Hello, World!
This is a person calling upon all of you
amazing bookcaterpillars out there to say,
“Keep up the great work!” It is really inspiring
to see this thriving community full of litera-
ture enthusiasts. I have been reading Cricket
for a year now and—I know this sounds like
the standard that everyone says—I love it! I
cherish Cricket and all that Cricket stands for.
You have a splendid moderation of f iction and
nonf iction and leave readers every edition hanging
on to that to be continued.... It is fantastic. I love
everybuggy and your knee-slapping antics.
Every last one of the people on Chatterbox,
Down to Earth, Pudding’s Place, Blab About Books,
Chirp at Cricket, and Inkwell have brought me to
stop procrastinating and write this letter, so I thank
you all as a whole, but I would love to do it individu-
ally if I could. I am positively thrilled at the prospect
of joining this collective group of bibliophiles!
Continue being nourished by books and letting
your own universes of inf inite possibilities spill
from the tips of your pens/lead/digital cursor!
Change the world!
Dappled Sunlight, age Inf inity
This Multiverse, This Month, Chatterbox
I’m so excited for the Great CB Rendezvous! I’ll
be in college by then, hopefully at my top school! My
time on the CB (at least three years, maybe four?)
was such an amazing, unforgettable part of my life,
and I hate that I don’t have the time for it anymore.
I miss everyone so much and I can’t wait to reunite
with all of you guys.
Nora the Singer
Down to Earth
The weather in Maryland is so weird! We just
had our biggest snowstorm of the year, and it’s the
second day of spring! And now they canceled school
and they’re out of snow days. One snowf lake prob-
ably also would’ve canceled school. We had a wind
day and a rain day off from school a little while ago.
What’s the weirdest, most annoying weather
you guys have gotten? Can your state/county deal
with snow? I think the reason school would be can-
celed for one snowf lake is that Montgomery County
is huge, and we really just don’t have enough snow-
plows! We mostly get canceled for a “wintry mix”
or like one inch of snow. Possibly the weirdest (and
slipperiest!) reason was when there was freezing
rain so there was a thin coating of ice on everything.
I probably could have skated to school!
Shy Peacock
TreeofLife,DowntoEarthI am an elemental, which means
that I have some control over the
main elements: Fire, Water, Earth,
Air, and Magic, when relevant. My
act is a stunt show that is a little bit
different each time. Mostly I use
the elements of Fire, Water, and
Earth to my advantage by making
vines grow out of the wall to catch
me as I fall, levitate through a ring of
f ire inside of a bubble of water, make a f ire
fountain, dive off a tall tower into a pool of water,
and blast out of it amidst spurts of f ire and plants/
leaves. And for the grand f inale, I incorporate all of
the elements into a show of f ireworks, as I shoot
up on a jet of water onto a platform, then jump
impossibly high, f lipping at the top, and f inally
landing down on the stage into a curtsy.
Aria
Wandering, Perform at Bog & Burro Inn,
Kyngdom, Chatterbox
There are several different opinions on
boredom. If you ask a baby what their opinion is
on boredom, they will likely stare at you. If you
ask a child, they will likely tell you that
being bored is the worst and I want to
do something fun! If you ask an intel-
lectual, they will likely tell you that
boredom is the mother of invention
and without it the world would blah
blah blah.
If you ask me what my opinion on
boredom is, I will tell you that boredom
is great because it means you don’t have
any work to do and can instead spend an
afternoon writing about Ovaltine. Because
Ovaltine is awesome!
When I was six, I saw a jar of Ovaltine for the
f irst time. It’s like chocolate milk—except you get
to make it. It’s like hot chocolate—except it’s cold.
Best. Thing. Ever. And then there’s the logo. The
entire thing is an oval. And look at the thing under
the word Ovaltine. It’s the tine of a fork. Oval-tine!
I love hidden meanings in logos.
The best part is stirring the brown dust into
milk so it becomes suspended in the liquid. Then
drinking it.
Alizarine
Boredom/Ovaltine
Inkwell, Chatterbox
Here is a thread dedicated to the truly bizarre
things that the world def initely needs. So weird in-
ventors, welcome! Reading helmet: A helmet with
an adjustable frame that can f it a smartphone, so
youcanreadthingsonyourphonewhilesupine
without using your hands. Lazy people, rejoice!
Pooki P., age –
Things the World Needs, Down to EarthMusicalsofallshapesandsizes!Ilovethemso
much! My favorite modern ones are Wicked and
Thoroughly Modern Millie. My favorite classical
ones are probably The Sound of Music, Annie Get
Your Gun, Peter Pan, and Anything Goes. What are
yours? I really like talking about musicals.
Marigold
Musicals, Pudding’s Place, Chatterbox
Marigold, my favorite musical is Fiddler on the
Roof. L’Chaim!
Old Cricket
I play several instruments: the soprano/con-
cert/tenor ukuleles, baritone ukulele, clarinet, and
piano. I enjoy them all! It’s so much fun to play the
ukulele—I simply cannot play it without smiling. :)
Starseeker, age 168 Moons
Enterprise, Ask CBers Questions
Chirp at Cricket
I play soccer almost every day of the
week and squeeze in some dancing,
too. Everyone, what sorts of hobbies
do you have? I know reading and
writing will be common, but does
anyone do something out of the
ordinary such as rock climbing or
bungy jumping?
Lilypad
Ask CBers Questions
Chirp at Cricket
I ate a dried grasshopper today. It
tasted surprisingly good. It was in this bug trail
mix packet. I went to a writing camp, and the topic
was bugs, so our group leader bought us a packet
of dried bugs.
Sybill
Kyngdom
Sybill, we’re getting a bit pale hearing about
your snack. Tell your leader to bring chocolate chip
cookies from now on.
Your s ,
Ladybug
Send letters to Cricket’s Letterbox,
P.O. Box 300, Peru, IL 61354, or email us at
[email protected]. Letters may be edited
for length.
Visit the Chatterbox at:
cricketmagkids.com/chatterbox
Join the Chatterbox Reunion
February 14 on Down to EarthCHIRPS FROM CRICKET’S
LETTERBOX AND CHATTERBOXItPERSONALLY (OR
WORMLY, IF YOU
LIKE) I THINK
SKATEBOARDING
IS RAD.mWOW! NOW
I’M INSPIRED,
TOO!MEWIE-WHEEEE!
FREEZING RAIN? HOW ABOUT SOME
ALL TERRAIN ICE-SKATING!3