I Spy

Art by
Shirley Beckes This little spider was busy watching things
around her as she spun her web,
and—oops!—she made some silly patterns.

Answer on page 35.

Can you find the things she saw?

by Heather Tekavec

e o ut for us!
Keep an ey We are go ing to roll
thro ugh this magazine w it
h yo u!
2
Max and Kate
Art by Brita Granström
Story by Mick Manning

Kate and Max are going on a backyard safari.

3
 Hi, Gator!

“Look,” whispers Kate. A lazy green lizard is

sleeping in the sun by the log pile.

4
 “Wow!” says Max. He sees a sticky spiderweb full
of flies behind the shed.

5
 Thud
finally
did it!

“Pretty!” says Kate. Six yellow butterflies are

dancing above the flower bed.

6
 Back at home, Kate and Max make pictures of all
the animals they saw on their safari.

7
 Mi-cycle by Diana Murray
Art by Logan Kline

The wheels are wrapped in rubber bands,

The handlebars are red,
The seat is a silver bottle cap,
The spokes are yellow thread,

The frame is made from paper clips,

Which makes it kind of creaky,
And when the mice go down the lane
The ride is extra squeaky!

8
9
 Lightly Row
A German Children's Song u Art by Martha Aviles

b 2 qqq q q Q Q Q
4 q
F C7 F

& q q q q
Light-ly row, light-ly row, o’er the glass-y waves we go;

b q q q q q q q Q Q q. ‰
F C7 F C7 F

& q
Smooth-ly glide, smooth-ly glide, on the si - lent tide.

b q q q q q q q q q
C7 F

& q q q q q
Let the wind and wa-ters be min-gled with our mel - o - dy;

b q q q q q q q Q Q
F C7 F C7 F

& q h
Sing and f loat, sing and f loat, in our lit - tle boat.

10
 e two matching r
Can you f ind th owboa
ts?
11
 Toby’s Moat by Ruth Chan

Want to It is a ditch
help me dig filled with water
a moat, to keep our
Toby? castle safe!
What’s
a moat, Cool!
Oliver?

I’ll start
digging, and you
dig deeper! I love
OK! digging!

Where does
the water go,
Oliver?
Almost
done!

12
Dog Walk by Louise O. Young
Art by Laura Huliska-Beith

Linda walked six dogs around the park every

day, their leashes tight in her hand. “Remember,
we stay together on the path,” she reminded
them. They always went the same way.
Teddy led the group while searching for
squirrels. Pepper limped on old feet, looking
for children because hers had grown up. Scout, the
retired police dog, shadowed Linda, hoping for a
treat. Lucky sniffed the air for the smell of water
and a chance to swim. Lulu was thirsty most days,
wanting a long drink. Chip needed to chew and
looked everywhere for something to gnaw.
They walked together, toenails clicking and
tails wagging. They stopped when Linda stopped
and walked when Linda walked.

13
 Until the day a squirrel ran in
front of them.
Teddy bolted, pulling his leash
free and all the others, too. The
dogs ran off in all directions, their
colorful leashes trailing behind them.
Teddy chased the squirrel to the
nearest cottonwood tree and stood
with his front paws on the trunk,
barking up at the branches.
Pepper slowly walked to the
playground and lay down in
the middle of a group of children
playing in the sand.

14
 Scout went into his “down”
position beside Linda before creeping
off to a nearby trash can to eat a stale
potato chip.
Lucky ran right to the fountain
and jumped in for a swim.
Lulu found a puddle big enough
for a long drink and a cool belly dunk.
Chip latched onto a branch in the
grass and lay down for a serious chew.

15
 Linda called, “Teddy! Pepper! Scout! Lucky!
Lulu! Chip! Come back!” She was so loud that
people in the park decided to help.
A runner found Teddy by the cottonwood
tree. A little boy noticed Pepper among the
sandcastles. Scout walked back by himself with
crumbs on his mouth. A park ranger helped
Lucky out of the fountain. A man on a bike
found Lulu lying in her puddle. A volleyball
player led Chip back with the branch.

16
 Linda sat, ringed by the dogs. “I understand,” she nk,
Cra nk,
said, patting each head and rubbing each muzzle. cra nk.
cra
In the days that followed, Linda and the dogs
returned to the park, but there were changes. She led
all the dogs by the playground to see the children.
She let them stand at the fountain’s edge so that Lucky
could take a quick dunk. She brought water for all
to drink, especially Lulu. She fed them dog cookies,
sitting on the grass near the fallen branches in case
anyone needed to chew. And as for Teddy, she let
him bark all he wanted at the squirrels. But she held
his leash just a little bit tighter.

17
 Swinging into Town
you by Carol L. MacKay 4 Art by Doug Roy
Can his?
do t

randpa and me, si

G de by
ng our way into side,
swi town
.

,
a tree
W
hit n gs in
e-th si
so roated sparrow n.
we to w
f lap
our way into

Prairie gopher nibbles grain in the field.

Why not scurry our way into town?

18
 g rama grasses wag their
e fin
Blu
sh ould wagg le our way in gers at
We to t us
own .
.

an d her rider pass by.

ino
p alo m
w ay into town!
tty our
Pre ra nce
et’s p
L

pa and me, in
Grand a hand-
ging our way i in-hand dance,
Sw in nto tow
n.
19
 A Cheer for Charlie
by Brenda A. Ferber ❖ Art by Mike Chesworth

When Charlie turned five, he joined his first

soccer team, the Green Lightning. Charlie tried on
his uniform right away. He strapped on his shin
guards. He pulled on his long, thick green socks.
He stepped into his shiny black shorts and slid
his smooth green shirt over his head. He pulled
on his soccer cleats and laced them up tight.
Then he admired himself in the mirror.
“I am a real soccer player,” he said to himself.
Can you f ind the things
He practicedmhis entioserious
ned in thegame
poem? face. He practiced

20
his victory smile. Then he
waved and said, “Thank
you, thank you! No
autographs, please.”
“What are you doing?”
asked his sister Grace from
the doorway.
“I’m practicing soccer,”
said Charlie.
“Well,” said Grace, “when
most people practice soccer,
they use a ball.”
Charlie went to the
garage and found a soccer
ball. He hurried back to his
room, stood in front of the mirror, and posed with
his soccer ball. Just right!
On Wednesday, Charlie met the rest of his team
on the soccer field by his school. Coach Juniper
taught the team how to kick the ball with the side
of the foot rather than the toes. He taught them how
to kick the ball, run after it, and kick it again. He
taught them how to throw the ball in from the
sidelines, using two hands while keeping both feet
on the ground. Then they had a practice game.

21
 Whoosh. Bump. Splat. Soccer was a lot harder
than it looked. Every time Charlie was about to
kick the ball, someone else kicked it away from
him. When Charlie threw the ball in from the
sidelines, he forgot to keep both feet on the ground,
and Coach Juniper blew his whistle. The only thing
Charlie was good at was cheering.

When anyone made a goal, Charlie jumped up,

raised his hands in the air, and shouted, “All right!
Way to go!” Then he gave the scorer a high-five.

22
 Saturday was Charlie’s
first real soccer game. The
Green Lightning was playing
the Golden Suns. Charlie’s
mom, dad, and Grace all
came to cheer him on.
Charlie chased the ball
up the field and down the
field. He kicked the air.
He kicked the grass. He even
kicked one of the Golden
Suns (oops!). But every time
he tried to kick the ball,
someone else kicked it first.
The Golden Suns scored six
times. The Green Lightning
scored four times. And every
time anyone scored, Charlie
cheered.
Every week, the Green Lightning played a new
team. Every week, Charlie tried to kick the ball. And
every week, Charlie cheered for anyone who scored
a goal. He cheered for the Blue Sharks. He cheered
for the Red Diamonds. He cheered for the Orange
Tigers.

23
 After his game against the Tigers, Grace said to
Charlie, “I thought you wanted to be a soccer player,
not a cheerleader.”
“I am a soccer player,” said Charlie.

Charlie practiced kicking the soccer ball every

day. He kicked it with his right foot, and he kicked
it with his left. He kicked it softly, and he kicked it
with all his might. He kicked, and he kicked, and
he kicked.
Finally, it was the last game of the season. The
Green Lightning was playing the Black Thunder.

24
He chased the ball up the
field and down the field.
He kicked the air. He
kicked the grass. He kicked
a kid from the Black
Thunder (oops!). And
suddenly, he kicked the
soccer ball.
He kicked it hard. He
kicked it far. He kicked
it right to one of his
teammates who, whoosh,
kicked the ball into the
goal.
Charlie jumped and
raised his hands in the
!
air. Then he ran and gave Yay, Charlie

his teammate a high-five.

“Great pass, Charlie,”
his teammates cheered.
“Nice kick,” the kids from the Black Thunder cheered.
“Way to go, Charlie,” all the moms and dads cheered.
Even Grace cheered for Charlie.
“Thank you, thank you!” said Charlie. “No autographs,
please.”

25
 Snow Cone Sky
Brilliant streaks of color
swirl up high,
stream across white clouds,
snow cone sky.

by Tara Knudson
Art by Constanza Basaluzzo
26
 nces can you fin d b es?
at differe etw u r
Wh een the t
se two pic

As the warm sun setting

ends the day,
all the lovely colors
melt away.

Answer on page 35.

27
 Little Turtle’s
Dream
by Valeri Gorbachev

One evening Little Turtle “Are you all right, dear?”

sat on a log, gazing at the asked Mama Turtle.
night sky. “I’m OK,” said Little
Little Turtle suddenly fell Turtle. “I just got a bit dizzy
off the log. “Oops!” looking up at the sky for so
long.”

28
 “You really love the stars,” said
Mama Turtle as they walked home.
“Maybe one day you’ll become an
astronaut and fly high above
the Earth in a rocket.”

Little Turtle’s mother tucked him into bed.

“I would love to fly to the stars someday,
Mama!” said Little Turtle.
“I’m sure you will, Little Turtle,”
she said and gave him a
good-night kiss.

29
 When Little Turtle fell asleep, he had a wonderful dream:
he was an astronaut zooming around the stars. And Mama Turtle
was right beside him!

30
Star Light, Star Bright
A Traditional Nursery Rhyme ★Art by Laura Montenegro

Star light, star bright,

First star I see tonight,
I wish I may, I wish I might
Have the wish I wish tonight.

31
 But we are MO
RE T H

e & Th
AN

g,
THA

u
T!

dyb
La
We’re also a hog wash
or a frog wash . . .
and for frog kids?
We’re a polliwog wash.

Let us bathe your rhinos,

dirty dinos,
filthy alligators,
and your fresh-dug potaters.

Yup, we wash bears, chairs,

and well-dressed hares,
pet armadillos
with fluffy down pillows.

We’ll wash your cow, your horse,

your duck, your moose—
EVEN your ill-tempered, bad-mannered,
fowl-mouthed goose!

r
d

dfo
n
Sa
hn
Jo
by

32
Thud sprays warm clean water,
splashing soap, suds, and bubbles.
The hard work of scrubbing up
is somehow always Muddle’s.

And yes, we all have that friend who

could use a good shampoo!
(Remember us when pals need washin’—
we will properly soak and slosh ’em!)

33
 Our Wide,
wide World Hooray for
Service Dogs!
by Sara Greenleaf

From roly-poly pups to magnificent

mutts, dogs are good friends. And with
careful training, some dogs can be very
good helpers, too.
Service dogs are trained to help people
with disabilities. A person who is blind
might have a service dog that lets him know
if something is blocking the path during
a walk and when it’s safe to cross a street
or board a train. A person who uses a
wheelchair might have a service dog to
help her reach things she needs.
If you see somebody with a service dog,
remember not to talk to the dog or pet it.
That dog has important work to do! Don’t
worry, though. Service dogs get plenty of
snuggles when they are off duty.

34
 Did you find all
these answers?

Check out our online Teacher Guides at

cricketmedia.com/teacher-resources.
To subscribe, call Customer Service
at 1-800-821-0115 or visit
shop.cricketmedia.com.

Page 2 Page 26 Back Cover

LADYBUG magazine (ISSN 1051–4961) is published 9 times a year, monthly except for combined May/June, July/August, and November/December issues, by Cricket Media, Inc., 1751 Pinnacle Drive, Suite 600,
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51593-1895.
July/August 2024, Volume 34, Number 9, Copyright © 2024, Cricket Media. All rights reserved, including right of reproduction in whole or in part, in any form. Not associated with LADYBIRD Books, Inc.
Send correspondence to ladybug@cricketmedia.com. For submission information and guidelines, see cricketmedia.com. We are not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or other material. All letters and
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write to us at the Harlan, IA, address.
Kathleen Andersen, Editor; Hayley Kim, Assistant Editor; Suzanne Beck, Senior Art Director; Shavan Spears, Designer; John Sandford, Artist, LADYBUG bugs; Christine Voboril, Permissions Specialist; Julie Alissi, Permissions
Specialist; Laura Woodside, SVP Education Products; Barb Clendenen, Director of Circulation and Fulfillment. View submission guidelines and submit manuscripts online at cricketmag.submittable.com.
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. Cover art © 2016 by Annie J. Won; “I Spy,” art © 2001 by Shirley Beckes; “Mi-cycle,” art © 2016 by Logan Kline; “Lightly Row,” art © 2016 by Martha Aviles; “Toby’s Moat,” text and
art © 2018 by Ruth Chan; “Dog Walk,” art © 2016 by Laura Huliska-Beith; “Swinging into Town,” text © 2016 by Carol L. MacKay, art © 2016 by Doug Roy; “A Cheer for Charlie,” text © 2006 by Brenda A. Ferber,
art © 2006 by Michael Chesworth; “Snow Cone Sky,” art © 2016 by Constanza Basaluzzo; “Little Turtle’s Dream,” text and art © 2007 by Valeri Gorbachev; “Star Light, Star Bright,” art © 2011 by Laura Nyman
Montenegro; image credits for “Our Wide, Wide World” are as follows: 34 (BKGD) Jose Luis Stephens/Shutterstock.com, (LT-1) BVilleda /Shutterstock, (LT-2) Jose Luis Stephens/Shutterstock.com, (LC) Roman
Chazov/Shutterstock.com, (RC) Ground Picture/Shutterstock.com, (LB) Africa Studio/Shutterstock.com, (RB) Dauren Abildaev/Shutterstock.com; “Finger Puppets,” art © 2010 by Mary Beth Cryan; image credits for
“Muddle’s Trunkful of Fun” are as follows: 40 (RT) Jibon/Shutterstock.com, (BKGD), (LT), (RT), (CB), (RB), (C) Olga1818/Shutterstock.com.


Printed in the United States of America.




1st printing Quad Sussex, Wisconsin June 2024

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 11

8 7 9

12 10

o
I can d
Hey, if
5 6 n yo u!
it, so ca

3 4
1 2
3 4

F inger Puppets Art by Mary Beth Cryan

What to Do:
cut 1. Carefully cut out all the
mountain fold
valley fold
pieces along the red lines.

front of puppet 2. Mountain fold the

back of puppet dotted lines, and valley
fold the dashed lines.
LADYBUG TAKEOUT PAGES Please remove carefully at fold. LADYBUG TAKEOUT PAGES Please remove carefully at fold. LADYBUG TAKEOUT PAGES Please remove carefully at fold.
5. On the dog, fold
down the ears.
10
9

4
6
7

4. Insert flaps 11 and

2

12, and glue to their

4

matching areas.
3
1
8

1-10 to their matching

3

3. Glue or tape flaps

12
11

areas.
 9
7 8

10

glue

6 5

11 12

2 1
 9
7 8

10

glue

6 5

11 12

2 1
 Muddle’s
Trunkful
of
Fun

What’s inside my trunk? Two pictures that don’t

July/August 2024 Volume 34 Number 9 cricketmedia.com $6.95
quite match. Can you spot 13 differences?

Cover art by Annie J. Won

by Ella Easel Answer on page 35.