Indholdsfortegnelse for November/December 2025 i Cricket Magazine Fiction and Non-Fiction Stories for Children and Young Teens

“Festival of Color” Pen and ink and watercolor Olwyn Whelan is an Irish illustrator living and working in Dublin. She has illustrated children’s books for many publishers, including Barefoot Books, Kingfisher Children’s Books, HarperCollins, Frances Lincoln, and McGraw-Hill. Her work has been exhibited and sold in Europe, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Ireland. Whelan works in her garden studio with Pablo, her large and exuberant standard poodle, by her side!…

In the spring of 1879, Jerry Shores, a former enslaved person, moved his family westward. They joined one of the first emigrant wagon trains to Nebraska. The Shores family traveled in three wagons. Shores drove one wagon, his elder son drove another one, and his 16-year-old daughter drove the third wagon. The Shoreses settled on a homestead claim in Nebraska. As this state was mostly treeless prairie land, it was impossible to build any kind of wooden structure. But good, cheap material was available. In fact, it was plentiful. It was sod, the earth and grass beneath their feet. Some settlers referred to it as “prairie marble.” They used it to build sod houses, or soddies. For most pioneer families on the prairie, building a soddy was the first thing…

Across Short for the name Jonathan People sleep on this piece of furniture Knight’s title Military device for breaking down gates or walls: battering ______ No cost Water-filled trench around a castle What a knight jousts with Not any Aristocrat or noble: ______ blood Fairy tale monster Sweet potatoes Place travelers pay to stay at “. . . happily ever ______” Down Clowns at a medieval court Negative form of or Barricade across a gate or door Maidens Son of a king or queen Snakelike fish Short for vanguard, the front division of an army River in northern Sweden Walled court encircling a castle Medieval soldier or nobleman Head armor Answers to Crossbird Puzzle on page 46…

To visit the house voted “the best all-time work of American architecture,” you set out on foot through a wooded ravine. You pass moss-covered boulders resting among rhododendrons and rock ledges that jut out of the hillsides. You smell moisture in the air and hear the distant rush of a mountain stream. You round a bend and there, among the trees and boulders, you see it: a house that seems to grow out of the hillside, with a waterfall pouring underneath. It is Fallingwater, widely regarded as the masterpiece of the renowned American architect Frank Lloyd Wright (1867–1959). When it was built in Pennsylvania in the 1930s, it was a house like no one had seen before. Modern in design, it is made of just four materials—concrete, glass, stone, and…

Imagine a house that heats itself in the chilliest winter and stays cool in the blazing heat of summer. It powers itself through sunlight and wind and catches rain for drinking and bathing. It reuses its own wastewater and grows its own food. Plus, there’s hardly any pesky bills to pay! On the windswept mesa just outside of Taos, New Mexico, sits a community of such houses. They’re called Earthships. Each of these homes is built to meet the challenges of our modern world. It’s off-the-grid living at its finest—all in style and comfort! DIFFERENT BUILDING BLOCKS It all started with one person’s vision. In 1969, Michael Reynolds was an aspiring architect with a new degree from the University of Cincinnati in Ohio. But he was looking for a fresh…

IN THE CITY in wintertime, it can be difficult to grow anything fresh to enjoy with your meals. You don’t need a yard or an outdoor garden, though, to grow your own plants. Here are a few tips to make your own in-house or in-apartment windowsill planter. In it, you can grow flavorful herbs throughout the year. WHAT YOU’LL NEED potting soil a container that will fit securely on your windowsill seeds (basil, parsley, or other herbs of your choice) a grow light—an artificial light source that mimics the sun’s light spectrum—if you live in a place with little natural sunlight in the winter WHAT TO DO 1. Place the potting soil in the container. 2. Make quarter-inch holes throughout the soil and add the seeds. Then cover the seeds…

NATOU HAD GOT UP early and swept the whole compound yard in the cool morning air. Bending almost in half, she made long strokes with the grass broom until the yard looked like a river rippled by the wind. But where was her cousin Korotoumou? She should have already started the fire for breakfast. Both girls were 11, and they lived in one big house in Bougouni with their grandparents, parents, brothers, sisters, and cousins. Korotoumou and Natou were the only girls old enough to help out with chores, so they were supposed to divide them equally. Aunt Ina was the next to awaken. Ina was the “elegant auntie” who lived in the city, but she had come back to the big family home to have her first child. She…

JAKE AND HIS older brother Ryan were sleeping over at Grandma’s house for the first time since Grandpa died. Grandma gave Ryan the downstairs study with the pullout sofa and the wall of bookcases filled with dusty leather-bound books. She put Jake in the guest room upstairs. “Ha! You have to sleep on the sofa,” Jake teased Ryan. “And you get the room with the dolls,” Ryan retorted. “Stop squabbling,” Grandma said. “There’s nothing wrong with either of your rooms.” “Sorry, Grandma,” both boys mumbled. “It’s time for bed,” she said. “See you first thing in the morning.” Jake lugged his suitcase upstairs. He didn’t like the guest room one bit. The furniture was dark and heavy, and the pale green wallpaper was covered with creeping vines of yellow flowers.…

First, ask her to say the secret word. Then, ask her to say the *really* secret word. Ask her to say the really secret word in a “lonely squirrel voice.” (This will eliminate many imposters.) Next, ask her to knock the special morning-time knock. (This won’t eliminate many imposters, but it’s still worthwhile.) Ask her if she can do it three times in a row really fast. (This is just for fun.) Next, have her slip under the door a map that reveals the location of her candy stash. (This has nothing to do with verification but could be quite useful.) Finally, ask her if she wants to come in. (If yes, it is probably her.)…