Ladybug Stories, Poems, and Songs Magazine for Young Kids and Children March 2017

Max and Kate are on vacation in Switzerland! The clock on the hotel wall looks like a little house with a tiny door. “I wonder what’s behind that door?” asks Kate. “Wait and see,” says Max’s daddy. “When the big hand is on the twelve, you will get a surprise!” The little door finally opens. Out pops a tiny bird! It begins to call merrily, “Cuckoo, cuckoo!” “Is he telling us it’s time for breakfast?” laughs Kate. Later, in the hotel garden, Max, Kate, and Charlie see a big, stripy bird in the trees. “Cuckoo, cuckoo.” It sings a funny song. “Wow, a real, live cuckoo,” says Kate. “How did it get out of the clock?” jokes Max.…

All over the world, birds announce the spring with their own unique sounds. In the Eastern European country of Ukraine, the stork and the cuckoo have especially strange ways to welcome spring. Clackety-Clack: The Stork’s Song In Ukraine, the sound of clack-clack-clacking is a sure sign that spring has arrived. The huge bird called the stork has returned with its noisy clatter. Storks are mute and can’t sing like most other birds. They talk to each other by clacking their giant beaks. Storks also use their beaks to carry sticks when building their enormous nests, and to defend those nests against intruders. When storks nest, the mother and father busily take turns keeping the eggs warm until they hatch. Male and female storks spend equal time warming the eggs. Later,…

Maggie loved to sing. She sang when she rode the bus. All the passengers would smile, except Mrs. Ellis, who worked all night at a café. She would sigh. Then Maggie’s mother would say, “Sing softer, Maggie.” Maggie sang in the supermarket. All the shoppers would smile, except Ned the produce man. He would just roll his eyes. Then Maggie’s mother would say, “Sing softer, Maggie.” Maggie sang in the library. All the readers would smile—but not Mr. Baldwin, the librarian. He would shush her. Then Maggie’s mother would say, “Sing softer, Maggie.” One day, Mother brought Maggie to the nursing home to visit Great-Grandma. They walked into a big, bright room filled with other great-grandmas and great-grandpas. Maggie looked for her great-grandma. When she saw her, she skipped across…

Petey, my next-door neighbor, called to me from his front porch. I sat on the steps next to him and watched him play his new guitar. “My dad found this guitar at the thrift store,” said Petey. “It’s the best guitar ever!” His left hand worked the strings while his right hand plucked and strummed. “Just in time for the school talent show next week,” I said. “Are you doing anything for the talent show, Jeremy?” Petey asked. “No,” I said. “If I were a little older, like you, maybe I could play a musical instrument, too.” I kicked a stone into the grass. “I bet you’ll win first prize this year.” “Maybe,” said Petey. “I’m playing a song I wrote myself.” My eyes bugged out. “You write your own…

THE SANDWICH OF SOUND 1. Cut the tops off the bendy straws. 2. Stretch a large rubber band around a craft stick. 3. Put one straw-end under the rubber band, and one on top. 4. Top with a second craft stick, and bind the ends with small rubber bands. 5. Blow through the middle of THE SANDWICH OF SOUND to hear the most bee-yoo-tee-ful music you have ever heard! THE CHIME IN! 1. Fill each water glass with a different amount of water. 2. Tap the glasses with a spoon to hear different notes! Can you play a song? THE JAR-LID BANJO 1. Stretch 4 rubber bands over a jar lid. 2. On the top of the lid, tape down the rubber bands. 3. Put a wide craft stick on…