Platypus-zillaonce strode

(or waddled)the earth!

The platypus is an odd little Australian animal, and, when the fi rst platypus skin was sent back to England in 1798, experts there were so sure it was fake that they cut it apart, looking to see how a duck’s

bill had been sewn on. And a mammal that lays eggs? Ridiculous!Ridiculous, but not scary, even though the male platypus has a spur on

its hind legs that contains venom. After all, it’s only about 18 inches long.But a paleontology student, Rebecca Pian, discovered a 5 million-year-

old fossilized tooth in northern Australia from a prehistoric three-foot-long platypus. Still odd, but not so little and maybe kind of scary.

Her professor calls it “Platypus-zilla” and joked to reporters about the need for prehistoric no-swimming signs to warn against the “monster.”

1

ColoradoKids CK ReporterKira Zizzo,

Highlands Ranch

ActreSS iS MUch Like ‘PriM’In the “Hunger Games” series,

Primrose Everdeen is the most loved character, and an

interview reveals that Willow Shields, the 13-year-old actress who plays her, is likeable, too.

Although Prim and Willow live in totally different worlds, they are actually a lot alike, she says, and the fact that they both love animals makes the role of Prim easily portrayable for her.

Since she isn’t in the games themselves, her scenes aren’t scary, but they can still be heavy and emotional to watch.

But making them can be fun,In “Catching Fire,” there is an

intense scene where Katniss is attacked by modifi ed birds that sing using Prim’s voice.

But during that Jabber Jay scene, when Katniss is going cra-zy hearing Prim’s voice, Willow said, it was actually fun doing the voiceover, and her scream was the best part!

She said that she is most proud of her role in “Catching Fire,” because she feels she’s there for Katniss, letting her know that

she will always be the best sister she can be.

Since Primrose Everdeen is in all three movies, I thought the decision to commit to a role like this would be hard.

But Willow said, “Not at all! In fact, this was that easiest deci-sion to make. Even though it was a trilogy role, it was no big deal to say yes!”

I thought it was clever when she said that for the next movie, “Mocking Jay,” she will read the book over and over to fi nd little details that can be applied to the movie to make her work in the role that much better.

Willow was not on set for the entire shooting of “Catching Fire,” but would be called in off

and on, and sometimes would shoot for a month straight.

Luckily, she’s home schooled, which worked out great while fi lming. Still, she loves school so much, she said, that, if she weren’t an actress, she would’ve been an art or drama teacher!

Willow said she would like to encourage other kids who are interested in acting to keep auditioning.

“Sometimes you audition for 100 roles and don’t get any,” she said, “and then all of a sudden one comes through!”

The Friday after Thanksgiv-ing is the premiere of “Catching Fire”, so watch for her at the midnight showing!

An old disease that may have been why Tiny Tim, the boy in Charles Dickens’ famous story, “A Christmas Carol,” needed crutches, seems to be returning in the U.K,, and probably for an old reason: Poor nutrition.

Great Britain’s Chief Medi-cal Offi cer, Dame Sally Davies, said she was “ashamed” to see rickets return, and called her report “Our Children Deserve Better: Prevention Pays.”

Rickets causes bones to be soft and poorly formed and can include bowed legs, hunched backs, dental prob-lems and other health issues.

What has frustrated health experts is that rickets comes from an easily prevented lack of Vitamin D and calcium.

Rickets had mostly disap-peared in the 20th century because of Vitamin D and calcium being added to milk, cereal and other foods.

Britain has a program to provide vitamins to poor chil-dren, but not all kids get them.

Photo by Umeedhom

OLd chiLdhOOd diSeASe cOMinG BAck in Uk

By Salina Garza,13, a CK Reporter from Westminster

need for prehistoric no-swimming signs to warn against the “monster.”

November 12, 2013

Main photo © 2013 - Lionsgate, inset photo shot by Heidi Garza

Kitty is up to trouble again! When Kitty and Puppy use up their final

chances to be good pets, both of them are sent to obedience school.

When it comes to learning what good pets do, Kitty is in for some hard studies!

“Bad Kitty School Daze” by Nick Bruel is a hilarious chil-dren’s book.

With cute pictures and simple words, it is a great book for younger ages.

This book has about ten or more pages for every chapter, each page with adorable draw-

ings and clear, understandable words.

The chapters about Kitty’s new school and her adventures at obe-dience school continue to fascinate me, and I thought “Bad Kitty School Daze” was a fun comedy/adventure book!

This book is a great

addition to the Bad Kitty series. I would recommend it for elementary kids because of the simple words, understandable pictures, and fun story.

However, teens, if you’re looking for a “chill-out”, fun, simple, comedy book to read, this is a good book you’ll want to try, too!

Twelve-year-old Carley is tough. Living in Las Vegas will do that.

But she never could have pre-pared for a betrayal that parks her in foster care.

When she’s assigned to the Murphys, a spirited family of five, she finally feels seen, heard, and loved.

But just when she’s starting to feel like one of the Murphys,

some shocking news from her mother turns her world upside-down.

“One for the Mur-phys” is a memorable story that every reader will love. The author, Lynda Mullaby Hunt, did an excellent job in this book. She makes the characters seem very realistic, espe-cially Carley. It almost seems as if you’re there with her, experiencing her fear, her doubt, her love. Her sadness.

This book is both funny and sad. A good mix. It makes you

really think about how Carley’s feeling, about how you’re feel-

ing. Most books don’t make you do this. “One for the Murphys” is a really unique book.

I found no fault in this book. It was almost as if the author was following a recipe to perfection.

“One for the Mur-phys” is an exceptional

and powerful story, and every reader will instantly fall in love.

If you want to make your day a hundred times better, read this book!

‘One for the Murphys’ a must-read

Poor nutrition is making rickets more common in Great Britain than it used to be. Look through today’s paper for food ads that mention nutrition. What do those ads suggest about the health benefits of the food they advertise?

Beyond these four pages

By Cara Dulin,12, a CK Reporter from Castle Rock

Mystery, suspense in ‘Spy School’

Most kids loathe going to school where all there is to do is math, sci-

ence, reading, and writing.

But what about a school where there is nothing of the sort? Where there are spies? “Spy School” by Stuart Gibbs is exactly that. The title is what the novel is about; spying.

The story starts out with a seemingly regular kid named Benjamin Ripley attending a

CIA academy school. Benjamin thinks that people

at Spy School take spying and fighting a little bit too seriously!

Benjamin has a few struggles during the first few days at Spy School, like getting stuck in “The Box,” a form of punish-ment, having ninjas go after him, and having a group of people kidnap him.

Not the most spectacular day. His hopes rise when a girl

named Erica rescues him from The Box. Together, they figure

out that a group of people are planning something deadly at their school.

But will they be able to save Spy School? Read on to find out what will happen!

“Spy School” brings on a spectacular show of mystery and sus-pense. This 290 page book stands out be-cause of the author’s use of metaphors, and a clever ending.

I would recommend it for grades 6 and up because of a few words younger kids might not understand.

By Mreedul Gupta9, a CK Reporter from Littleton

Colorado Kidsis produced by

Denver Post Educational ServicesExecutive Editor: Dana Plewka

dplewka@denverpost.comCK Editor: Mike Peterson

coloradokidseditor@gmail.comWe welcome your comments.

For tools to extend the learning in this feature, look under“eEdition lessons” at:

www.ColoradoNIE.com

eEditions of the Post arefree of charge for classroom use.Contact us for information on all

our programs.

Denver Post Educational Services101 W. Colfax Ave.Denver CO 80202

(303) 954-3974(800) 336-7678

This is the second half of our

look at the finalists for the 2014

Colorado Children’s Book Awards.

Last week, Cara Dulin’s review

of a non-finalist, “Seeing Red,”

was accidentally placed here. Her

CCBA book review appears today.

Fun story for younger readers, and older ones, too

By Yejin Campbell,12, a CK Reporter from Brighton

In Cynthia DeFelice’s book, “Wild Life,” 12 year old Erik Carlson learns that change

is hard for everyone.

For Erik, change comes as a surprise when his par-ents are both deployed to Iraq and he is forced to move in with his grandparents in North Dakota. He soon learns that

an event from the past has deeply changed his grandfather, Big Darrell.When Erik stumbles

upon an injured dog, he cannot keep it because Big Darrell has a strict no dogs rule. Erik rebels

by taking his dog and running away. With only a rifle, Erik has to

manage to find enough food to feed both him and his compan-ion. From his adventure, Erik

learns that you cannot run away from the past. In the end, Big Darrell learns the same lesson.

Readers will feel like they are alongside Erik and his dog as they struggle to survive. The book keeps

readers engaged and thrilled through every turn. The length of the

book makes it perfect for young readers, but the adventures make it

interesting for all ages. “Wild Life” is a must read for

anyone who loves adventure.

Imagine being the new kid at school and having a visible birth defect.

“Wonder” by R.J. Palacio is about Auggie, who was born looking very different. He has had numerous surgeries since he was born, and now, in fifth grade, his parents have decided he should go to school.

When he tours the school, one kid is al-ready whispering about Auggie’s unusual-looking face.

Jack Will is Auggie’s best friend until Auggie hears him saying that he doesn’t want to be friends with Auggie.

After that, he sits with a girl

named Summer. Since Auggie’s real name is August, they make a table for only people with summer names.

Auggie has never slept away, but the school is having a nature camp and he has to go. Auggie is very scared to be away from his family for three days and two nights.

This book is told from different people’s perspectives: not just Auggie’s, but his fam-ily’s and his friends’.

My favorite part is reading about Auggie, his family and friends; how he survives his first year at school, and how friends become

friends.The author really focused

on each important topic and everyone should read this book, which should be rated 10 out of 10.

“Out of My Mind,” by Sharon Draper, takes the reader

on a journey through the lens of Melody Brooks, a girl with cerebral palsy who is a genius, though nobody but her parents has figured it out.

Melody has a photo-graphic memory, she knows the words to all the commercials, and all the words to her books. When the kids in her classroom for the disabled have a chance to go to the classrooms for ‘normal’ kids, she meets Rose, who treats her like a ‘normal’ child. But there is also Molly and Claire, best friends who don’t like Melody because she

can’t talk or play soccer. Soon though, Melody gets

a MediTalker, a device that means she can let the Medital-ker speak the words that she has always wanted to say to her parents: I love you.

She can now speak whenever, and wherever she pleases. She is chosen for The Whiz Kids Quiz Team, a national contest, and when her team wins the re-gional contest, they pack their bags for Washington D.C.

But Melody soon must become the brav-est little girl ever.

This book brought me to tears, with sad-ness, and happiness, but most of all, I felt like I understood and felt exactly like Melody did. I really did enjoy this book, but it did have some parts that

may not be suitable for younger kids. I will never forget the extremely powerful voice of Melody Brooks.

By Natalie Huttner,10, a CK Reporter from Englewood

By Andrew Onodera,12, a CK Reporter from Centennial

By Katherine Hueston,12, a CK Reporter from Denver

SudokuRules: Every row across, every column down and each of the six smaller boxes must contain numerals 1,2,3,4,5 and 6, one time and one time only. The solution to this week’s puzzle is on Page 4.

3

3 4

2 1

4 1 5

5 6

6 4 2

Learning to be different

Adventure and lessons

Smart grows into wise

The African na-tion of Kenya celebrated

the 50th anniversary of its independence from Great Britain this summer.

For editorial car-toonist Victor Ndula, it was a good excuse to travel to the east-ern portion of the nation and see how the government was working to feed people there.

The Mwingi district gets less rain than the rest of Kenya and, while Kenya has a strong economy, people in Mwingi were hungry.

Ndula, who was named Ke-nya’s best editorial cartoonist in 2009 and was also honored by the United Nations for his work, had once drawn a car-toon showing Africa as a deep hole, and a truck dumping corn into that hole.

The cartoon was saying that

simply giving people food is not the real solution to hunger.

Now he has cre-ated a cartoon about efforts that are work-ing, using river water to irrigate individual plots so that people can grow food for their families and to

make a little money.Ndula’s cartoon is interac-

tive, with places where you can click to hear interviews, watch videos or see photos of the people and places he visited.

Ndula told the blog VJ Move-ment he is happy that so many Africans have smartphones and other new media.

“Most of these devices come web ready so it makes sense to publish our cartoons for this format on blogs and newspaper websites,” he said.

For a link to his cartoon, visit ColoradoNIE.com

Did you know that the world’s shortest man is only 1 ft 9.5 in. tall?

Hard to believe, but true.

This and 4,000 other officially amazing records can be found in the Guinness World Records 2014 book, which is out and for sale at your local bookstore!

Stuart Claxton, Marketing Director of the Guinness World Records, has always been interested in re-cords and read all the Guinness books as a kid.

He says his biggest talent is holding his breath under-water for over a minute.

Unfortunately for him, the world record holder can do it for over 20 minutes!

No one person could put to-gether the Guinness books.

There is a large team of men and women who review and check all 50,000 enquiries that they receive every year.

All the records that get into the book must be measurable,

verifiable, and breakable. This year’s book contains

over 4,000 records and Claxton and his crew have met many of the record holders.

One of the strangest records they have published is the high-est bungee jump into water on fire!

However, Claxton says his fa-vorite record is for the longest ramp-to-ramp jump on a motor-cycle, set in 2001 at 251 feet.

As I read through the 2014 records, some of the entries disgusted me, some amazed me, some even made me laugh.

This book definitely has something for everyone!

The Guin-ness World Records book got its start in 1955 when a group of hunt-ers couldn’t agree on what was the fastest game bird. The rest is history.

Wondering how to be-come part of the Guinness

books?If you think you have world

record breaking talent, submit a claim at www.guinnessworl-drecords.com and one of Stuart Claxton’s teams will review it.

Meanwhile, keep your fingers crossed that you are as good as you think you are!

AfricAn cArtOOniSt wOrkS in new MediA

cOLOrAdO kidS tALkS tO the recOrdS recOrder

You’ll find full-length versions of these stories and more at

If you enjoy writing and are 14 or under, why not join us?

Sudoku

Solution324516

615342

432651

243165

156234

561423

By Kaiya Cox,9, a CK Reporter from Aurora