up for myself.

Highlights
My friends and
I have our own
band. We argue
a lot about
who should be
the lead singer.
Can you help?
J. (by e-mail)
One thing you can do is call a band meeting to discuss the matter
in a calm, mature way. Make sure each bandmate gets a chance to
share his or her opinion about who should be the lead singer. Perhaps
you can all agree that you’ll regularly switch lead singers. You could
even make a chart to keep track of who gets to sing each song.
This may also be a good time to discuss who should do the other
jobs for the band, such as choosing songs or scheduling practices. No
matter how you decide to divide up the work, remember to have fun!
I have to do chores.
I do not know how to make
them fun. Do you?
Reagan, Georgia
This is a great time to put
your imagination to work! For
example, if you’re putting dishes
away, you might sing songs
while you work, make up stories
in your head, or pretend that
you’re working in a restaurant.
If you’re tidying up a room, you
might play some music and race
to see how many toys or pieces
of clothing you can put away
during one song. Then try
to beat your record during
Or e-mail us at Letters@Highlights.com.
the next song.
When someone hurts my
feelings, I just run away and
don’t talk to that person for
a while. What should I do?
A Highlights Reader (by e-mail)
It takes courage to speak up,
but learning to communicate
in these types of situations
will help you throughout your
life. Keep in mind that people
may not realize how their
behavior makes you feel unless
you tell them. Even though
it’s uncomfortable, try to talk
through your hurt feelings
with them.
You might start these
conversations by using “I feel”
statements to get your point
across without sounding as
if you’re accusing them. For
example, you could say “I feel
hurt when you tease me like
that. I would like you to stop.”
If you speak up calmly and
politely, you will help people
understand how to treat you
better in the future.
Write to us!
Please include your name, age,
and full address. Mail to
Dear Highlights
803 Church Street
Honesdale, PA 18431

42 SEPTEMBER 2016 Art by Keith Frawley.

 Puz zler Art by Neil N
umberman

Picture
ur
th e o w n ers of the fo
roni a re s.
e ll in i, a n d Marty Maca h o o w n s e ach busines
Tort out w
R a v io li , Z oey Ziti, Terry y o u r n o o d le to figure
Rita a. Use
s in e s s e s o n Pasta Plaz
bu

CLUES
Terry either sells
candy or grooms pets.
Rita’s business is
directly next to
Terry’s business.
Marty does not
own the spa or the
candy shop.
Zoey does not work
in or directly next to
the candy shop.

O N US !
B many
How pasta
of
pieces find in
u
can yo ene?
the sc
Answers on pa
ge 38.
 What’s
Wrong?
®

Which things in this

picture are silly?
It’s up to you!

Visit our Web site!