Kid's Imagination Train June 2016

Kid’s Imagination Train
June 2016 Volume 4 Issue 6
Co)me read, learn, and draw!
http://kidsimaginationtrain.com

Kid's Imagination Train
May 2016 Volume 4 Issue 6
ISSN 2333-987X
Editor-in-Chief: Randi Lynn Mrvos
Book Reviewer and Marketing Director: Donna Smith
Illustration Advisor: Thrace Shirley Mears
Illustrator: Shelley Dieterichs
Voiceover Artist: Sharon Olivia Blumberg
Editorial Offices:
All across the United States
Publishing Office:
4637 Spring Creek Drive
Lexington, KY 40515
Mission Statement:
Welcome to the Kid's Imagination Train, where children can take the
journey of reading in a brand new way. KIT offers book reviews, fiction, poetry,
and nonfiction for kids ages 5 - 12. It’s unique in that it engages children by
providing them the opportunity to illustrate their favorite features and to have
their pictures published online. We invite you to read, to learn, and to draw!
©Kid's Imagination Train
http://kidsimaginationtrain.com

CONTENTS
3 - 5…Poem
Where is Caterpillar?
by: Teresa DiNicola
6…Fiction
Summer Symphony
by: Melissa Abramovitz
7 - 9…Nonfiction
Eyes Worth the Prize
by: Guy Belleranti
10 - 11…Nonfiction
Jolly June
by: Sharon Olivia Blumberg
Volume 4 Issue 6
12 - 13…Book Review
Fearne Fairy and the Dandelion Clocks
by: Donna Smith
14…Words Around the World
Transportation
by: Randi Lynn Mrvos
15...Coloring Page
by: Freecoloringpages.com
16 - 19…Sponsors

Where is Caterpillar?
One sunny day, Caterpillar crawled aboard Hummingbird’s back.
“Hold on tight,” said Hummingbird. “It’s going to be a bumpy ride!”
Hummingbird flapped his wings and soared across the clear blue sky.
“Wheeee!” cried Caterpillar, holding on for dear life.
Art by: Victoria
Hummingbird flew up and down as his wings hummed and buzzed. He flew backwards
and upside down as his wings whistled and popped. Whoosh! He whizzed through the
trees and landed in Caterpillar’s garden. Caterpillar squiggled off Hummingbird’s back.
“Thanks for the ride. I’ll crawl by for a visit next week.”
“We’ll play hide-and-seek. Then, I’ll fly you home like I always do!” said
Hummingbird.
Hummingbird spent the whole week looking forward to Caterpillar’s visit. When the
day arrived, Hummingbird waited, but Caterpillar didn’t show up. A tear rolled down
Hummingbird’s beak.
I wonder why Caterpillar didn’t visit me, thought Hummingbird. Maybe she’s my
friend only because she likes to ride upon my back.
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The next day, Hummingbird flew to Caterpillar’s garden. Along the way, he flew up
and down, but not backwards or upside down. That’s what Caterpillar liked.
Hummingbird’s wings hummed and buzzed, but they didn’t whistle or pop. Whoosh! He
whizzed through the trees and landed in Caterpillar’s garden.
Hummingbird searched the leafy branches for Caterpillar. He saw a silky shell
hanging from a branch. But, there was no sign of Caterpillar.
Art by: Angela
Hummingbird flew home heavy-hearted. “Something must have happened to my
friend.”
Each day, Hummingbird returned to Caterpillar’s garden. He even searched the
surrounding woods.
Hummingbird found Owl perched in a tree. “Whoo Whoo are you looking for?”
“My friend, Caterpillar. Have you seen her?”
“No. I’ll let you know if I dooo,” hooted Owl.
Hummingbird saw Squirrel leaping in the grass.
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“Hello, Squirrel. Have you seen my friend, Caterpillar?” asked Hummingbird.
“You can’t find her? Well, nuts!” chattered Squirrel.
Hummingbird headed home and landed in his nest with a weary heart. Suddenly, a
big bright butterfly greeted him.
“Surprise!” shouted Butterfly. “Sorry I haven’t visited. I was busy spinning my
chrysalis. It’s a silky shell that caterpillars spin. I went to sleep inside it and when I woke
up, I was a butterfly!”
Art by: Leyla
“Oh, that’s what was hanging from the branch in your garden. I didn’t know
caterpillars turn into butterflies. Your wings are beautiful, like floating feathers.”
Hummingbird hovered near Butterfly. “I guess you won’t want to be friends
anymore.”
“We are friends because we have fun together, not because you take me for rides,”
said Butterfly. “And now we even have more in common.”
“What do you mean?”
Hummingbird’s eyes lit up.
“We can both fly!” said Butterfly, fluttering her wings.
Butterfly and Hummingbird played a game of hide and seek and then they soared
across the clear blue sky, flapping wings, side by side.
Written by: Teresa DiNicola 5

Summer Symphony
Hot days and warm nights open the concert hall.
No tickets needed; it’s free for one and all.
The outdoor symphonies fill a summer’s day,
as nature’s orchestras come to sing and play.
First, you’ll hear a songbird play a flute étude.
Melodic trills and tweets set a festive mood.
By the pond, ten frogs sing a ribbit song.
Small frogs cheep and chirp; big frogs croak along.
Cricket fiddlers’ wings work like cello bows.
As they rub together, a chirpy rhythm flows.
Cicadas’ tymbal muscles vibrate all around.
This makes a click-clack-click—a castanet-like sound.
A flying brass ensemble soars across the sky.
Long-necked geese honk loud and clear as they whiz on by.
Who’s chortling and screaming a screechy squealing tune?
Is it a masked bandit or fuzzy-striped raccoon?
Coyote opera singers exchange their alto howls,
and blend in with a chorus of yips and barks and yowls.
On a flower stage: a busy bee quartet,
buzzes their sweet tune from dawn until sunset.
Owls sound their eerie hoots, a haunting pan-pipe song;
hoo hoo hooos float upward and echo all night long.
But the concert hall gets quiet; in flies a swarm of guests.
So creatures find a brand new place…
far from mosquito pests.
Written by: Melissa Abramovitz 6

Eyes Worth the Prize
Some animals have eyes that stand out from the crowd. Let’s learn about a few of them.
We’ll begin with the frog. Sometimes all you can see of a frog is its huge bulging eyes
sticking out of the water. What is the frog doing? It is watching all directions at once for
predators and prey. That’s right, a frog can see all around itself without turning its head!
Art by: Maddy
The frog’s eyes also help it swallow prey. How does it do that? The frog closes its eyes
tightly when it swallows. The eyes actually sink down into the roof of its mouth which
helps to push the food down the frog’s throat!
The crocodile is another animal that often watches above water while the rest of its
body is submerged. In fact, a crocodile’s eyes are on the top of its head. This large
reptile easily swims with its eyes still above water, searching the surroundings for prey.
It can also keep its eyes open as it swims underwater. You see, crocodiles (and frogs,
too) have special additional clear eyelids. These eyelids work kind of like goggles,
keeping water and dirt out.
Art by: Benito
Let’s move on to a lizard with most unique eyes. This lizard is the chameleon. Thick
eyelids circle both of the chameleon’s eyes, leaving only a small opening to see through.
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Doesn’t this limit the lizard’s vision? Not at all. A chameleon can look one direction with
one eye and another direction with the second eye at the same time! When it spots a
tasty-looking bug, it focuses both eyes in the same direction for a sharper view. Out
shoots the chameleon’s tongue. Gulp! What a great way to find dinner!
Art by: Amalia
Art by: Oso
Let’s go to the ocean where we meet a shark with eyes on a one-of-a-kind head. This
shark is the hammerhead shark. Its head looks like a double hammer. On each end of
the hammer is an eye. The large spacing between the eyes gives the hammerhead
shark a field of vision wider than any other shark. Watch out crustacean, squid, octopus
or stingray—the hammerhead shark sees you!
Art by: Abby
It’s time to talk now about two animals with very big eyes. We’ll start with the largest
eyes of any land animal. What animal do you think has these? A horse? A giraffe? An
elephant? Indeed, these are large animals, but the answer is…an ostrich.
An ostrich’s eyes are two inches across. That’s five times larger than a person’s eye. In
fact, it’s around the size of a billiard ball. And guess what? Each ostrich eye weighs
twice as much as the ostrich’s brain!
8

Art by: Ismary
Art by: Avianna
The ostrich can see for long distances with these big eyes. That’s a good thing,
because an ostrich can’t fly away from predators. However, it can run fast. It also kicks
hard and can do great damage with the long sharp toenail on either of its two feet.
While ostrich eyes are big, they’re tiny compared to the colossal eyes of a squid. This
monster-sized deep-ocean dweller has eyes the size of soccer balls! The eyes also
have special light organs that help the squid watch in the dark water for its major
predator, the sperm whale.
We’ve discovered a few animals with extra-special eyes. Some live on land and others
swim in the sea. Which one is your favorite? Which one wins the prize for having
extraordinary eyes?
Written by: Guy Belleranti 9

Jolly June
June is the sixth month of the year, and it has 30 days. Some people believe that June
was named after Juno, who was the Roman goddess of marriage. Summer begins in
June in the northern hemisphere. And, winter begins in June in the southern
hemisphere.
Let’s learn about some fun celebration days that take place in June. When you think of
June, you may think of Father’s Day and Flag Day. Father’s Day falls on the third
Sunday in June. Flag Day falls on June 14th. It commemorates the adoption of the flag
of the United States, which occurred on June 14th in 1777.
Do you like doughnuts? National Doughnut Day is June 1 st . This holiday started with
the Salvation Army in 1938. They wanted to honor the women who served doughnuts to
soldiers during World War I.
You can observe Rocky Road Ice Cream Day on June 2 nd . You can even create your
own recipe. First, pick out your favorite ice cream flavor. Then, add any kind of nuts,
mini marshmallows, and semisweet chocolate chips and enjoy!
Also, June 2nd is National Trails Day. This date encourages people to get outside and
enjoy walking, hiking, cycling, rollerblading, or horseback riding. The American Hiking
Society sponsors these events.
There is a holiday for cheese-lovers. On June 4 th you can celebrate National Cheese
Day! A great way to enjoy this holiday is by eating cheese sticks and slices, cooking
cheese recipes, and making pizza!
10

World Environment Day is celebrated on June 5th. This holiday got started through
the United Nations. The purpose of the holiday is to bring awareness to our environment
and to take good care of it. To honor this day, you can tally up how often you and others
recycle trash and paper and conserve electricity and water. Or, you clean up trash along
parks and walkways.
Do you know how to sew? If so, do you have a sewing machine at home? Sewing
Machine Day is on June 13 th . The sewing machine was invented in France in the
1830s. The sewing machine came to the United States in 1846. Not as many people
use sewing machines like they used to, but sewing can be a fun skill to learn!
Do you like chocolate? Do you like pudding? If you answered yes to both, then you will
enjoy National Chocolate Pudding Day on June 26 th . Buy, make and eat your favorite
kind of chocolate pudding.
You may enjoy participating in Camera Day, which is celebrated on June 29 th . Take
pictures, work on Instagram activities, or have fun creating photo albums!
We have looked at some fun June holidays. But guess what? There are other
celebrations that take place in June. See if you can discover more!
Written by: Sharon Olivia Blumberg 11

Book Review
Name of Book: Fearne Fairy and the Dandelion Clocks
Author: Sarah Hill
Illustrator: Sarah Mauchline
Year Published: 2016
Age Range of Book: 4 – 8 years
Publisher: Abela Publishing
ISBN: 9781910882672
Price: $7.99
After a spring-cleaning mishap, a fairy sets out on a mission to find dandelions for her
homemade remedy.
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Fearne Fairy lives in the center of Whimsy Woods inside a moss-covered tree stump.
She likes to sing and is good at doing many things, but she isn’t very graceful.
Fearne Fairy is clumsy and has a tendency to fall and hit her head. That’s why she
always keeps a bottle of her “sore-head-fixing dandelion drink” in the cupboard. But
Fearne Fairy is surprised to discover that her cupboard is empty. Now she must search
for dandelions to make more of her tonic. Luckily, Fearne Fairy’s friends Bertie, Beatrice
and Auntie Raspberry help her.
The timeless quality of Fearne Fairy and the Dandelion Clocks enchants the reader.
Sara Hill’s story unfolds bit by bit so you can savor Fearne Fairy’s natural world. It’s
easy to picture adults reading Hill’s book out loud to young ones at bedtime, or older
children reading it by themselves. The intricate simplicity of the charming, colorful
illustrations adds to the classic allure of the book.
Hill was once a veterinarian, but now she’s a children’s writer. She writes the Whimsy
Wood series. Fearne Fairy and the Dandelion Clocks is the eighth book. Other titles
include Posie Pixie and the Copper Kettle, Posie Pixie and the Torn Tunic, and Posie
Pixie and the Snowstorm. Sarah Mauchline is an illustrator for children’s books, and she
works as a designer for a company that sells crafting kits.
Rating for the book: *****
Donna Smith is a freelance writer. You can visit her website at
www.smithswritingstudio.com
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Words around the World
Transportation
ENGLISH FRENCH SPANISH
car voiture coche
bus autobus autobús
taxi taxi taxi
train train tren
truck camion el camión
airplane avion avión
helicopter helicopter helicóptero
boat bateau barco
motorcycle moto motocicleta
bicycle vélo bicicleta
Visit this link to listen to the words: https://translate.google.com/
Written by: Randi Lynn Mrvos
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Created by: Free-Coloring-Pages.com 15

thracemears.com
16

Shelley Dieterichs
www.goodbuddynotes.com
17

Evelyn Christensen
www.evelynchristensen.com 18

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Kid's Imagination Train
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