SONYa ’s

Happy Mind-Buggler
Min
Mind

Hatching
ng
At the zoo, all the mother
aiting for their
animals are waiting
ou tell
eggs to hatch. Can you
which egg belongs to
which mother?
March 2021 Volume 28 Number 3 cricketmedia.com $6.95
Art by Dom Mansell

Answers on page 35
text and art © 2021 by Richy K. Chandler
Front Cover by Bryn Barnard March 2021
Volume 28 Number 3
James M. O’Connor, Director of Editorial
Maria Hlohowskyj, Editor
2 Hatching Hopes by Richy K. Chandler Stacey Lane Smith, Assistant Editor
Emily Cambias, Assistant Editor
4 Doodlebug & Dandelion by Pamela Dell Julie Peterson, Copyeditor
Suzanne Beck, Senior Art Director
9 The Hungry Bird by James Young Shavan Spears, Designer
Michael Chesworth, Artist, SPIDER bugs
10 Worms in Danger by Elizabeth Kuelbs Adrienne Matzen, Permissions Specialist

Grateful acknowledgment is given to the following publishers and copyright

16 Silly Spiders owners for permission to reprint selections from their publications. All possible
care has been taken to trace ownership and secure permission for each selection:
Cover art © 2006 by Bryn Barnard; “The Hungry Bird” art © 2009 by Renata Gallio;
17 E.B.’s Eggs by Susan Vande Griek “Silly Spiders” art © 2013 by Tim Probert; “Beware of the Spider” art © 2005 by Laini
Taylor; “Little Yin and the Moon” text © 2011 by Jeremy Yoder, art © 2011 by Lars
Leetaru; “Spring’s Way” art © 2008 by Susan Swan; “The Fun Zone: Water Bugs” art ©
22 Beware of the Spider by Jacqueline Adams 2005 by Ponder Goembel; “Happy Hatching” art © 2003 by Dom Mansell.

Photo acknowledgments: 16 (BG) asharkyu/Shutterstock.com; 17-21 (BG) David M.

24 Spider Dance by Buffy Silverman Schrader/Shutterstock.com; 21 (spots) Studio DMM Photography/Shutterstock.com;
21 (LB) Cornell University; 30 (CC) Magdalena Kucova/Shutterstock.com; 35 (BG)
Kostenko Maxim/Shutterstock.com; 35 (CC) Texturis/Shutterstock.com; 35 (spot)
25 Little Yin and the Moon by Jeremy Yoder Gluiki/Shutterstock.com; 35 (border) demonique/Shutterstock.com; 35 (TC) Damsea/
Shutterstock.com; 36-37 (BG) Radiocat/Shutterstock.com.

30 Bug Adventure by Michael Chesworth SPIDER, the Magazine for Children (ISSN 1070-2911) is published 9 times a year,
monthly except for combined May/June, July/August, and November/December
issues, by Cricket Media, Inc., 70 East Lake Street, Suite 800, Chicago, IL 60601.
Additional Editorial Office located at 1751 Pinnacle Drive, Suite 600, McLean, VA
31 Spring’s Way by Sherri Stockdale 22102. Periodicals postage paid at McLean, VA, and at additional mailing offices.
One-year subscription (9 issues) $33.95. Canadian subscribers must add $15.00 per
year and prepay in U.S. dollars. GST Registration Number 128950334. For address
32 Spider’s Corner and Spider’s Mailbox changes, back issues, subscriptions, customer service, or to renew, please visit shop.
cricketmedia.com, email [email protected], write to SPIDER, P.O. Box
6395, Harlan, IA 51593-1895, or call 1-800-821-0115. POSTMASTER: Please send
34 Ophelia’s Last Word: Cheesy Chicky address changes to SPIDER, P.O. Box 6395, Harlan, IA 51593-1895.

March 2021, Volume 28, Number 3 © 2021, by Cricket Media, Inc. All rights
35 Buggy Bulletin reserved, including right of reproduction in whole or in part, in any form. Submit
manuscripts online at cricketmag.submittable.com. Not responsible for unsolicited
manuscripts or other material. All letters and contest entries are assumed 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,
The Fun Zone: Water Bugs please visit cricketmedia.com.

1st printing Quad Sussex, Wisconsin February 2021

by Ponder Goembel Printed in the United States of America.

Mind-Buggler: Happy Hatching From time to time, SPIDER mails to its subscribers advertisements for other SPIDER
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
by Dom Mansell at the Harlan, IA address.

Check out our online Teacher Guides at

cricketmedia.com/teacher-resources.
Spider and the Gang by Michael Chesworth To subscribe, call Customer Service at 1-800-821-0115
or visit shop.cricketmedia.com.



International Reading

Delivery for Association





Educational Press Paul A. Witty

Association of America Short Story Award 2008

Mister Ulysses S. Spider. Golden Lamp Award

Distinguished Achievement Award

That'd be me.
 Doodlebug & Dandelion
The
h Invasion
by Pamela Dell Art by Dom Mansell

“WHOA, CHECK THIS out!” Doodlebug Pinkley said to

Boggington Bogsworth the Third, his best friend. Hanging
from a large leafy plant in the Pinkleys’ backyard garden was
a weird, green, tubelike thing. It was a few inches long,
thick, and slightly pointy at the bottom.
“What is that?” Bog bent forward to study it without
getting too close.
All at once, the thing wiggled a bit.
“Did you see that?” Doodlebug asked. “It’s alive!”
“I think it could be some kind of alien species,” Bog
decided. “I mean from outer space.”
“Yeah,” Doodlebug agreed, “and look, there are two
more over there. It’s like an alien invasion.”
Sign here . . . and here . . .
and here. Everybuggy! Come quick! Spidie got
a super special package!

4
 Breathless, they pushed their way
through the fence dividing Bog’s yard
from Doodlebug’s and burst into the
shed that was their private boys-only
hideout. The Lodge was a safety
zone where girls and aliens could
not enter.
“Whoosh!” Doodlebug plopped
down on a cracked old seat ripped
from an ancient car.
Bog settled in the chair made of
stacked tires topped with a ratty old
cushion. “There are probably tons of
those things out there,” he said. “I
bet they’ll get fatter and grosser till
Sure enough, just a few feet they sprout ugly purple eyes that can
away another big green pod hung freeze you with one glance, and—”
from another big green leaf. A third “Yeah, and once you’re frozen,
dangled from a twig, this one almost they start sucking out your guts with
blackish-green. their slimy red mouth suckers!”
“Let’s split,” Bog said, “before Both boys began imagining every
they explode into, like, giant evil disgusting detail of the invasion.
worms and attack us.” “They keep sucking until you’re
Doodlebug’s skin crawled as he skinnier than a straw,” Bog said,
imagined what the wriggling pods “but your head’s still gigantic, and
might do next. He and Bog had been your brains turn to mush!”
reading a lot of alien invasion stories “Their awful purple eyes bore into
lately. “To the Lodge!” he cried. your eyes, so you’re forced to bow
It's from my Sumpin' super special!
third cousin, Matilda,
once removed. What the I wonder why somebuggy
heck's in it? would bore — make all
these holes — in it.

5
 down to them even when you “If we make aluminum head coverings,
don’t want to.” Doodlebug was that’ll drive them off.”
really seeing it now. “Seriously?”
“Exactly, and they shoot barbed Doodlebug felt suddenly in charge.
tentacles into your ears, so you can’t “Where’s the foil? Foil helmets will
hear other people telling you to make them flee like the evil worms
scram!” Bog shuddered. “Tons of them they are.” They got to work.
stalk around on spindly, twisted legs Soon, with scissors, tape, markers,
hypnotizing every earthling. Humans and a fat roll of foil, they’d fashioned
are toast, Dood.” the fanciest and most alien-defying
“We have to fight back!” Doodle- helmets ever.
bug sat up straight, remembering a “The Purple-Eyed Evil is going
detail from an alien story in World to be sorry it ever landed here!”
of the Weird, his favorite magazine. Doodlebug declared as they checked
I haven't seen her since she
? was an itsy-bitsy, spindly
Tu prima Matilda? You Spider-ling?
— long and skinny — uh . . .
never mentioned a cousin Spider-ette?
Matilda, removed or not. Spider-kid!

6
themselves out in the Lodge’s cracked “They know we’re here!”
mirror. They looked magnificent. Doodlebug said. “Bow your head.
“They’re going down,” Bog said. We can’t let them see our eyes!”
“All systems go!” Doodlebug Both boys bent their heads toward
replied. the pods and swayed their foil-capped
They stole out of the Lodge into skulls back and forth, growling to
Doodlebug’s backyard and cautiously scare the pod creatures.
approached the pods. The things Just then, Doodlebug’s sister
had turned almost see-through. All Dandelion burst from the house,
were jerking and wriggling on their followed by Tomiko, her best friend.
stems. “WHAT ARE YOU GUYS
“They’re opening!” Bog said, SNORTING ABOUT OUT HERE?!”
alarmed to see a few spindly black Dandelion shrieked through a gale of
legs poking out of one pod. her own laughter.

Shhh . . . I thought I heard something inside,

but it's hard to hear above your gale —
burst of sound.

7
 Doodlebug’s head came up. Bog’s creature emerged. Dandelion held
head came up. They looked at her. out her hand.
Tomiko doubled over, laughing Not an alien at all, but a beautiful,
so hard she couldn’t stand straight. brand-new monarch butterfly settled
“Seriously, what are you doing?” there. It flapped its wings, drying in
Feeling suddenly awkward, the warm air. After a while, it lifted
neither boy felt like answering. itself and flew off.
Doodlebug waved a hand vaguely Doodlebug and Bog were speechless
toward the pod. with awe.
Dandelion turned to it. “That’s “So what’s with the headgear?”
a chrysalis!” she said, her face Tomiko asked.
glowing now. “And look!” “Whatever it’s for,” Dandelion
As they watched, the pod fully smirked, “you guys look ridiculous.”
opened, and a strange blackish
Maybe it says in the note: “Dear Cousin Spider, Sorry to dump
this on you, but we have way, way too many here already. Please
care for them as you would your own. Signed, Cousin Mattie.”
? Que´ hay dentro? Say what? We gotta open it!
What's inside?

8
The Hungry Bird
The bird woke early
for she had heard—
that’s what you do
when you’re a bird.

The worm slept late.

He’d also heard

that thing about
the early bird.

by James Young
Art by Renata Gallio
9
 Worms in Danger

I WAS FINISHING dinner when the alarm sounded. “Worm in

danger!”
A rescue operation! I dropped my leaf and slithered out of our
tunnel. The Safety Squad raced by me, rushing to the surface to save
someone from a hungry robin. “Clear the way,” the captain shouted.
“Worm in danger!” I tried to follow them, but Mom caught my tail.
“Where do you think you’re going, Shorty?” she asked, tugging
me back inside.
“Um, to help?”
“Exactly how would you help the Safety Squad?”
She had me there. I was too small for feather pulling or pop-up
teasing or any other bird defense maneuvers. I wasn’t even allowed
aboveground without a grownup. But I was dying to do something
exciting for once. “I could cheer them on,” I said.
I'm certain I heard
something move in there . . . We must use careful maneuvers —
smart moves — to open it.

by Elizabeth Kuelbs
Art by Agnès Ernoult
10 text © 2021 by Elizabeth Kuelbs, art © 2021 by Agnès Ernoult
 “Time for homework, you,” saving a baby worm from a sharp
Mom said. beak while my big brother chewed
“Please?” through his Granny Smith.
“You heard me, Shorty.” “Beat you again!” he said, with
“Oh, fine.” Mom never changes apple bits on his face. “Hey, guess
her mind about homework. who’s going to Compost Mountain
Of course homework had to be tomorrow!”
Apple Boring, my worst subject. “Ooh. Hard one.” Not. “You?”
It took me forever to bore into an “Yep,” he said, grinning. “Scout
apple, especially the sour kind. I field trip!”
always got stuck on the peel, and I’d never been to that delicious
when I tried to pry loose, I rolled mound of turnip green, baked bean,
the apple over myself. So I imagined bagel crust yumminess. He knew I’d

Here's Grandpappy Ahab's big ol' harpoon

ready to pry — force — it open. NO, BILL! NO!

11
 wanted to go there forever. But you Mom is my brother’s troop leader,
needed full aboveground clearance so the next day my grandpa came to
to be in Worm Scouts, and I was, babysit me while the scouts went off
yeah, you got it: too small. to have fun. When Grandpa opened
“Want to bring me in your back- his newspaper, I crawled up to the
pack?” I joked. ceiling, bit onto a root, and tried to
“Dude, no way. But if you give stretch my tail down to the floor.
me your seed collection, I’ll bring “What under earth are you doing?”
you back an eggshell.” Grandpa asked.
“You are an eggshell,” I said. I let go and landed with a puff of
u uu dirt. “Um, getting taller?”

Give me that thing, Bill! You' ll need clearance — official approval —

to use that.

12
 Grandpa shook his head. “Shorty,
you only need to do two things to
grow. One: eat compost for breakfast.
Two: never be breakfast.”
I saw my chance. “Speaking of
food, could we please take our own
field trip? Pretty please? With mulch
on top?”
“Well,” he said, putting down his
paper, “I could go for some coffee
grounds.”
I love my grandpa.
u uu
A few minutes later, we crawled
topside and slithered off through
thick grass and a cool drizzle. Soon It wasn’t birds. It was an enormous
we smelled lettuce and pasta and furry thing, scratching at the side of
coffee. Compost Mountain.
I raced ahead. I could not wait “Burrow, Shorty!” Grandpa
to tunnel through compost, yummy yelled. “It’s a puppy!” Puppies looked
compost! But then the ground started way smaller when we studied them
rumbling like gigantic robins were at school.
dancing on it. Then the alarm sounded. Only
I circled back to Grandpa. “Um, this time it was my mom’s voice
what’s happening?” shouting, “Worms in danger! Worms
Grandpa climbed a blade of grass in danger!”
to survey the area. I climbed another The furry thing was about to dig up
beside him. everyone on my brother’s scout trip.

Yes, I hear that. There's definitely Here. I' ll use my best

something moving in there . . . sewing scissors and be
! ?
Oye! Escuchas eso? gentle and careful.

13
 “Shorty! Burrow!” Grandpa But that puppy just sniffed at
yelled. “I’ll come back for you!” something round and green. An
Then he slid to the ground and apple … that looked like a ball.
crawled straight for that thing, calling, Puppies chase balls.
“Here, puppy! Here, puppy, puppy!” “Worms in danger!” Mom yelled
My five hearts pounded like hail. from close by.
But I couldn’t just hide. I had to do I slithered past Grandpa, past
something! So I followed Grandpa. the giant nose, and I chomped into
The ground rumbled louder. that sour Granny Smith and tried
Chunks of compost flew. Then the to pry loose. The apple started rolling
enormous paw scratched right in downhill. Yes! Only I was still stuck
front of us. My whole body shook. on the peel.
Grandpa stretched up tall and The world spun. Mulch. Clouds.
shouted, “Come here, you furry Mulch. Clouds. Huge sharp teeth!
earthquake!” I pried loose with all of my
Now, let's carefully cut this
last . . . little . . . strap . . .
Thar she blows!!!

14
 Breakfast was delicious.
u uu
Later, the captain of the Safety
Squad stopped by our tunnel to ask
if I’d like to help their new Puppy
Protection Division design some
defense maneuvers.
“Mom, please?”
“Hmm,” she said. “OK. After
you finish your homework, of course.”
“YES!”

strength and tumbled to the ground

just before those teeth munched me.
The puppy thundered away with the
Granny Smith in its jaws.
When its paw-steps faded, I
found everyone tunneled safe inside
Compost Mountain.
“Dude!” my brother said. “Awesome
apple move!”
“Shorty! Shorty!” his troop
cheered.
“That’s my grandworm,” Grandpa
said.
“Come here, you,” Mom said
and hugged me tight.
A sac full of spider eggs—
ready to hatch!
Jumpin' pickles!
What's in it?

15
SILLY SPIDERS
Art by Tim Probert

What do spiders eat in Paris? What do you call two spiders

French flies. that just got married?
Newly-webs.

What did the spider do with What spider sewed the first
his brand-new convertible? American flag?
He took it out for a spin. Itsy-Bitsy Ross.

Send your favorite jokes to [email protected]!

16
E.B.’s Eggs

E LWYN BROOKS WHITE was a boy who very much liked dogs
and ducks and geese and mice. In fact, he liked all of the animals he
found around his family’s home. And there were a lot of them—Elwyn,
his parents, and his five older siblings lived in a farmhouse in Mount
Vernon, New York, surrounded by stables and a big yard.
Elwyn chased the ducks, fed the geese, petted the dog, and took
carrots to the horses. He studied the birds’ eggs he found in the attic,
as well as the roosting, cooing pigeons.
Once when he was sick and forced to stay in bed, he befriended
a mouse in his room, made it a home, and even taught it tricks.
One spring day, Elwyn’s father brought home fifty eggs to hatch into
chicks. Elwyn was very curious and most excited.

Roosting — resting
Umm . . . whatcha in a safe place —
doin', Spider? with my eggs.
by Susan Vande Griek
Art by Tamara Campeau
text © 2021 by Susan Vande Griek, art © 2021 by Tamara Campeau
17
 In addition to the eggs, there Jimmy kept the lamp lit and the eggs
was a strange-looking cabinet his warm. He watched as Jimmy gently
father called an incubator. This, turned the eggs, so the chicks inside
he explained, would keep the fifty would grow properly.
eggs warm, just as if they were still Then one morning, twenty-one
sitting under mother hens. In that days after the eggs had been placed
warmth, the chicks could grow inside in the incubator, Jimmy came calling
the eggs and hatch out when they at the kitchen door.
were ready. “Call your brothers and come,
In the stable, Elwyn and his older Elwyn! Come now! The eggs are
brothers watched as Jimmy, the starting to hatch.”
coachman and stable hand, carefully Elwyn was most excited! He
placed the eggs in the egg tray inside
the incubator. He lit the kerosene
lamp that would keep the eggs warm
in their special cabinet.
Then the waiting began.
Elwyn, though he could hardly
see over the edge of the incubator
table, kept his eyes on those eggs.
Minute after minute. Hour after
hour. Day after day.
He would go out to play with the
dog and come back. Eat his breakfast
and come back. Chase the geese and
come back. Eat his lunch and come
back. Go to bed and come back.
Day after day, he watched as
Ooh! I think one just pipped —
broke open to hatch!
Your eggs? You mean your cousin's
eggs, right? —once removed.

18
pulled on his shirt and pants and Albert and Stanley helped Elwyn
raced with Albert and Stanley to count as the chicks grew in number
the stable. and their cheeping chorus grew louder
And what a sight! One by one, and and louder. Forty-five, forty-six,
then by twos and threes, the little forty-seven! Forty-seven! Forty-seven
chicks that had pipped their shells were . . . The counting stopped. No forty-
flopping out all damp and wobbly. eight, forty-nine, fifty? Elwyn looked
Elwyn kept count—ten, eleven, questioningly at Jimmy.
twelve chicks! Soon eighteen, nine- “Likely those three eggs just didn’t
teen, twenty! The chicks kept coming have chicks growing inside them,”
and coming. Jimmy told the boys. “Sometimes
Thirty, thirty-five, now forty! that happens.”

! Wait! We' ll want pictures.

Ven aqui!´ Get in here,
Are the spider-kids
everybuggy! Ooh la la.
hatching? Hurray!

19
 So while Elwyn and his brothers He ran in for breakfast and came
softly touched the forty-seven dry- back. He ran out to feed the geese
ing, fluffy, newly hatched chicks, and came back. He ran in for lunch
Jimmy gently removed the three and came back.
unhatched eggs. He carried them He ran out of the stable to play
outside to the big steamy pile of and—he heard peeping. Little peeps,
straw and horse manure beside the coming not from inside the stable,
stable, a pile he added to each day but from outside.
by cleaning out the horses’ stalls. Elwyn followed the noise to the
In that manure pile, he left the pile of horse manure beside the stable.
three eggs. There, teetering around on the brown
In the stable, Elwyn kept his eye mound, were three little chicks, all
on the forty-seven hatched chicks. fluffy and loud.
Hey, little cousins.
They are so . . . Welcome to the Meadow.
so . . . cute! Look at the little buggers, teetering —
. . . so gross. wobbling — on their little legs.

20
 They had hatched after all!
“Jimmy, come look,” he called.
“Well, well, in the warmth of
the horses’ dung, they’ve gone and
hatched,” Jimmy said. “A little bit
of a miracle, huh, Elwyn?”
The two of them scrambled over
the manure pile for those three
little chicks, picked them up, and
carried them into the stable to join
the others.
Forty-eight, forty-nine—
“Fifty,” Elwyn shouted, most excitedly, as the cheeping chorus
suddenly, wondrously increased by three!

Elwyn Brooks White, better known as

E.B., always remembered this mystery
of new life that he saw as a boy. And he
never outgrew his love of animals. E.B.
White grew up to become a writer and the
author of many well-known and loved
children’s books, including Charlotte’s
Web, a story of a spider and a pig, The
Trumpet of the Swan, about a swan
[y\ without any voice, and Stuart Little, the
story of a mouse and a bird.

Sure are a whole mess

of 'em, huh, Spider?
I lost count. And lookie how
cute they all are. Oui . . . cute.

21
 Beware
of the
Spider
W OULD YOU LIKE a guard for
your book when you’re not reading it?
It’s easy to create a spider book sitter
that can mark your place and make
your book the coolest one on the shelf.
What You’ll Need:
12-inch by 1-inch ribbon, any color
1-inch (25-mm) black bead
12-inch black pipe cleaner
¾-inch black pompom
2 small googly eyes
craft glue
paper clip
scissors
marker
What to Do:
1. Thread the ribbon through the bead
until the ribbon hangs evenly on
both sides.

by Jacqueline Adams
22 Art by Laini Taylor
2. Glue the two halves of the ribbon
together. Slide the paper clip onto
the glued ribbon just below the bead.
(The paper clip will hold the ribbon
together until the glue dries.)
3. Cut the end of the ribbon into a V.
4. Cut the pipe cleaner into four 3-inch
pieces. Push the pieces through the
hole in the bead and bend them to
look like a spider’s legs.
5. Glue the pompom to the front of
the bead.
6. Glue the googly eyes to the front
of the pompom.
7. Write your name on the ribbon
with the marker.
8. When the glue is dry, remove
the paper clip.
Then slip the ribbon between the
pages and set the book on a shelf.
The spider will perch on top of the
book, scaring off intruders—until
you’re ready to get caught in the web
of a good story again.

23
 n c e
Sp i d e r D a
On spindly le
gs
you skitter,
scour,
pect yo ur trap,
ins
unwrap,
devour.
by t by

uf
Ar
B

fy
t ex
t©

Br Silv
20
21
by

ad erm
Be

G.
th

S il

Sn a
ve

eed n
rm
an
,a
rt ©
20
21
by
B rad
24 Sne
ed
o NE HOT DAY, Yin heard Little Yin
her mother weeping in a corner
of their hut. In her mother’s arms
and the
lay Yin’s baby brother, Zhou, who
was also crying. Yin drew close,
Moon
placing a hand on her mother’s
arm. “Mother, why do you cry?”
Her mother spoke between sobs.
“Little Yin, I cry because the fields
are almost empty, and the cow has
stopped giving milk. Our family is
hungry, and I am frightened.”
Yin had never seen her mother
look so sad or so scared.
“Mother, I will find a way to
help,” Yin said with determination.
She put on her wide straw hat and
went out to the stable where their
red cow stared over the wooden
fence. Yin gently stroked the cow’s
forehead. “Cow, why do you not
give milk to feed my family?”
The cow blinked her large
brown eyes. “Little Yin, the brook
has very little water. Without
more to drink, I cannot give any
milk.”

Don't just stand there, Bill. Get

these stinky diapers outside! NOW!
How's the spider-baby biz goin',
by Jeremy Yoder Spider-dad?

Art by Lars Leetaru

25
 Yin crossed the dry rice field to
the skinny brook. She knelt down
and gently placed her hand in the
warm water. “Brook, why do you
not give more water so that the
cow may drink her fill?”
The brook, who usually rushed
past, now only trickled. “Little Yin,
I cannot give much water because
the mountain lake does not offer
me more.”
Yin looked up the mountain.
Traveling to the lake would take
all day. After taking a tiny bit of
food and a blanket for warmth,
she kissed her family goodbye and
headed out.
As darkness fell, Yin reached
the small lake halfway up the
mountain. She took off a shoe and
dipped her toes into the water,
creating ripples on the glassy surface.
“Lake, why do you not give more water I will disappear, and then
water to the brook so that he may there will be no brook at all.”
laugh again?” “How can I give you more water?”
The lake brushed a few feeble Yin asked.
waves against the shore. “Little Yin, I The lake sighed. “There is
have grown shallow. If I give more nothing you can do. I only grow

Geez, the dude didn't need Laundry's done. And here's the next load for you.
to get so stern — serious.

26
 her blanket and ate the little food
she had brought. Still hungry, she lay
down and slept.
The next morning, the sun
peeked over the horizon. Yin
wondered how she could talk to
the sun because he was so far
away. Gathering her blanket,
she looked up the mountain and
started to climb.
At long last, she reached the top.
As the sun rose to the highest point
in the sky, Yin squinted against the
heat and shouted, “Sun, why do you
burn so brightly? Why do you not
let rain fall and fill the lake?”
Sun gazed down with a stern
look. “I burn brightly because I am
angry that I cannot help Moon,
who has cried for many months.”
Not knowing what to do next, Yin
waited at the top of the mountain.
when it rains. The sun has burned She was very hungry by now and
brightly for a long time and will wanted to go home, but the thought
not let rain fall.” of her family gave her strength.
“There must be something I can Yin wrapped herself in her blanket.
do,” said Yin. “But for now, I must Finally night came, and with it, the
wait for the sun.” Yin spread out moon and stars.
Isn't it a miracle how feeble —
weak — little babies grow into Ack! Not fast enough!
strong, healthy kids? And it seems like it More diapers, STAT!
happens almost overnight.

27
 Moon stared down with such sadness that Yin felt
she might cry, too. “Moon, why do you weep and make
Sun angry?”
Moon sniffled several times. “I cry because I am sad,
for I am always cold. Sun is angry because he cannot
give me his warmth, for he may only shine during the
day, and I at night.”

Yin was just a poor peasant girl, but she would offer all
she had. Draping her blanket over her hands, she held it
up to Moon. “Please, take my blanket and stay warm.”
A soft wind blew the blanket high into the air. Moon
accepted the blanket and drew it tight, until only a sliver
of Moon could be seen. “Thank you, Little Yin, for your
generous gift. I shall now sleep well.”
You know, I love 'em too, but . . . I would love just one sliver —
Pickles, they sure can't
small, narrow piece — of calm and quiet again!
get enough of you, Spider.

28
 Though she was very cold, Yin slept soundly. The next
morning, the sky swirled with dark clouds. Yin hurried
down the mountain. When she reached the lake, lightning
flashed, and rain began to fall.
As Yin ran faster, the sky opened and great drops fell into
the lake. By the time Yin reached her home, the brook was
bubbling with laughter, and the cow was drinking her fill.
“Little Yin!” her mother cried happily as Zhou bounced
in her arms. “Because of you, our family may eat once
again.”
While Yin’s mother milked the cow, Yin gathered what
little rice remained in the field, knowing more would grow
back soon. After they ate a meal together, Yin wept with
joy as Zhou smiled and fell asleep with a full belly.

And then, Spider, you' re

You' ll see. Once they learn going to miss them.
When they've grown, to play on their own, they
you' ll feel differently. won't have time for you. And you' ll yearn
for zeez sweet,
spider-baby
days encore.
29
 Over the years, as Little Yin
grew into an old woman, she
would gaze up at Moon and see
her blanket. Sometimes only a
little bit covered Moon’s toes,
and other times, the blanket
covered Moon entirely. Each
time Yin watched, she felt happy,
knowing Moon would forever
stay warm.

30
 by Sherri Stockdale
Art by Susan Swan
Spring taps in, bright green and cheery,
paints yellow over winter’s dreary,
twirls and dances with his cane,
pokes a cloud and makes it rain,
melts the snow off roof and hill,
sticks his face through a daffodil,
builds a nest in every tree,
and plays a peeper song for me.

art © 2017 by

31
 Wild Animal

Steven Z., age 4 Emily Sanchez, age 6 Elora K., age 6 Isadora K., age 7
Beijing, China Hopelawn, New Jersey Molalla, Oregon Oakland, California
Puffer Fish Happy Lion Great Horned Owl at Night Snake in the Jungle

Autumn J., age 9 Anna P., age 8 Gabriel Olson, age 7 Quentin, age 9
Layton, Utah Omaha, Nebraska Pittsboro, North Carolina Bethesda, Maryland
Red Panda Panda

Hi, Everybuggy! Dear Spider,

How are you? I love your magazine! It is This is Cheagle. She is a spider of a sort. She
the best! My favorite part is the comics on eats sunlight and shadows and shoots spikesikees outt
the bottom of the pages. I think you should of the star on her back. Will you adopt her?
r??
include more. What is your favorite color, lor,
lo Nova Yates
Ophelia? Mine is lavender. Redding, California
Please put Rachel the fly and Stevie the
butterfly in your magazine. They both
bot
othh love
love nectar.
necctar
necta
tar.rr.
ta Dear Sam,
D
Jessie, age 11 Will you become a butterfly? Monarchs are
Weatherford, Texas my favorite. Why do you like pickles so much?
How’s Pookie?
Dear Jessie, Talia S., age 8
es of blue
I love many different shades blue
u and
and Houston, Texas
purple.
Love, Dear Talia,
Ophelia I like being a caterpillar. I don’t want to
become a butterfly. I love pickles because they
Hi! taste great. Pookie is flying high.
Warm regards to Bill, Spider, and the rest Love,
of the gang. Hey, Bill! I have a joke for you. Sam
Why didn’t Spider cross the road? To prove he
wasn’t a chicken (that drum sound that plays Hello, Spider,
in comedy shows whenever someone says I have a joke to tell you. What do bills ride in
something funny). New York City? Tax-is!
Later, everybuggy!
art © 2015 by
Gus W., age 9 Hazel, age 7
Glenview, Illinois Athens, Georgia
32
 Wri Con
Her e a po
e
t
em tes
1. are t
You he o about tR
Naomi V., age 6 Merav C., age 10 2.
You r poem nly ru ule an a
nim
Elk Grove Village, Illinois Ann Arbor, Michigan
s a
auth r entry shou es:
oriz m us
l d
l
b
s
e
al h
atch
ing
3. ying ing it t be s 10 l from
Be s it’ s p i g i n e an e
4. s u n s
You ure to your o blicati ed by a or few gg.
r in w o e
pub entry clude n ide n in p paren r.
Spi lish ou must your c a. rint
a
t or
l
Em d er. r fa
v
arriv o m p
n d/or egal gu
a orit e by lete onl
ine ardian
sen il you es i M a na m and ,
d it r n th r
to S entry e Ju ch 25 e, age,
pid to sp ly/A , 202 and
er’s ugu 1. W add
Cor ider@ st 2 r
ner cric 021 e will ess.
, P.
Nicholas White, age 6 Lydia P., age 8 O. B ketm issu
e of
ox 3 edia
Moorpark, California Omaha, Nebraska 00, .c
Per om, o
Tiger Cute Panda! u, I
L6 r
135
4.

Dear Sam, Dear Ophelia, Dear Everybuggy,

Can you take care of Peeps, I love Spider magazines becausee Hi! I know that pretty much
please? She only eats vegetables.
s. I love you! I am going to tell you twoo everyone is asking you to babysits t or aadopt
si dopt
If she’s sleepy or hungry, she gets
ts stories. The first one is that once I was their pets. It must be very hard for you guys.
really crazy and jumps up and down!! in Chinatown. I saw a praying mantis, and I’m sorry, but will you look after Narnia and
Nolan Kaplan, age 8 I named it Ophelia. The second story is my Chicken? Narnia is a bunny, and Chicken is a
Croton-on-Hudson, New York name is also Ophelia! baby bug-sized human with a mustache. Narnia
Ophelia will only eat pumpkins and lettuce. Chicken eats
Dear Thistle, Brooklyn, New York potatoes, cupcakes, and chairs. Narnia loves to
I love reading a series called Wings of play the piano, and Chicken likes to readd
Fire, but I always find time for your magazine. Dear Spider, books. Chicken is also an FBI agent.
Please adopt Sunny. She is a dragon. She can This is a tarantula drawing. I hope Please take good care of Narnia and
breathe fire and is terrible at keepingg secrets. I you like it. Fun facts: tarantulas are not Chicken.
have a joke for you. What did the poisonous, and they are fuzzy. Nefeli
sun say to the moon in math class?? Analisa Vazquez, age 9 Los Angeles, California
“You’re bright!” Clive, Iowa P.S. Make sure Chicken eats her chairs, or
Selah Daniels she might have a fit. Also beware of Narnia’s
Barnet, Vermont Dear Spider, laser eyes.
Please take care of Yuna and Hoo Hoo.
Dear Everybuggy, Yuna is a magical unicorn that has healingg
Will you adopt my piggy? His name is powers. Hoo Hoo is a peep that can fly
fly Send your letters to
Wattles, and he loves to eat coconut, just and make people like her as a friend.
d. Spider’s Mailbox
like me. He’s two years old, and his birthday You’re my favorite buggy! P.O. Box 300
is December 30. He’s really playful. He also Imre Fernandes, age 6 Peru, IL 61354
loves cupcakes. I love your magazine.e.. Winfield, Illinois Please write your complete name, age, and address
Maris White, age 9 on your letter! You can also send us mail
Waltham, Massachusetts at [email protected].
33
 ,
OPHELI A S LAST WORD

WHAT IS BETTER than a yummy meal? A funny and yummy meal!

Make a quesadilla that looks like a chicken hatching from an egg.
What You’ll Need: 2 handfuls of shredded
2 peas orange cheese
2 tortillas
(dairy or vegan)
1 large plate 2 black olive
(microwave safe) slices

1 pointy end of a carrot

(cut by a grownup)
1 round slice of
orange cheese 1 handful of spinach
(dairy or vegan) (washed)

What to Do:
1. Put one tortilla on the plate. Cover it with shredded cheese.
2. Carefully rip the side of the second tortilla in a zigzag to make it look
like a broken eggshell. Rip the other end of the torn tortilla, too. Set
aside the middle piece for a future snack.

3. Lay the two ripped pieces on opposite sides of the cheese-covered

tortilla, lining up the round edges.

4. Place the olive slices in the cheese to make eyes. Add the peas to
the holes in the olives. Below the eyes, center the carrot with the
point facing out to make a beak.

5. Have a grownup help microwave the plate for 40 seconds or until

the cheese is melted. Let cool a little bit.

6. Fold the round cheese slice in half to break it into two pieces.
With the half circles facing down, place the pieces on each side
of your chick’s cheesy body to make wings.

7. Make a nest of spinach at the bottom of your egg.

Try not to crack up as you chow down.

ov e,
L lia
e
Op h
34
 Bu g g y B u l l e t in Q. How do
you know if
an egg likes
a joke?
p.
A. It cracks u to
vorite jokes
Send your fa
Answers to Egg-citin crick etmedia.com !
g Eggs r@
Happy Hatching
spide
• The big
gest bird,
the ostrich
biggest egg , lays the
Mind-Buggler could fit in
s. Twenty-f
ive chicke
side one o n eggs
• The sma s tr ich egg.
llest bird,
lays the litt the humm
ingbird,
lest bird e
eggs are sm g g s. Humming
aller than bird
jellybeans
.
• Insect eg
gs are the ti
niest
of all. Som
e are the
size of a gr
ain of
salt. Many
are so
itsy-bitsy
that they
can only b
e seen
under a m
icroscope.

your own
Did you hatch
y Chicky?
yummy Chees
re at
Send us a pictu
media.com!
spider@cricket

es due 1
ri 2
Ent 27, 20
il
Apr Join the 2021 Spark!Lab Dr. InBae & Mrs. Kyung Joo Yoon
nventors!
Hey, Young I fo o tball player
Form e r p r o
S p r in gs is an inventor
Shaw n
ANGER. His
and GAME CH s
dpact, create
company, Win
r helmets
technology fo
Be a Game Changer!
d
juries cause
to reduce in
sports.
by impacts in
e
n s w il l ch a nge the gam
ntio
Shawn’s inve r ts —baseball, What ideas
in m a ny s p o do you hav
for players , to e for makin
ii n g , fo o t b a ll, and hockey sports mo
re fun? fair g
cycling, sk competitiv ? s afe? acces
sible?
forever! e?
name a few—

Create an invention that makes sports more exciting, fun, fair, or safe for all.
Visit InventItChallenge.com to get help with your invention. Share your idea. Win awesome prizes!

Brought to you by Smithsonian &

35
Institution
 Water
Bugs
A Game from Kenya for 2 Players
Object of the Game: to move all of your water bugs
into a straight row.

What You’ll Need:

scissors
What to Do:
1. Cut out the game board and the water bug game
pieces along the solid blue lines. Give three
bugs of the same color to each player.
2. Place the water bugs on the game board
(figure 1).
3. Players take turns moving one water bug
one space along a line to the next empty
point. Figure 1
4. A player can move his or her water bug into the
center of the lake at any time, but jumping over
other water bugs is not allowed.
5. Each player tries to make a row through the
lake with his or her three bugs (figure 2).
If the same set of moves is repeated three
times, the game ends in a draw, with no
winner or loser.
6. The first player to make a row is the winner! Figure 2

Art by Ponder Goembel