Vol u m e PHOTO BY CHRISTIAAN VAN WYK J u ly/Au g u s t 202 COV E R A N D B O R D E R by Ruper t Van Wyk “A Picnic with Bees” India ink and watercolor Born in the wonderful year of 1971, Rupert has had lots of practice at drawing, inking, and then splashing down watercolors With the motto “It’s the small details that bring a picture to life,” he’s created images which have been published all over the world in many countries that he has also explored! N u m be r CRICKET STAFF Lonnie Plecha Editor Anna Lender Art Director Patrick Murray Designer Carolyn Digby Conahan Staff Artist Deborah Vetter Senior Contributing Editor Julie Peterson Copyeditor Emily Cambias Assistant Editor Adrienne Matzen Permissions Specialist CRICKET ADVISORY BOARD Marianne Carus Founder and Editor-in-Chief from 1972–2012 Kieran Egan Professor of Education, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver Betsy Hearne Professor, University of Illinois, Champaign; Critic, Author Sybille Jagusch Children’s Literature Specialist Linda Sue Park Author Katherine Paterson Author Barbara Scharioth Former Director of the International Youth Library in Munich, Germany Anita Silvey Author, Critic Sandra Stotsky Professor of Education Reform, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville Roger Sutton Editor-in-Chief of The Horn Book Magazine, Critic Ann Thwaite Author, Critic Educational Press Association of America Golden Lamp Award Distinguished Achievement Award International Reading Association Paul A Witty Short Story Award 1988–1993, 1997, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011–2015 National Magazine Award finalist in the category of General Excellence Is it time to renew? shop.cricketmedia.com 1-800-821-0115 Academics Choice Smart Media Award Society of Midland Authors Award for Excellence in Children’s Literature Parents’ Choice Gold Award CRICKET magazine (ISSN 0090-6034) is published times a year, monthly except for combined May/June, July/August, and November/December issues, by Cricket Media, Inc., 1751 Pinnacle Drive, Suite 600, McLean, VA 22102 Periodicals postage paid at McLean, VA, and at additional mailing offices For address changes, back issues, subscriptions, customer service, or to renew, please visit shop.cricketmedia.com, email cricketmedia@cdsfulfillment.com, write to CRICKET, P.O Box 6395, Harlan, IA 515931895, or call 1-800-821-0115 POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to CRICKET, P.O Box 6395, Harlan, IA 51593-1895 continued on page 47 10 11 15 16 21 22 26 32 36 39 40 31 45 46 48 I’ve Got to Hold a WHAT? by Katharine Weeks Folkes Santa’s Summer Vacation by J Patrick Lewis Bees, Please! by Stephanie Jackson Heinz by Jeannie Meekins The Expert by G G Russey Nest by Charles Ghigna Our Lady Josephine by Cicely van Straten Patriot in Disguise by Judy Cummings The Crow’s Gift of Fire by Kate Walker Farming with Fire by Kate Walker Cricket Readers Reccommend The Gardener’s Son by Melissa S Tesher Letterbox Cricket Country by Carolyn Digby Conahan Ugly Bird’s Crossbird Puzzle Cricket League Cricket and Ladybug by Carolyn Digby Conahan Old Cricket Says cover and border art © 2021 by Rupert Van Wyk THIS ONE’S FOR YOU Dear Everybuggy, I love your mag! I get it from my cousins, who grew up with Spider I am in my first year of track, but this is my fourth year of cross-country I used to play the violin, but I’m such an active person I couldn’t handle sitting for an hour or two! My favorite book series is Wings of Fire I have an old dog who just turned eighteen My older brother (he’s twelve) got a malamute He has a red paw, so his name is—you guessed it—Red! I’m hoping for a beagle My little sister helped come up with names My favorite is Quinn Hailey, age 11 Longmont, Colorado MEWY YAY! Dear Cricket, been heartbreaking I’m sorry that A SNAIL I love donkeys and lions I want Ladybug and Cricket hog all the fun SANCTUARY MIGHT to be a singer, have my own bakery, and make you sit on the sidelines BE NICE, TOO and maybe design video games Thankfully, you’re brave and not when I grow up Also, I want to have afraid to meow your mind You’d be an animal or donkey sanctuary I amazing in a snowball fight Next loooooove working with animals! time! I hope to start a dog-walking-andBlackfooted Bobcat (January sitting business soon! Then I will work 2021), it’s cool that you’re weaving a my way up to fostering We have only had tapestry! It’ll be awesome It’s interestPyrenees dogs since my older sibling was born ing to see what hobbies people have picked up I live with three chickens, two guinea pigs, two during quarantine My twin and I are starting a cats (mama and baby born in our house!) Their baking show Other than that, I’ve been video names are Destiny, Hope, Faith, Blossom, Nugcalling with my friends We moved during COVID, get, Bitsy (not anymore!), and Amigo I have two away from our old friends I’ve been drawing, Hello! siblings and two parents reading, and hiking a lot, too I am practically I joined Chatterbox after I got my first Cricket I love haiku! Here’s one: Nature is lovely / The obsessed with the Warriors cats series and I love magazine Chatterbox is awesome! birds, bees, and wildlife / What an amazing world! drawing dragons I have a pet fish and a pet cat I love to write Donkey Friend #1, age 13 Flamesilk and draw and craft I got a typewriter for ChristMoscow, Idaho Poulsbo, Washington P.S I love this mag! Everyone says this, and it’s true mas, so I am writing even more! Oaklynn S., age 10 Dear Cricket, Hi, Everybuggy, San Diego, California You’re my absolute favorite I love reading I always love sneaking my little and drawing a lot, too Have you read the Percy sister’s Cricket issues into my Hey, Everybuggy! Jackson series? I totally love it Also, Eragon is a closet so I can read them (My I have had Cricket for about a year and I have nice book sister is very protective about just loved it! I always ask my mom, “Is the mail for Renren her subscription.) The stories me?” because I just can’t wait for my magazines to Ewa Beach, Hawaii are sooo good, and I always come! I really love the comics Ladybug, you’re my love seeing the contest entries favorite character I hope you all are enjoying life! Welcome to the first Chatterbox history club! OOO! WE LOVE Romy, age 11 This is a place for fellow history nerds to talk about I also really like “Cricket CounCARTOONISTS try” and “Cricket and Ladybug,” Davis, California important events in history like the Civil War or THEY MAKE THE seeing as I’d like to be a cartoonist the Saint Domingue slave uprising You can also WORLD A BUGGIER someday Keep doing what you’re Hi, Everybuggy, talk about your favorite people in history and AND BETTER doing! I have four siblings and seven people in my submit quotes! I really hope this attracts some PLACE! Abby, age 13 family My birthday is August 1, so it is a summer attention, because history is something I’m pasTexas birthday, and I don’t celebrate it at school I am in sionate about and I would love to talk with other fifth grade, and my favorite subject is science I love people who feel the same way Ants are so cool, as are bugs in general When I Harry Potter and got an invisibility cloak for Princess Juniper was a little kid, I used to spend hours watching the Christmas I think my favorite book is the The Eternal Forest YAY, roly-polies that lived on our sidewalk I like lots of seventh I play the flute and recorder Down to Earth, Chatterbox SCIENCE! “weird” animals/creatures, like snakes, rats, and Ladybug, you can always tell worms In the past I raised some monarch caterpilPussywillow apart from the other Salut, Everybuggy! lars and then released them once they became cats by her meow She says mewy, I have been learning French, butterflies not mew Just a little tip and salut means hi! Pussywillow, Sybill Della R., age 10 I’m so glad you didn’t get squashed Chirp at Cricket Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin (January 2021)! That would have Dear Everybuggy, new dawn blooms as we free it / for there is always I hate quarantine and love your mag! I saw light, / if only we’re brave enough to see it, / if only “Katarina and the Bright Falcon” (January–May/ we’re brave enough to be it.” June 2021)! I have a ton of old Cricket mags that Dolphin, age 13 were my mom’s and I usually spend hours trying Down to Earth to find the different issues that had the rest of that story in them! So I was very excited when I Hi, Everyone, realized that Cricket was publishing it again Thanks I’ve recently gotten into the hobby of ant keepa lot, Cricket, for printing stories you have printed ing Think of it like the land equivalent of keeping decades ago I’m glad that parents and kids can refish, ha-ha I was considering being an entomologist member reading the same stories! I also loved for a while, but I decided I just enjoy bugs as a the continued stories “Magnus” (October hobby I think it’s just the coolest thing to LADYBUG LAND catch queens and watch them raise their 2018–January 2019) and “In Search Of ” HAS A NICE RING (January–April 2019) TO IT, RIGHT? AND colonies I caught mine over the winter Ladybug, I think I am similar to you I’VE A SIGN ALLLLL while they were hibernating under Being the oldest of six with number rocks I have carpenter ants, acrobat READY seven on the way, I am kind of bossy ants, and a couple other genera Pussywillow, you are adorable SECRET This year our flock of sheep had NOTE TO CRICKET: Don’t let Ladybug seven lambs, and they are the cutest! push you around! After all, it is called We got some really unusual colors this “Cricket Country” not “Ladybug Countime—a brown one, brown-speckled, try.” Keep up the good reading I continue and even a black-and-white one MEWY MEW! looking forward to your magazine! Micearenice, age 18 Kylie Watkins, age 13 Chirp at Cricket Bixby, Oklahoma Chatterbox Greetings, Everybuggy! Every month I can’t wait to receive your magazine in the mail and I get worried when it’s late I’m homeschooled and I have five younger sisters and brothers I love reading, writing, learning new languages, and drawing fantasy maps Some of my favorite books are the Viking Quest series by Lois W Johnson, Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin, Annabelle of Anchony by Ruth Apollonia, and any book by E Nesbit or L M Montgomery, author of Anne of Green Gables My favorite stories in your mags include “In Search Of ” and “Magnus.” And I love the traditional and fairytale stories sprinkled around Keep going, Cricket! Your magazine is awesome! Sienna Lowman, age 12 Lorain, Ohio P.S I play the piano and take Irish dance lessons Did anyone see the inaugural poet, Amanda Gorman? I thought she was so amazing! I was in a state of awe Did you know that she had had a speech impediment? Up until about three years ago she couldn’t say the letter r very well And—Hamilton fans are gonna freak out—she taught herself to say the letter r by listening to “Aaron Burr, Sir!” She researched for a long time before she actually started writing her poem, and the THAT POEM STILL thing at the Capitol happened before she was finished, so she GIVES ME SHIVERS added a verse about that! And I’ve been fangirling nonstop since I first heard her, in case any of you are wondering “The CHIRPS FROM CRICKET’S LET TERBOX AND CHAT TERBOX Last summer, my mom just bought me books to read at camp and on our road trip without asking me They were absolutely amazing But for this summer I decided to make my own booklist Moonlight, age 12 Summer Reading List, Blab About Books I love to read I also like climbing trees, the smell of wet grass, and Harry Potter I will read anything you throw at me, and it is my favorite thing to spend time doing And I’m pretty much obsessed with koalas Dragonfruit, age 11 Australia “Woodlock Mansion and Summer Excursion Hotel,” Zach said proudly as he presented the group with a lavish mansion The ski lodgers found that the backyard was, indeed, pretty cool There was an ice cream stand and a pool with three waterslides Mx Sam C Pudding’s Place IF THE FIRST Calling all CBers! ORANGES WEREN’T The first oranges weren’t This is a mission of gravest imporORANGE, WHAT DID actually orange The original tance I think we need a contest here onn PEOPLE oranges from Southeast Asia Blab About Books I’ll start by choosing CALL THEM? were a tangerine-pomelo hybrid, a well-known book, one that I think hass and they were actually green a lot of possibilities for cover designs Firelily Then you can redraw the cover of that Random Thoughts book in a different style The idea is: Down to Earth if you were designing the cover for the GREENS? OR–(GASP) (GASP) book, what would you make it look like? MAYBE “ORANGE” Carrots were originally purple, After a few weeks, I’ll judge the entries, MEANT GREEN, if I remember right, and the farmers and the winner can choose a book and judge BACK THEN! in the Netherlands did some selective the next round I’ll judge the entries based on breeding to change them to their country’s which one would make me want to pick up and national color read the book and also on how well they represent MoonKitten the book Let’s start with The Giver by Lois Lowry Random Thoughts, Down to Earth Kitten Book Cover Redrawing Contest I feel like a wizard I have a cardiganish-sweatBlab About Books, Chatterbox shirtish thing that feels like a wizard robe Also, it’s green, like a nature wizard That would be fun! If I Join Kyngdom! were a nature wizard, I could make a tree! Right in Kyngdom is a large fantasy story made up the middle of my room! Or backyard! of dozens of roleplays The characters and story Fallen Leaf have been made by many Kyngdomers—kids and Random Thoughts, Down to Earth teens—over many years It tells about the Powers, an evil young boy named Catastrophe, and the people, animals, creatures, and beings who are Send letters to Cricket’s Letterbox, trying to live in these times You can contribute to P.O Box 300, Peru, IL 61354, the story by creating your own characters, workor email us at cricket@cricketmedia.com ing on a complex plot, and roleplaying with others Letters may be edited for length Being on Kyngdom is a lot of fun, and it’s a great way to improve your writing skills Visit the Chatterbox at: Luna-Starr, age 27 eons c r i c ke t m a g k i d s co m /c h a t te r b ox Kyngdom, Chatterbox TENT, SLEEPING BAGS, STUFFED BACKPACK ARE WE GOING CAMPING? YAY! MEW! NOT YOU, THIS IS A SOLO TRIP PUSSYWILLOW IS WORKING ON HER MAGIC KITTY SCOUTS SURVIVAL ADVENTURE BADGE AND I’M HELPING I’M JUST GOING THAT’S A LOT TO CARRY! SAYS THE GUY WHO ALONG FOR CARRIES A FULL-SIZED COMPANY PLUS SHELTER EVERYWHERE! I CAN CARRY THE FOOD, WATER, SNACKS, TENT, BLANKETS, PILLOWS, FLASHLIGHT, AND GAMES, IN CASE THINGS GET BORING OUT IN THE WOODS WITH NOTHING TO DO BUT SOLO MEANS BY YOURSELF, ON YOUR OWN WILD ANIMALS LOVE CAMPER FOOD YOU SHOULD WATCH OUT FOR THAT NO WORRIES THERE–I’VE PACKED ALL OUR FAVORITE FOODS WATCH OUT FOR TICKS, TOO! THEY’LL SUCK YOUR BLOOD, LIKE VAMPIRES! THEY DON’T DRINK BUG BLOOD! OR WORM BLOOD, EITHER ARE WE COMPLETELY, 100 PERCENT SURE OF THAT? PRETTY SURE MEW TICKS (SHIVE MY SHELL IS MEANT TO BE CARRIED! I CAN GO ANYWHERE AND STILL BE HOME, AND LIVE OFF THE LAND IF I WANT WHICH I DON’T, MOSTLY BECAUSE YOU WON’T FIND PIZZA GROWING IN THE WOODS, HA HA! THEY’RE JUST TRYING TO SCARE US, PUSS WE’RE GOING CAMPING NOW GOODBYE! YOU’LL BE SAFE WITH ME! H’MMM COME BACK! IT’S ! HEY! WHO PUT THIS RAVINE HERE? OF COURSE I’M SURE! DID YOU MAKE THAT NOISE? VERY FUNNY, PUSS! MEWY SURE? MEWY WAIT! HEY! WHOA WHOA! WHOO-O-O-A! UM MEW ?! MEW?! OW! OOF! OW! STUPID MAP! WHY DID IT SEND US THISS WAY? NOW ALL OUR STUFF IS SCATTERED THE FLASHLIGHT! THE COMPASS! THE FOOOOOD!! HELLO E H WE HEH WE’RE DOOMED! OW! NEED HELP? TICKS? YIKES! I’LL PROTECT YOU, PUSS! THEY’LL HAVE TO GO THROUGH ME TO GET YOU (SHIVER SHIVER SHIVER!) by Katharine Weeks Folkes TODAY MY NIGHTMARE came true It was Bo I first met Bo when I volunteered to be a junior docent at the zoo It was a summer program our school participated in, where biology students earned extra credit by teaching little kids about some of the animals I needed to bring up my biology grade, so I asked my friend Sue Wang to be my partner “Melanie, I’ll this with you,” she said, “but I’ll the talking No way will I handle the animals!” That was OK with me I like animals During the training course, our instructor, Mr Lindsey, talked to each pair of docents about the animals we would take Illustrated by Mark Brewer to summer recreation programs and classes at year-round schools When he came to Sue and me, he said, “OK, girls, your three animals are a hedgehog, a three-banded armadillo, and a boa constrictor.” I felt myself go cold “I have to handle a boa constrictor?” He smiled “Snakes are a big hit with kids If they learn about snakes through you girls, little kids will be less likely to fear them and more likely to respect them.” “They’re not a big hit with me,” I mumbled Mr Lindsey laughed “You can it Just watch me.” My eyes were glued on the boa as Mr Lindsey coaxed the reptile from its carrier SNAKES DON’T SCARE ME! BUT HEDGEHOGS! DON’T THEY EAT (GULP) WORMS? and demonstrated how to hold it The constrictor wrapped its powerful, three-foot-long body around Mr Lindsey’s waist, then calmly rested its head on his arm “I’ll be taking you and watching you the first time or two until I think you’re OK on your own, so don’t worry,” he said OK, I thought Maybe I can this That night, though, I had a nightmare I was carrying the snake around a classroom, showing the kids, when all of a sudden it started constricting It squeezed and squeezed, and I couldn’t breathe! I woke up in a sweat, my body rigid I couldn’t it I could not spend the summer with that snake wrapped around my waist! I was going to have to back out Maybe Mr Lindsey would let me have another animal Next day I told him “Sure you can it,” he said He slid the door of the snake carrier open “Now put your elbow in—slowly—and wait for him to crawl on your arm Elbows aren’t as threatening to snakes as hands Good, that’s the way.” HE WAS CRAWLING UP MY ARM!!! It felt like well, not like I thought it would He wasn’t wet or slimy He was dry and soft! Imagine that But he was crawling on me And it was scary! Mr Lindsey stood beside me “Relax, Melanie You need to show him you aren’t afraid.” Can snakes tell if you’re lying? “He needs to trust you, and you need to trust him.” Yeah, right He crawled around onto my left arm, and his body wrapped around my waist I gently touched his back He didn’t anything He was a lot more trusting than I was Pretty bodacious! I named him Bo That night at supper I told my family about holding Bo My older brother said, “Hey, Mel, awesome!” Mom looked queasy, though she smiled encouragingly Dad slapped me a high five! ALL MY CAREFULLY built up confidence lasted until the next time I had to pick Bo up We were at our first school visit Mr Lindsey gave me a nod of encouragement as he delivered the junior docents to their assi to h hold each animal in turn, while Sue told aboout their habits—what they ate and stuff Then the kids could touch them I started with the little hedgehog because it was w cute and most kids d never seen one Its had spin nes were pretty sharp, so I cupped my palms together and moved each h hand just a tiny bit up and down to keep the spikes from m pricking me I smiled at h the kids “Touch the spines gently, now.” Duh They uealed and squ laughed and yanked their hands back When I turned the little creature over to show them its soft tummy—where a predator could get him if he didn’t roll himself into a spiky ball—he wouldn’t unroll Poor thing To him, we probably were predators The three-banded armadillo was a disaster from day one I don’t know what the zoo fed that animal, or if he was just scared, but he had diarrhea It was disgusting And he had it all summer “And now for the finale,” I said “I’ve saved the best for last How many of you have ever touched a boa constrictor?” I wish I had a picture of their expressions They didn’t know whether to be excited or scared I took my time, drawing out the suspense I got the p it on the teacher’s carrier off the floor and put desk She didn’t look happy about that Suddenly I realized I wasn’t real happy, either I wasn’t as scared as I had been, but I wasn’t totally not I was glad Mr Lindsey was just down the hall I took a deep breath, opened the sliding door of the carrier, and stuck my right elbow inside Bo slithered around my arm, and I lifted him out I could hear the kids sucking in their breath Bo made himself comfortable, wrapping around my waist and resting his head on my left arm He was his calm, cool self I relaxed Walking triumphantly around the classroom, I let the kids touch him gently Piece of cake AFTER A FEW school visits, they got easier I began to really like my boa and was pretty much at ease with him Mr Lindsey had begun training another class of docents, so Sue and I were mostly on our own once the zoo van dropped us off Then came the day I will never forget Sue was giving her talk I took each animal around the room, as usual, for the kids to touch The e hedgehog, and wrinkled their noses at the armadillo, who always smelled like diarrhea It was time for Bo I opened the carrier and took him The great explorer Captain James Cook stepped ashore in Australia in 1770 and claimed it for Britain He saw no land being farmed by the native inhabitants To an Englishman this meant nobody owned the land, and therefore it was free to take Except, two hundred years later, Captain Cook was proved wrong Australian Aboriginal people in arid areas lived a nomadic life Farming with Fire by The Hunter-Gatherer Puzzle Australia’s Aboriginal peoples were traditionally hunters and gatherers Men fished, and hunted large game such as kangaroo and wallaby Women hunted small animals such as lizards, and gathered plants and seeds But a young archaeologist, Rhys Jones, became baffled when studying Aboriginal culture in the 1960s How, he wondered, had these people survived by hunting and gathering alone, especially in one of the most desolate landscapes on earth? In his view it was impossible! So how had they survived? A WALLABY IS A KIND OF SMALL KANGAROO KA-BOING-KA-BOING! 36 text © 2021 by Kate Walker K ate WalKer Just as amazed were early British colonists who stepped ashore and found vast grasslands dotted about with thickets of trees Why, they wondered, had trees grown in clumps rather than spread evenly across the land? The colonists did not look for answers But Professor Rhys Jones did, and by delving deeper into age-old Aboriginal foraging practices, he uncovered a startling fact Aboriginal people had guaranteed the success of their hunting and gathering by farming their environment And their main farming implement was fire A FIRE STICK IS A PIECE OF WOOD IN WHICH AN EMBER BURNS SLOWLY FOR MANY DAYS AND CAN BE USED TO LIGHT ANOTHER FIRE Fire-Stick Farming The vast grasslands found by early colonists had been created over many thousands of years by Aboriginal hunters They had cleared parts of the bush by burning away trees and scrub, and leaving the grass to grow thick and lush This sweet, new growth attracted large numbers of kangaroos and wallabies Thus, by creating fresh, grassy pastures, hunters did not need to scour the bush in search of game They knew exactly where the animals would be at any given time This made their hunting highly efficient and guaranteed year-round supplies of fresh meat Hunters purposely left thickets of trees dotted about the grasslands These thickets gave animals places to shelter and hide, which encouraged them to remain and graze for months at a time The thickets also gave hunters cover when creeping up on their prey A kangaroo taken by surprise in open grassland was readily brought down by a hunting party with boomerangs and spears This ingenious method of land management and animal control Professor Rhys Jones labeled fire-stick farming Fire-Stick Farming Skills It took years of skill and knowledge to farm the harsh Australian landscape with fire Those who laid the fire had to know every hillock, wadi, and creek in the area They needed a history of previous burns, and knowledge of when the rains would come They also had to know intimately the plants and animals of an area, and the ancestral beings connected to that place In dry country, for example, firing took place in winter, ahead of the spring rains As well as renewing grassy pastures, fire also produced new Aboriginal people used fire to create grasslands where kangaroo could feed and be successfully hunted A WADI IS DRY RAVINE OR RIVERBED An Aboriginal elder teaches children traditional fire-stick land management growth of edible plants that were part of a traditional Aboriginal diet These food plants included tree shoots, ferns, and leaves, all of which were tastier and more nutritious when eaten young Fire-stick farming guaranteed supplies of plant food as well as meat Burn Patterns The land was always fired a section at a time in mosaics or burn patterns, and fire was always started upwind of known firebreaks Once started, a fire was shepherded over many days toward those breaks, where it would burn itself out naturally Large animals such as kangaroo could easily flee the fire zone Small animals could shelter underground protected by the soil as the cool fire—a short-lived brush fire that does not destroy trees, seeds, or soil nutrients—passed overhead Fire could never spread into a sacred site Nor could it enter the territory of another 38 clan Punishment for firing the land of a neighboring clan could be severe, as it might threaten their food supply or destroy their sacred totems Then four or five years after an area was burned, tough grass such as spinifex would take over and crowd out the edible plants This tough grass was what provided fuel for the next firing Fire-stick farming was a long-term undertaking, carried out over many years And rather than damage the environment, it burned away only old plant growth, leaving new plants to flourish Modern Fire-Stick Farming Today in Arnhem Land, in the north of Australia, Aboriginal people again clear and cultivate their land using fire Modern rural fire services throughout Australia also practice fire-stick land management now In cooler months, firefighters purposely set fire to the bush to burn away old, dry wood This back burning reduces the fuel load and makes summer bush fires—hot fires—less ferocious and more easily controlled Captain Cook, in his journal, often wrote about smoke rising from the Australian bush and native fires burning through the night Yet he failed to see what was right before his eyes Australia’s Aboriginal people had been farming their land for tens of thousands of years, not with plows and fences, but with fire I’VE GOT SOME MORE READER SUGGESTIONS FOR YOU Ca m p by Kayla Miller Olive and Willow, two BFFs, are going to a two-week sleepaway camp in the summer Olive is excited to meet new people, while Willow is the opposite When Olive quickly bonds with the other campers, Willow is left jealous and alone A fight soon jeopardizes their friendship Will they still be friends by the end of camp? This graphic novel teaches readers that making new friends doesn’t come easy for everybody HorseGirl, age 11 via Chatterbox S u m m e r o f t h e Gy p s y M o t h s by Sara Pennypacker Stella lives with her great-aunt Louise and a foster kid named Angel Suddenly, Louise dies, and they are left to fend for themselves A man named George expects Louise to take care of four summer cottages nearby, but she is GREAT! ADD THEM TO THE PILE SHOULDN’T WE PUT THEM ON THE SHELVES? WE HAVE TO READ THEM FIRST! dead, so Stella and Angel have to take care of the cottages themselves without anyone finding out about Louise Will their secret be uncovered? Find out in Summer of the Gypsy Moths Sylvia Beach, age 10 Portland, Oregon W h e re t h e Re d Fe r n G row s by Wilson Rawls Where the Red Fern Grows is a story of sweetness, kindness, loyalty, joy, and sadness It is about Billy and his two coon hounds They make an excellent team hunting coons until tragedy strikes on their final hunt This broke Billy’s heart This book made me laugh and cry And I always wanted to turn to the next page You would love this book if you love dogs Kal Eskridge, age Birmingham, Alabama T h e O n l y T h i n g to F e a r by Caroline Tung Richmond It has been a brutal eighty years for the world The Axis forces have won World War II by producing geneti- WE GET MORE EVERY DAY! WE’LL NEVER FINISH THEM ALL YAY! cally engineered soldiers who had special powers For Zara St James, life couldn’t get worse as a subhuman who can control wind and possibly control electricity, unless there was some way for the Nazi Empire to be removed She joins the resistance on a risky first mission to kill the Führer on television Can she it? Shivaji S., age 12 Naperville, Illinois T h e Wo n d e r l i n g by Mira Bartók In a world divided by humans, animals, and groundlings, human-animal or animal-animal hybrids, there lived a fox groundling who has no name except 13, the number assigned to him by the warden of the orphanage where he lives With the help of a newly made friend, he must find a way to escape and keep himself safe Rhonie Friedman, age 11 Los Angeles, California Do you have a favorite book? Email your review (75 words or less) to cricket@cricketmagkids.com or mail to Cricket Readers Recommend, P.O Box 300, Peru, IL 61354 Please include your name, age, and address Visit Cricket Readers Recommend online at www.cricketmagkids/books or Blab About Books at www.cricketmagkids.com/chatterbox 39 The Gardener’s Son The Story of the Smallpox Vaccine Part James Phipps is an eight-year-old boy whose father is a gardener on the estate of Dr Edward Jenner in Gloucestershire, England The doctor’s greenhouse is filled with exotic plants and fruits, like oranges, but they are reserved for honored guests, and James often wonders how an orange would taste Dr Jenner is fighting an outbreak of smallpox, a terrible disease that causes painful blisters, high fever, and often death, usually leaving survivors pockmarked with ugly scars Up to this time, the only defense against smallpox was variolation, a treatment in which drops of pus from a smallpox blister were rubbed into a cut made on a patient’s arm Variolation could be dangerous and painful, since it infected patients with the smallpox virus But those treated generally devel- T H E FO LLOW I N G W E E K, James awakened feeling clammy and a bit shaky At breakfast he had only a spoonful of his porridge Mother placed her hand on his forehead “James, I believe you have a fever,” she said “No work for you today I’ll fetch you a cup of tea.” James returned to bed, feeling unwell but pleased to be excused from his weeding As he settled under the quilt, by Melissa S Tesher 40 oped less serious cases of smallpox than if they had caught the disease naturally, and afterward they were immune from smallpox Dr Jenner was aware that fair-skinned Gloucestershire milkmaids seemed to develop an immunity to smallpox once they had contracted cowpox, a much milder disease caught from infected cows He was convinced that purposely infecting his patients with the relatively harmless cowpox virus would make them immune to smallpox To test his theory, on May 14, 1796, he takes a few drops of liquid from the cowpox sores of milkmaid Sarah Nelmes and rubs the cowpox virus into a cut on James’s arm Dr Jenner expects James to show mild symptoms of cowpox, and afterward to be immune from smallpox—a treatment Dr Jenner calls vaccination he glanced at the healing inoculation on the back of his forearm A few inches up from his wrist, he noticed a round pink sore with an indentation in the center The next day he again awakened with chills, and a pain behind his eyes That afternoon, Dr Jenner stopped by the Phipps cottage He held James’s arm up to the light by the window Dr Jenner was normally calm and measured, as befit a gentleman, but THE INOCULATION IS WHERE JAMES WAS INFECTED WITH THE COWPOX VIRUS today he spoke quickly, with great excitement “Yes, all is proceeding just as I had hoped,” he said, a bit breathless He bid James’s mother good afternoon The following day, James was well enough to eat at the table and help his mother sweep the dirt floor of their cottage The next morning, James was back in the garden This time he hurried to his work without urging Over the following weeks, the sore on his arm shriveled into a scar and was forgotten O N A S W E LT E R I N G August day, James was skipping stones at the fishpond when he heard Father’s voice echoing down the hill Illustrated by Bethanne Andersen text © 2021 Melissa S Tesher, art © 2021 by Bethanne Andersen “James, come at once!” he called Father was perspiring and out of breath “Dr Jenner has asked for you, and right away.” The two hurried back to the Jenner estate To James’s great surprise, Father ushered him into the cool front room of the main house James looked abashedly at his dirty bare feet on the fine carpet Dr Jenner was sitting at his desk by the window Two other men were there as well, with the formal suitcoats and pale skin of wealthy city men “Well, James,” said Dr Jenner “The pox is now broken out in earnest Thousands have died in London It’s time to test that cowpox.” “What what you mean, sir?” James asked “Perhaps you should tell him, Mr Phipps,” answered Dr Jenner, looking at James’s father Mr Phipps cleared his throat “James, you are to be variolated If the cowpox worked as Dr Jenner thinks, you won’t get sick And you must be protected from the smallpox one way or another.” Now James saw that the London men had brought with them a glass vial, and that Dr Jenner’s instruments were laid out on the desk He was not afraid of the procedure The cut Dr Jenner had made for the cowpox had hurt, but no more than when he’d fallen and scraped his knee on the flagstones in the courtyard No, it was the illness he dreaded—the many days of high fever, the risk of spreading rash He knew that people sometimes even died from variolation, though not often ABASHEDLY MEANS WITH EMBARRASSMENT 41 “Dr Greene, Dr Collins, this is the boy.” Dr Jenner pointed to James as he spoke “I vaccinated him with the cowpox in June The incubation period was seven days, as expected Symptoms were mild fever and ague, and he developed a single cluster of pox at the vaccination site He was completely recovered within three days’ time.” Dr Jenner’s hand felt cool as he grasped James’s wrist and showed the city doctors the small, puckeredlooking scar, then went on speaking 42 INCUBATION IS THE TIME IT TAKES SOMETHING TO GROW OR DEVELOP AGUE IS CHILLS AND SWEATS “I will now perform variolation via the usual method, on the other arm Normally I would expect symptoms of being infected with smallpox to develop within ten days, two weeks at most In this case, I am hoping he will show no reaction at all—that the cowpox vaccine has made him immune to smallpox.” One of the city doctors looked James in the eye “You are a brave boy indeed,” he said James was unsure whether this was true However, Dr Jenner, the city doctors, and most of all Father, were watching him so expectantly that he thought he’d best behave as if it were James sat down on the wooden bench that had been provided next to Dr Jenner’s desk and rolled up his own right sleeve “I’m ready.” T H E N E X T W E E K James was so apprehensive, he could barely sleep Every cough or tickle of James’s nose brought new anxiety Every few days Dr Jenner would look carefully at James’s arm, place a hand on his forehead, and put his ear to his chest Each day, he pronounced him well At last, two full weeks was complete without a symptom, not even a sore where Dr Jenner had inoculated the smallpox “It worked! It really worked!” James exclaimed after Dr Jenner checked him over, finding not a single pockmark More city doctors arrived at the Chantry to speak with Dr Jenner, and to meet James and examine his arm James sat awkwardly on the wooden bench, this time wearing his Sunday shoes, while Dr Jenner told the story of his vaccination and of his lack of response to the smallpox variolation The men glanced at James, murmured, and wrote in their notebooks “All of my tenants are now vaccinated, and more cowpox serum is on its way through the countryside We may yet save thousands of lives,” Dr Jenner concluded James stood, meaning to head toward his family’s cottage to leave his shoes and return to help Father in the garden Dr Jenner stopped him “One moment, James.” What now? thought James with alarm Dr Jenner looked at James solemnly, but his eyes twinkled He reached into his waistcoat pocket and put something round and golden into James’s hand—a whole orange D R J E N N E R ’ S D I S C O V E RY was, at first, met with skepticism Within a few months, though, the quiet of the Chantry was disturbed by near-daily visitors Scientists, doctors, and newspapermen rode through the gates, all seeking Dr Jenner Vials of the cowpox were sent by fast coach all over the country, wherever outbreaks of smallpox were 43 HOORAY FOR SCIENCE! feared Poor tenant farmers came as well, by wagon or on foot Soon the lines grew so long that Dr Jenner hired assistants and created a vaccination clinic in the summerhouse, where all who wished could receive the vaccine free Edward Jenner of charge Often, James would be called from the greenhouse, where his father was teaching him to tend the palms and pineapples, to show his scar and tell his tale, urging the visitors not to be afraid AUTHOR’S NOTE Variolation was practiced by many cultures in Africa, Asia, and China, long before it became known to Europeans in the eighteenth century Several other individuals, particularly Benjamin Jesty, had tested cowpox vaccination on a small scale, before it was publicized and popularized by Edward Jenner At first others were hesitant to try the new technique, but by 1800 vaccination was being recommended by physicians and scientists throughout England, as well as in most European countries Dr Jenner’s vaccine proved as important and effective in the Americas as it was in Europe Scientists had not yet discovered a method for safely storing vaccine serum for long periods However, they soon realized that cowpox could be transmitted directly arm-to-arm, and the lifesaving technique was brought across the ocean by a human chain of direct vaccination One of Edward Jenner’s most prized possessions was a wampum belt received as a gift from Native American leaders, grateful to have a means to halt this terrible disease that had decimated their communities In 1977, smallpox was declared eradicated—that is, completely wiped out around the world—and now exists only in a few laboratories, where it is carefully studied under high security No one in the world has died from smallpox—one of the most feared diseases of all time—in nearly forty years The Chantry, where Edward Jenner lived and worked, is now a museum, and visitors can see the famous summerhouse or “Temple of Vaccination.” The hide of Blossom—the cow from which Sarah Nelmes contracted cowpox—is on display at St George’s University School of Medicine, The Temple of Vaccination also in England 44 WHAT DRAMA! WHAT TALENT! WAIT FOR ME! WINNERS M AR CH 21 P HOT O G RA PHY CO N T E ST Through My Lens First prize 10 and under Guadalupe T., age Lutherville, MD First prize 10 and under Niso K., age Los Angeles, CA Hawaii Dreaming Second prize 10 and under Giada A., age New Milford, CT First prize 11 and up Rina L., age 13 Pittsboro, NC American White Ibis Second prize 10 and under Gwyneth D., age 10 Morrilton, AR Second prize 10 and under Presley B., age 10 Chagrin Falls, OH 45 Second prize 11 and up Carl M., age 12 Gaithersburg, MD Second prize 11 and up Delaney B., age 12 Thousand Oaks, CA Second prize 11 and up Nadia K., age 11 Tenants Harbor, ME Orb Weaver Spider A Seed’s Beauty Double Rainbow over Rockland Maine Harbor Thiird prize 10 and under Evelyn B., age Newark, DE Third prize 10 and under T Farah R., age La Quinta, CA Amazing Ways Nature Survives CAN YOU SPOT THE HORNED LIZARD? OH, WELL! IT CAN STILL BE A E ERIENCE I WON HOW TH NOT-SO CAMP U IS GOI LADYBUG! HELLO AND IF NOT LET’S HOPE WE FIND THEM IN TIME! SAFELY, I HOPE BUT IT’S A SHAME PUSS WON’T GET HER SOLO BADGE NOT TO ALARM ANYONE, BUT I SMELL SOMETHING BURNING WE LIKE MEETING NEW FRIENDS FRESH O BLOOD, SO TO SPEAK TT E SORRY, THAT’S A TICK ONE’S GOT THINGS JOKE, HA HA UNDER CONTRO ! SO WE’RE JUSTT CARE FOR VISITING A HEARTY WARM BEVERAGE? 46 HEY, CRICKET LOOK– PUSSYWILLOW BUILT A CAMPFIRE! SHE FOUND YUMMY BERRIES FOR DINNER, TOO A BEAR?! AND YOUR, UMMM, GUESTS? NO! N FOR THA (SHIVE YOU SHOULD HAVE SEEN OUR NEW “FRIENDS” HANDLE THAT MARAUDING BEAR!! MEWY MADE A SHELTER! MEWY TWIGS! DON’T WORRY, HE TOOK ONE LOOK AT US AND FLED! IT’S OUR SUPERPOWER YOU DI WEL AND, LOOK! I MADE PUSS YOU A SPECIAL BADGE A NICE FOR SURVIVING A WARMUP CAMPING TRIP WITH FOR YO R S HELP SOLO MEWY YAY!! To s e e m o r e w i n n i n g C r i c ke t L e a g u e e n t r i e s , v i s i t o u r we b s i t e : c r i c ke t m a g k i d s c o m /c o n t e s t s Solution to Crossbird Puzzle D O Z 31 A R 25 I C S C P P I L R E R I E I P F 19 17 14 18 15 B I 11 U M M A E F C S G L A N Y 29 B 26 S I R N T E C A E R M R E F G 13 E E F F 23 R T H I T R A I I F 10 P T A 24 A 20 L J K 16 A 30 O 22 A 12 A D N V T E N 27 C I E N S S T 32 R A A 21 E O 28 N K C O H C A R 34 L A G S Only one entry per person, please If you want your work returned, enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope for each entry Your entry must be received by July 25, 2021 Send entries to Cricket League, P.O Box 300, Peru, IL 61354 (No faxes or email submissions, please!) We will publish winning entries in the November/ December 2021 issue and on the Cricket website T Contest Rules Your contest entry must be your very own original work Ideas and words should not be copied Your entry must be signed by your parent or guardian, stating that it is your own work, that no help was given, and that Cricket has permission to publish it in the magazine and on our website Be sure to include your name, age, and full address on your entry N It’s summer at last! What a great time to get outside with friends, splash in the community pool, and maybe start a new hobby—like raising bees! For this month’s contest, everybuggy would love to read your best poem about the joys and adventures of summer Will you write about your favorite outdoor activities, like playing baseball, or skateboarding, or hiking in the mountains? Maybe your poetry will be inspired by your adventures at summer camp or trying to earn money at a summer job You could write about observing nature in summer, like watching robins search for worms in your backyard (sorry, George and Tail) Or you might write a funny poem about your battle with summer bugs or wilting in the summer heat You could even imagine the perfect summer vacation for your dog Maybe, like Santa, he’d like to dip his toes in the ocean, too! Whether you write about marching in a Fourth of July parade, enjoying a long-delayed family vacation, or just reading quietly under a shady tree, everybuggy in Cricket Country will be cooling off in the wading pool and sipping ice tea in their sunglasses as they wait to enjoy your best poem—of 24 lines or less, please—about summer E N E W P O E T RY CO N T E S T: S U M M E R ! V 11 and up Jonah V., age 12 New York, NY Honorable Mention Abigail L., age 12, South Lake Tahoe, CA Daphne S., age 9, Charlottesville, VA Eden H., age 9, Brandon, SD Elena G., age 15, Fortson, GA Emi M., age 9, New Haven, CT Emma B., age 11, Wellington, FL Erica E., age 11, Exton, PA Eva T., age 14, Hyattsville, MD Éva T., age 11, Sacramento, CA Joy M., age 7, Rockville, MD Lucy R., age 8, Montecito, CA Marlo G., age 9, Forest Hills, NY Olivia A., age 10, Poway, CA Orlanda M., age 11, Port Townsend, WA Sonja B., age 6, Alameda, CA Tang L., age 8, Palmetto Bay, FL Tyler R., age 10, Montecito, CA Violet R., age 12, Berwyn Heights, MD Yan L., age 4, Palmetto Bay, FL E Third prize 11 and up Jaiden B., age 13 Chagrin Falls, OH 33 Third prize 10 and under John E., age 10 Exton, PA Acknowledgments continued from inside front cover Grateful acknowledgment is given to the following publishers and copyright owners for permission to reprint selections from their publications All possible care has been taken to trace ownership and secure permission for each selection “I’ve Got to Hold a What?” text © 2014 by Katherine W Folkes, art © 2014 by Mark Brewer “Santa’s Summer Vacation” text © 2007 by J Patrick Lewis, art © 2007 by Darren Thompson “Patriot in Disguise” art © 2009 by Tord Nygren Photo acknowledgements: 11-14 (BG) Tatiana Goncharuk/Shutterstock.com; 11 (LT) thka/Shutterstock.com; 11 (RB) Jaroslav Moravcik/Shutterstock.com; 12 (LT) goodluz/Shutterstock.com; 12 (RB) Ververidis Vasilis/Shutterstock com; 13 (RT) Lipatova Maryna/Shutterstock.com; 13 (BC) Keep Moment/ Shutterstock.com; 14 (LT) GRACIELLADEMONNE/Shutterstock.com; 14 (RC) OlgaKot17/Shutterstock.com; 15 (BG) Tatyana Mi/Shutterstock com; 21 (BC) Lost Mountain Studio/Shutterstock.com; 22-25 (BG) Brandi B/Shutterstock.com; 30 (CC) National Park Service; 36-38 (BG) Andrey Kozhekin/Shutterstock.com; 36 (TC) W.A Cawthorne; 37 (BC) Joseph Lycett, ca 1775-1828/National Library of Australia; 38 (LT) Penny Tweedie/Alamy Stock Photo; 40-44 (BG) Anastasia Panfilova/Shutterstock.com; 44 (LC) chrisdorney/Shutterstock.com; 44 (RB) David Stowell July/August 2021, Volume 48, Number © 2021, Cricket Media All rights reserved, including right of reproduction in whole or in part, in any form Address correspondence to CRICKET, East Erie Street, Suite 525, PMB4136, Chicago, IL 60611 For submission information and guidelines, see cricketmedia.com We are not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or other material All letters and contest entries accompanied by parent or guardian signatures are assumed to be for publication and become the property of Cricket Media For information regarding our privacy policy and compliance with the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, please visit our website at cricketmedia.com or write to us at CMG COPPA, 1751 Pinnacle Drive, Suite 600, McLean, VA 22102 From time to time, CRICKET mails to its subscribers advertisements for other Cricket Media products or makes its subscriber list available to other reputable companies for their offering of products and services If you prefer not to receive such mail, write to us at CRICKET, P.O Box 6395, Harlan, IA 51593-1895 Printed in the United States of America 1st Printing Quad Sussex, Wisconsin June 2021 47 B U S Y A S A bee Make a beeline for home Have you heard these old sayings? Just watch a honeybee zoom from flower to flower; then, when it has gathered all the nectar it can carry, watch it head home to its hive in a straight line—without any detours My friend Dorothy Morgan tells me that many thousands of years ago, home for a honeybee was probably a nest in an isolated dry cave or in a hollow tree After people developed a taste for honey eight or ten thousand years ago, they began robbing the honey from bees’ nests But the nests were in inconvenient places, and humans began to think about moving the bees closer to their dwellings The first beekeeper’s hive may have been a short hollow log In 1900 a German expedition excavated the Temple of the Sun in Egypt Built about 2600 B.C., the walls of the temple held picture relief carvings of nine stacked beehives Unlike familiar box-shaped hives, these hives were long tubes with tapered ends They appeared to be made of baked clay or Nile River mud, similar to the mud pipe beehives used in southern Egypt today Historians believe that early Egyptian beekeepers moved their hives on rafts up the 1ong, northward-flowing Nile River If the beekeepers placed their bee-laden rafts on the river when flowers began to bloom in the south, they could follow the plants as they blossomed along the river all the way north to Cairo There, markets were eager to buy the honey that the very small, bright orange Egyptian bee had made on its journey up the Nile Now, that’s what I call a well-traveled honeybee! 48 Photos Shutterstock.com Chinese Language Learning to Beat the Summer Heat! Y Programs for all levels, from beginner to advanced Y Y 1:1 instruction for kids ages 5–16 Y Y Highly qualified and enthusiastic teachers make lessons fun! Y Visit CricketMedia.com/NeuLingo to learn more July/August 2021 Volume 48 Number cricketmedia.com $6.95 ... less) to cricket@ cricketmagkids.com or mail to Cricket Readers Recommend, P.O Box 300, Peru, IL 61354 Please include your name, age, and address Visit Cricket Readers Recommend online at www.cricketmagkids/books... David Stowell July/ August 2021, Volume 48, Number © 2021, Cricket Media All rights reserved, including right of reproduction in whole or in part, in any form Address correspondence to CRICKET, East... visit shop.cricketmedia.com, email cricketmedia@cdsfulfillment.com, write to CRICKET, P.O Box 6395, Harlan, IA 515931895, or call 1-800-821-0115 POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to CRICKET,