the realm of imagination the realm of imagination January 2016 Volume 43 Number 4 CRICKET STAFF Lonnie Plecha Editor Karen Kohn Senior Art Director Patrick Murray Designer Carolyn Digby Conahan Staff Artist Deborah Vetter Senior Contributing Editor Julie Peterson Copyeditor Jestine Ware 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 PHOTO BY RAEPHOTO.COM BY PHOTO Katherine Paterson Author Barbara Scharioth Former Director of the COVER AND BORDER International Youth Library in Munich, Germany Anita Silvey Author, Critic by Micha Archer Sandra Stotsky Professor of Education Reform, “Scenes from Arabian Nights” University of Arkansas, Fayetteville Roger Sutton Editor-in-Chief of collage and pen and ink The Horn Book Magazine, Critic Ann Thwaite Author, Critic Micha Archer is an author, art- ist, and illustrator living in western Massachusetts. A world traveler, her sense of color and pattern is influenced by the art, crafts, flora, and archi- tecture of India, Nepal, West Africa, Educational Press Association of America Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge and Mexico, among other countries. Golden Lamp Award Honor Certificate for Outstanding Working in gouache, oil, ink, and col- Distinguished Achievement Award Achievement lage, she creates layered pieces from International Reading Association various materials, on paper and digi- Paul A. Witty Short Story Award tally. She taught for fifteen years in 1988–1993, 1997, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011–2015 a kindergarten classroom and spends her time now writing and illustrating books for children. National Magazine Award Society of Midland Authors finalist in the category of Award for Excellence in General Excellence Children’s Literature January 2016, Volume 43, Number 4, © 2015, Carus Publishing dba Cricket Media. All rights reserved, including right of reproduction in whole or in part, in any form. View submission guidelines and submit manuscripts online at cricketmag.submit- table.com. Please note that we no longer accept unsolicited hard copy submissions. Not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or other material. All letters and competition Is it time to renew? 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 shop.cricketmedia.com Privacy Protection Act, please visit our website at cricketmedia.com/privacy or write to us at Cricket/COPPA, 70 East Lake Street, Suite 800, Chicago, IL 60601. 1-800-821-0115 continued on page 47 5 Bully by Joanna Sisk-Purvis 12 Dance with Me by Patricia A. Micciche 13 The Exodermis Protection Suit by Michael Sismondo 16 Blots from the Inkwell by Cricket Chatterboxers 18 The Forty Thieves by Christy Lenzi 25 Hoppy New Year! 26 The Intergalactic Collection of Knowledge and Records by Ashley Kruger 33 Ode to the Pangolin by Ruth Gilmore Ingulsrud 34 On Dragonwings by Lucy D. Ford 40 Geoffrey Pyke’s Cool Idea by Louise Grippen 43 Hot Snowballs by Valerie Wyatt 2 Letterbox 4 Cricket Country by Carolyn Digby Conahan 44 Ugly Bird’s Crossbird Puzzle 45 Cricket League 46 Cricket and Ladybug by Carolyn Digby Conahan 48 Old Cricket Says cover and contents art © 2015 by Micha Archer THIS ONE’S FOR YOU. MEWY YAY! Dear Cricket, Marty, you are my favorite buggy. Ladybug, you interesting person, I’m going to become friends I absolutely adore your magazine. I love to read need to stop being so bossy or nobody with them, regardless of their gender. At my high and write and I was wondering if you could create will like you! Pussywillow, you are THE CELLO MAKES school, we don’t do clique things. We don’t a crash course in writing as one of your future ar- the cutest kitten in the world! Old A BIG SOUND, exclude, we don’t label, and we definitely ticles. In school, math is my favorite subject, with Cricket, I love to read “Old Cricket TOO. don’t bully. It reminds me of preschool in science at an extremely close second. I also really Says,” because it’s full of cool a way, when we were too young to know like to spell. I play the trumpet and am starting information. Zoot, I used to play the how to judge people. We’d just go up to piano. I want to play trombone, sax, flute, clarinet, violin. I have seen a cello before. someone and ask to play. They’d say yes, drums, et cetera. They are big! Sluggo, you are a very we’d make up a game, and by the end of I totally recommend the book Because of Mr. cool snail. My backyard has a lot of the day we’d be best friends—as simple as Terupt by Rob Buyea. I like the Percy Jackson and snails! Cricket, Ugly Bird might not be that. My school’s the same way. the Olympians series by Rick Riordan, but other as bad as you think, although I agree that Nora the Singer than that I am mostly into realistic fiction, not fan- he should preen his feathers more. To the boys, Down to Earth tasy. Brenli Pugh (January 2015), I am in the midst My favorite stories so far are “Becky Lets Off Chatterbox of Wonderstruck and am enjoying it. I love the Steam” (January 2015), “The Girl from the Tarpa- very first illustration of the wolves. Have you ever per School” (February–March 2014), and “The Girl Dear Buggies of Cricket Country, read The Invention of Hugo Cabret? You should Who Writes the Future” (November/December Hi! Hey, Zoot! I’m in band and I’m your definitely read it. 2014–May/June 2015). The Crowd-Sorcery stories arch-nemesis! Ladybug, I used to be a lot like Emmy Udry, age 11 are very fun to read. I like the characters kids you—vain, bossy, sort of selfish, and tricky—but Upper Nyack, New York made. They are so creative! I changed. Pussywillow is so cute! You bugs should I would like to be a famous author when I grow make a mag of Pussywillow. Hi, Everybuggy, up. I know that publishers sometimes turn down My favorite game right now is Spirit Animals Your mag is awesome! I’ve been getting famous authors’ books. That happened to Dr. and I’m level 60. I have a penguin, a komodo Cricket for around a year and a half now Seuss more than once! I know that you have to dragon, a fox, and a tiger. I really like and I like every part of it. I wish there keep trying when that happens. Percy Jackson and want to be an MATH DESIGN DECOR? CHANGED? WHAT FOR, was a new edition every day. I like SOUNDS PERFECT FOR Alfina Marie Eull, age 9 architect or a Greek historian. IF YOU WERE LIKE ME? “Goldilocks Goes to Camp” (July/ YOU, TATER. Torrance, California Allison (aka Crystal) L., HRRUMPH. August 2015). age 10 I really like computers and Dear Cricket, Air, nowhere in particular board games, although my favor- I absolutely love your magazine P.S. My grandma’s great x 38 ite subject is math. I’ll read just because you spark imagination in grandfather was prime minister about any math-related book I can even the most left-brained kids! of China. get my hands on and I’ve decorated You have great ideas for stories, art, MEWY SIGH. my bedroom in math formulas. IT DOES! competitions, and characters of differ- Dear Cricket, Simon K., age 114,243.53 hours ent personalities. My favorite parts are the I love your mag. It is the best one in the world! East Lansing, Michigan Letterbox, Ugly Bird’s Crossbird Puzzle, Crowd- I love to swim, run, hike, bike, and play. My favorite Sorcery stories, and what Old Cricket says. character is Sluggo. He is so funny! Dear Everybuggy, My favorite things to do are read your magazine, I love How to Train Your Dragon. I also love the I know a quadrillion people have said this, but I watch skateboarding videos, and go skateboarding. Harry Potter movies. love your mag! I have two brothers and two sisters. I recommend H.I.V.E.: Higher Institute of Villainous Sage F., age 10 I am the oldest. I think our family is one of a kind, Education and The Hunger Games series. They are San Jose, California because one of my sisters is a little person and one sci-fi books. of my brothers is autistic. To top it off, I am a trip- Calvin B., age 12 Dear Everybuggy, let, and one of my sisters and a brother are twins! I Fort Collis, Colorado I just finished the March 2015 issue. Every call it triplet and twin trouble. I am homeschooled, comment here will be about March 2015. First, and my favorite subject is science. I love Cricket My friends in real life are actually an even mix I read “Cricket Country.” Wowwie! I thought for because it includes science and fantasy. of guys and girls. If someone is a kind, trustworthy, sure it would be Ugly Bird, but it’s Ugly . Dragon? 2 Make him a recurring character! Please! whether it’s in a café, your room, under a CHIRPS FROM CRICKET’S I liked the story “Sweet Beginnings.” tree, in a pool, or somewhere over the LETTERBOX AND CHATTERBOX Where I live, it went straight from wintry rainbow in the land of unicorns.