Release Date: September 9-15
37-1 (00)
Especially
for
Mini Pa
ge
kids
and
their
families
MIGHTY
FUNNY
®
© 1999 The
Mini PagePress
Publishing
Company Inc.
Distributed
by Universal
Syndicate
© 2000
The MinibyPage
Publishing
Inc.
Distributed
Universal
PressCompany
Syndicate
By BETTY DEBNAM
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2000 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Olly, Syd and Millie
Australian Olympic Mascots
The Olympic Games
have mascots that
represent the host
country.
Australia is full of
interesting animals,
and three of them
have been chosen as
models for Olympic
mascots.
Their names have
special meanings, and
their personalities
represent the special
traits of the
Australian people.
Olly the friendly
kookaburra is named
for the Olympic Games.
Olly is welcoming
and helpful, and
represents
the air over
Australia.
Syd the sporty platypus is named after Sydney, the host
city. Syd is funny and energetic. He represents
Australia’s waters.
Millie the youthful
echidna is named for the
millennium. Millie is very
optimistic about the future.
She represents Australia’s land.
The models for the mascots
The kookaburra ...
The platypus (PLAT-uh-puhs) ... The echidna (ih-KIHD-nuh) ...
• has a call that sounds like human
laughter and is often called the laughing
jackass.
• eats small mammals, snakes, insects
and termites.
• kills snakes by taking them high up
in trees and dropping them down.
• lives in treetops, termite nests and
riverbanks.
• is also called the spiny anteater.
• has a brown, velvety coat, a rubbery,
• is covered with stout spines and
ducklike bill, webbed feet and claws, and a
bristly hair.
beaverlike tail.
• defends itself by curling up into a
• makes its home in riverbanks.
• eats shrimp, snails, frogs, worms and ball of prickly spines.
• eats ants and termites that it catches
insect larvae.
• searches for food with its sensitive bill. with its long, sticky tongue.
• has both nostrils and mouth at the
The platypus and the echidna are the only
end of a long snout.
mammals that lay eggs! They nurse their
young through pores in the mother’s skin.
The kookaburra
The platypus
The echidna
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37-2 (00)
Release Date: September 9-15
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How to Be an Australian Animal Artist
Draw an echidna
Draw a platypus
Other Australian animals
Draw a kookaburra
Draw a frill-necked lizard
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2000 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
The Olympic
mascots are
based on these
three animals.
Draw a wombat
Draw a koala
Draw a kangaroo
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2000 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Mini Spy . . .
Mini Spy and her friends are visiting a koala at an Australian
petting zoo. See if you can find:
• football
• key
• word MINI
• pig’s face
• number 8
• ruler
• pencil
• ladder
• mushroom
• fish
• umbrella
• heart
• cat
• peanut
• question mark
• toothbrush
• boomerang
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2000 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
SET
BAS WN
BRO
AUSTRALIAN TRY
ANIMALS ’N FIND
THE S
N E WU N D ’ S
HO
Words that remind us of Australian animals are hidden in the
block below. Some words are hidden backward or diagonally. See
if you can find: AUSTRALIA, PLATYPUS, KOALA, BUSH,
ECHIDNA, ANTEATER, ZOO, OUTBACK, EMU, LIZARD, HOP,
REPTILES, ALLIGATOR, SNAKES, WOMBAT, DEVIL, NATIVE.
AUSTRALIA IS
INTERESTING!
A
E
R
D
T
S
A
J
K
A
C
E
M
A
E
L
T
K
U
H
T
W
B
L
L
A
C
S
I
A
E
M
I
I
L
A
T
D
E
M
O
T
G
A
B
R
N
T
U
W
P
A
O
T
A
A
N
E
B
E
T
K
U
L
V
A
L
N
R
O
C
O
I
E
C
S
I
G
R
H
U
A
V
L
I
N
Z
I
J
H
B
I
I
K
X
A
A
P
O
U
T
V
Q
Z
Q
K
R
P
S
A
E
U
O
Y
S
E
D
H
N
D
V
O
G
Z
W
S
Please include all of the appropriate registered trademark symbols and copyright lines in any publication of The Mini Page®.
L
P
L
A
T
Y
P
U
S
37-3 (00)
Release Date: September 9-15
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
The Mini Page Book of States is packed with helpful information on every state:
capitals, birds, flowers, trees, industry and crops, geographical and historical facts, and
more. To order, send check or money order for $4.95 plus $1.50 postage and handling per
copy, payable to Andrews McMeel Publishing, P.O. Box 419242,
Kansas City, Mo. 64141.
Dingo ... Down Under’s dog
Go dot to dot and color.
A dingo mother and her pup. Dingos
can make good pets if they are
tamed when young.
The dingo is a wild
dog that was brought to
Australia by the
aboriginals.
Dingos prey on
wombats, wallabies,
kangaroos and rabbits.
They are thought to be
pests because they
sometimes gang
together in packs and
attack cattle and sheep.
Dingos seldom bark,
but they do howl.
The frill-necked lizard
has a frill around its neck
that stands up when it is
frightened. Australia has
many reptiles, including
crocodiles, turtles, and
about 160 kinds of snakes.
The black
swan
The black swan
is the only swan
that is native to
Australia. It can
be found in all of
the states.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2000 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2000 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
The Mini Page
Rookie Cookie Cookbook
Easy, everyday recipes designed especially for kids!
• snacks
• soups
• salads
• sandwiches
• breads
• beverages
Ingredients:
1) Step-by-step
directions
2) Measuring tips
3) Utensil guide
4) Cooking terms
5) How to set a table
6) Table manners guide
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2000 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Frill-necked lizard
• casseroles
• main
dishes
• microwave
dishes
• desserts
Funny Phonics
It’s fun to learn phonics, or the way that letters
sound. This week’s target sound is the one made by
the BR blend, as in the word brain.
Q: Why can’t a bride keep a secret?
A: Someone is always giving her away!
Q: Why did the piece of bread scream?
A: Someone stepped on his toast!
Encourages kids to read and follow directions!
To order, send $8.95 plus $1.50 postage and handling for each copy. Send only checks or money orders payable to:
Andrews McMeel Publishing, P.O. Box 419242, Kansas City, MO 64141.
Please send ______ copies of The Mini Page Rookie Cookie Cookbook (Item #4206-8) at $10.45 each,
including postage and handling. (Bulk discount information available upon request.)
Name ________________________________________________________________________
Address _______________________________________________________________________
City _______________________________________________ State _________ Zip __________
Q: What’s brown on
the outside and
gray on the inside?
A: An elephant in a
brown paper bag!
Go on a BR
word hunt. What
other words can
you find that use
the BR blend?
What sound do
you hear?
Please include all of the appropriate registered trademark symbols and copyright lines in any publication of The Mini Page®.
37-4 (00)
Release Date: September 9-15
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2000 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
The marsupials
Female marsupials carry their
young in a fold or pouch. A young
marsupial:
• is hairless and weighs less than
an ounce at birth.
• crawls into the pouch and
attaches itself to the mother’s nipple,
where it nurses and grows until it is
able to be on its own.
photo courtesy the San Diego Zoo
The koala
While
koalas
spend most
of their time
in trees,
they do
move about
on the
ground at
times.
The koala
baby is
about the size of a bumblebee when
born. It crawls out of its mother’s
pouch when it is about 6 months old
and is carried on its mother’s back
until it is about a year old.
• Koalas have no eyelids or tail.
• They are often incorrectly called
koala “bears,” but they are not related
to bears at all.
• They eat only the leaves of certain
types of eucalyptus trees.
The pygmy possum
The emu
At 7 feet tall,
the emu is
Australia’s largest bird. It
has thick brown feathers,
small wings and long legs.
While it cannot fly, it can
run as fast as 40 miles per
hour. It can
also
swim.
Two of these animals,
the kangaroo and
the emu, are on the
Australian coat
of arms.
At birth,
a baby
kangaroo
might weigh
less than an
ounce and be
only 1 inch
long.
The kangaroo
• Some kangaroos can grow to be 6 feet
tall and weigh about 200 pounds.
• Kangaroos usually move about in the
late afternoon or at night, eating grasses
and other plants.
• Kangaroos have strong hind feet and
can leap up to 25 feet in one hop and
travel as fast as 30 miles per hour.
• They use their strong
tails for balance and
support.
The wombat
Most possums use their tail as another
hand when climbing.
The pygmy possum is one of the
world’s tiniest marsupials. It rests
during the day and moves about at
night to feed mainly on pollen and
nectar.
Wombats move about at night, eating leaves,
roots and bark.
•The wombat is well known for the
long tunnels it burrows.
•It can grow to be about 3 feet long.
•The female has a pouch that faces
backward so it does not fill with dirt
when it is burrowing.
After the
female lays
eggs, the
male hatches
them.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2000 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Australia’s Amazing Animals
The Mini
Page thanks
the Australian
Embassy for
help with this
issue.
Because Australia is an island,
animals that developed there are
quite different from those found in
other parts of the world.
Millions of years ago, all of the
world’s land
was lumped
together as
one huge
landmass.
Over
Years ago
thousands of
years, the continents drifted apart.
Australia became isolated.
Australia
did not have
any
members of
the cat
family,
Today
hoofed
animals, monkeys or apes until they
were imported.
Since most Australians live in cities,
they, like tourists, often see these
animals only in zoos.
Some animals, such as the koalas,
live in specially protected parks or in
the wild. Others, such as the red
kangaroo, can be seen in the outback,
the grassy plains of inland Australia.
Please include all of the appropriate registered trademark symbols and copyright lines in any publication of The Mini Page®.
Release Date: September 9-15
37-5 (00)
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2000 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
Teacher’s
Guide
For use by teachers and parents at home and at school.
For use with issue: Australian Olympic Mascots
in
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
by Betty Debnam
Appearing in your
newspaper on _________.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam
© 2000 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
(Note to Editor: Above is
camera-ready, one columnby-41/4-inch ad promoting
Issue 37.)
Main idea: This issue is about Australian animals. The following is a list of
activities to be used with this issue. They are listed in order of difficulty, with the
easier pre-reader assignments listed first. Most of the activities are for younger
readers. Ask the children to do the following:
1. Look through your newspaper for pictures of animals.
2. Pretend you have been asked to design some new Olympic mascots using
some animals discussed in this issue. Draw a picture of your design.
3. What are some other mascots you are familiar with? For example, professional
sport teams’ mascots or school mascots.
4. Discuss the following: What do you think of the Olympic mascots? How do
they represent Australia? Which of the animals discussed in this issue have you
heard of before? Have you ever seen any of them? If so, where and what was the
animal doing? What do you think it would be like to visit Australia? Do you plan to
watch the Olympics? If so, which sports do you most want to see? Why are the
Olympics so important? Why are mascots so important?
5. Find Australia on a globe or world map. How big is it compared with North
America?
6. Find the following words in this issue: mascots, larvae, optimistic, pouch, hind,
termite, mammals, snout, eucalyptus, burrows, isolated. Define and make up a new
sentence for each one.
(Note to Editor: Above is the Teacher’s Guide for Issue 37.)
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2000 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Meet the
Olympic Mascots
G oo
ds p o r t
Supersport: Greg Norman
Height: 6-0 Weight: 180 Birthdate: 2-10-55
Birthplace: Queensland, Australia
Australians are proud of Greg Norman. He is
one of the top golfers in the world, and he is
from Australia.
He is in his 24th year as a pro. In that time,
he has won many tournaments, including the
NEC World Series of Golf in 1995 and 1997, the
Players Championship in 1994, the British Open in 1986 and
1993, and the Canadian Open in 1984 and 1992.
Last year he was third in the Masters tournament and sixth in
the British Open.
Greg, whose nickname is “The Shark,” lives in Hobe Sound,
Fla., with his wife, Laura, daughter, Morgan-Leigh, 17, and son,
Gregory, 15. His hobbies include fishing, hunting and
scuba diving.
(Note to Editor: Above is copy block for Page 3, Issue 37, to be used
in place of ad if desired.)
Please include all of the appropriate registered trademark symbols and copyright lines in any publication of The Mini Page®.