47-1 (05)
release dates: November 19-25
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Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
© 2005 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
By BETTY DEBNAM
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2005 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Our Great American Nature Artist
The pages in Audubon’s folio measured 261/2
inches wide and 391/2 inches high.
John James
Audubon was
born in 1785.
When he was
18 years old,
his father, a
French sea
captain, sent
him from France
to an estate the
family owned in
Pennsylvania.
He later married a neighbor, Lucy
Bakewell. He tried several
businesses but failed.
All of his life he had enjoyed going
into the woods and observing nature.
He decided to become an artist.
Supporting his wife and two
children was often a challenge. He
was separated from his family for
years when he went to England to
try to get his folio, “Birds of
America,” published. While he was
away, Lucy, his wife, became a
tutor for a well-to-do family.
He returned to this country and
became a success here and in
England. A smaller version of
“Birds of America” sold well. He
wrote a five-volume series about
the birds he illustrated in “Birds of
America.” He also illustrated a
book of animals. He died in 1851.
The “Birds of America” folio
The Mini Page thanks Carlotta
Owens, assistant curator of
modern prints and drawings,
National Gallery of Art, for help
with this story. An exhibit,
“Audubon’s Dream Realized,
Selections From ‘The Birds of
America,’” will be on exhibit at
the National Gallery of Art,
Washington, D.C., through March.
Audubon had to go to England to find a printer who could help him produce his
“Birds of America” folio. The pages were so big that printers called them “double
elephant folios” since they were the largest produced at that time.
Audubon raised the money to print them by selling subscriptions. The prints were
delivered five at a time. The printer, Robert Havell Jr., helped him. Outlines of
Audubon’s original watercolors were etched into copper plates. The pictures were
printed, then assistants hand-colored them. About 200 sets were produced. But over
the years, many sets have been taken apart and sold one page at a time.
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photo courtesy The National Audubon Society
The Mini Page celebrates
Thanksgiving with a story about
a famous, self-taught American
artist, John James Audubon. He
painted birds, and he especially
liked turkeys.
About 200 years ago, he
wrote: “The great size and
beauty of the Wild Turkey, its
value as a delicate and prized
article of food … render (make)
it one of the most interesting
of birds … in the United
States.”
John James Audubon knew
birds. He was the first and one
of the best artists ever to draw
birds in natural lifelike settings.
It took him about 20 years to
create his “Birds of America”
folio. (In this case, “folio” refers
to a book with oversized pages.)
In the folio were images of
1,065 birds of 499 different
species.
The very first bird in this
amazing creation by this gifted
American artist was the wild
turkey.
art courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of Mrs. Walter B. James
John James Audubon
®
47-2 (05); release dates: November 19-25
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2005 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Parts of a Wild Tom Turkey
Ear opening: Turkeys hear
well but have no ear flap.
Tail feathers: Toms usually have
18 unless they have lost some of
them in fights.
These go up when the tom
struts and is trying to impress a
mate.
Eye: one on each side of
the head. Can see 360
degrees with a turn of the
head.
Snood: fleshy head
attachment with no use.
Body feathers provide
warmth and shed water.
Caruncles: fleshy pieces on
the neck. Toms’ turn red in
spring.
Wing feathers are usually
marked by white stripes.
Beard: long hairs on chest.
Hens do not have them.
Spurs are short, bony outgrowths on young
turkeys and can be 2 inches long. Most hens
do not have them.
Feet: Three toes are on
each foot.
You can be a turkey artist, too.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2005 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Mini Spy . . .
TM
Mini Spy and Alpha Mouse are watching some wild
turkeys. See if you can find: • word MINI • number 7
• bell
• snake
• peanut
• bird
• fish
• letter C
• funny face
• acorn
• shark
• letter A
• number 3
Brown
Basset ws
The Ned’s
Houn
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2005 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
TM
TRY ’N
FIND
Thanksgiving
Words and names that remind us of wild turkeys are hidden in the
block below. See if you can find: THANKSGIVING, BABY, NORTH,
WILD, TURKEY, FOWL, HEN, PILGRIMS, FEATHERS, ROOST,
TREES, BEN, FRANKLIN, STRUT, MALE, FEMALE, FLY, NEST,
TOM, WALK, GOBBLER.
HAPPY
THANKSGIVING!
W
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L
D
C
S
Y
D
F
Y
B
A
B
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E
A
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M
P
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W
F
Q
G
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A
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V
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H
E
M
X
W
L
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Z
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L
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B
G
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L
A
V
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S
B
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J
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O
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H
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N
F
B
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F
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Please include all of the appropriate registered trademark symbols and copyright lines in any publication of The Mini Page®.
A
P
I
L
G
R
I
M
S
H
S
T
R
U
T
T
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T
T
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M
H
T
R
O
N
Z
®
47-3 (05); release dates: November 19-25
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
TM
Go dot to dot and color.
Rookie Cookie’s Recipe
Turkey Salad
You’ll need:
• 2 cups turkey, cubed (you can buy
this in a package at the store)
• 4 cups torn lettuce
• 2 cups fresh spinach
• 2 tomatoes, cut in wedges
• 1/2 red onion, sliced
• 1 cup croutons
• 1 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1 green pepper, cut
into pieces
• your favorite salad
dressing
What to do:
1. In a medium bowl, toss together all the ingredients
except the dressing.
2. Place servings in 4 salad bowls.
3. Top with your favorite salad dressing. Makes 4 servings.
Note: You will need an adult’s help with this recipe.
Meet Rob Paulsen
Rob Paulsen is the voice behind many
cartoon characters. His latest role is Coconut
Fred in the WB cartoon series “Coconut Fred’s
Fruit Salad Island.”
Rob’s voice roles include Carl in “Jimmy
Neutron, Boy Genius,” Experiment 625 in the
“Lilo and Stitch” series, and Jack Fenton in
“Danny Phantom.”
Rob, 49, grew up in Detroit in a family of musicians. He
liked making silly voices and watching cartoons. When he
was 10, he would imitate the voice of Bugs Bunny. He is also
a singer, and believes that training his voice
for singing helped him to learn how to copy
the voices of cartoon characters.
Rob enjoys ice hockey, golf and riding his
motorcycle. He has two Yorkshire terriers. He
lives in California with his wife and son.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2005 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
TM
Flags of Our States Poster
Alabama
• Full-color flags from all
50 states
• Date each state entered
the union
Missouri
TO
C
K
M IN
ES
All the following jokes have something in common.
Can you guess the theme or category?
IL
ES
R IGH T
GRA
IN
1869
O
L IV
To
L
S
EQUA
To
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2005 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2005 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
The Mini Page®
From
photo courtesy © Warner Bros. Animation
photo courtesy John McKee/© 2005 Warner Bros.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2005 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
1890
Wyoming
221/2
• Display size is
inches by
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• Ideal for the classroom
or home
To order, send $4.95 plus $2.75 postage and handling (folded and mailed flat) or $4.95 plus $4.25
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Randy: What is a chicken’s
favorite vegetable?
Ray: Eggplant!
Reese: What do you call a lima bean’s hat?
Rachel: A lima beanie!
Roxanne: What vegetables are always
awarded special attention?
Ricky: V.I.Peas!
Please include all of the appropriate registered trademark symbols and copyright lines in any publication of The Mini Page®.
®
47-4 (05); release dates: November 19-25
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2005 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Wild Turkey Fact-a-Roonies
• Turkey males are
“toms” or “gobblers.”
Females are “hens.”
Babies are “poults.”
Turkey history
photo courtesy the National Wild Turkey Federation
Most of
us will
eat the
meat of a
domestic
turkey.
Domestic
turkeys
are
usually
raised in
pens and are fed corn and other feed
mixes. Most have white feathers.
Domestic turkeys can’t fly or run
very fast. They make more noise by
gobbling than wild turkeys.
The leading domestic turkeyproducing states are North Carolina
and Minnesota.
photo courtesy National Park Service
The wild turkey has really made a
comeback. In the early 1900s, there
were only 30,000 in North America.
Today, there are nearly 7,000,000.
State and national wildlife groups
have worked to protect the bird and
its habitat.
Hunting wild turkeys is a popular
sport.
• Poults eat berries,
seeds and insects.
Adults eat acorns,
insects and small
reptiles.
photo courtesy the National Wild Turkey Federation
Turkey is an
American tradition
at Thanksgiving
dinner.
Spanish explorers discovered
turkeys in Mexico in 1571. Explorers
carried them to Europe, so the
Pilgrims were familiar with turkeys
when they arrived.
A Pilgrim leader wrote about their
Thanksgiving feast in 1621: “Our
harvest being gotten in, our governor
sent four men on fowling.” That
means they went out hunting for
birds such as ducks, geese or
turkeys.
• Ben
Franklin
admired
the turkey
so much
that he
thought
it should be our
national symbol, not
the eagle.
The wild turkey of today looks very much like the wild
turkey of the Pilgrims’ time. A male (standing) is bigger
and more colorful than the female.
Wild turkeys can:
• hear very well, though they don’t have any
ears that stick out. They see well during the
daytime, but not at night.
• fly as fast as 55 miles per hour for short
distances. They can walk as fast as 20 miles per
hour.
• have from 5,000 to 6,000 feathers. When he
wants to show off to attract a mate, a tom turkey
spreads out his tail feathers and struts.
Next week: Winter is coming. Read about the folks
who forecast what the weather will be.
Look through your newspaper for ads and stories
that show Thanksgiving is coming.
The Mini Page thanks the National Wild Turkey
Federation for help with this page.
• After a hen has
mated, she starts looking
for a place thick with
plants so she can hide the
shallow nest she scrapes
out of the ground.
• Wild turkeys are on
the ground during the
day and roost in trees at
night.
The Mini Page is created
and edited by
Betty Debnam
Associate Editors
Tali Denton
Lucy Lien
Staff Artist
Wendy Daley
Please include all of the appropriate registered trademark symbols and copyright lines in any publication of The Mini Page®.
photo courtesy The Audubon Naturalist Society
Read all about
John James
Audubon
in
®
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
by Betty Debnam
Appearing in your
newspaper on ____________.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam
© 2005 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
(Note to Editor: Above is cameraready, one column-by-41/4-inch ad
promoting Issue 47.)
release dates: November 19-25
47-5 (05)
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2005 The MIni Page Publishing Company Inc.
®
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
Standards Spotlight:
John James Audubon
Mini Page activities meet many state and national educational standards. Each
week we identify standards that relate to The Mini Page’s content and offer
activities that will help your students reach them.
This week’s standards:
• Students understand the characteristics of animals. (Science: Life Science)
• Students understand how an artist’s experiences influence the development of specific
artworks. (Visual Arts)
• Students identify works of art as belonging to particular cultures, times and places.
(Visual Arts)
Activities:
1. Make a set of “Let’s Talk Turkey” fact cards. Draw a turkey on one side of a 3-by-5-inch
card. Write a fact about wild or domestic turkeys on the other side. Share your cards
with friends and family members.
2. Use words, photos and art of different birds from the newspaper to make a “Feathered
Friends” collage. Include wild and domestic birds in your collage.
3. Divide a piece of paper into two columns. Label the first column “Alike” and the second
“Different.” Now list ways wild and domestic turkeys are the same under the first
column. List ways they are different under the second.
4. How do wild turkeys use each of these: (a) trees, (b) insects, (c) feathers, (d) plants and
(e) small reptiles?
5. What kind of man was Audubon? Make a list of the skills and personal qualities he had
to have in order to succeed as an artist. Now use your list to write a paragraph
describing the man.
(standards by Dr. Sherrye D. Garrett, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi)
(Note to Editor: Above is the Standards for Issue 47.)
TM
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2005 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Supersport: Ben Roethlisberger
Height: 6-5
Weight: 241
Birthdate: 3-2-82
Hometown: Findlay, Ohio
Ben Roethlisberger didn’t mess around. He arrived in
Pittsburgh in 2004 with a big game, and quickly became
a big name in the NFL. He is tough and talented.
He was the Steelers’ first-round draft choice and won
NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. He helped
Pittsburgh post a league-best 15-1 regular-season record.
He also completed 66.4 percent of his passes, breaking the rookie record
previously held by Dan Marino.
Roethlisberger set numerous records in college at Miami of Ohio. He
got off on another solid start this year before being slowed by a knee
injury.
Like many athletes, Roethlisberger has a big heart for hurricane
victims. In the first game against Tennessee, he pledged $250 for every
touchdown pass and $50 for every yard he amassed passing. He threw for
two TDs and 218 yards, which equaled $11,400 for the needy.
(Note to Editor: Above is copy block for Page 3, Issue 47, to be
used in place of ad if desired.)
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