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ÂŁ 5.50 (UK only) Issue 199 December 2015 - ISSN 1366-901x
The
Christmas
giant
Contents Storytime
The Christmas giant Angelo the giant lives high in the mountains above a village. In the middle of winter, he notices lights twinkling in the houses.
PAGE 3
Discovery Wonder with Whizkid
What can babies do? PAGE 25
Animal world
Reindeers PAGE 28
es
Adventur The Jolly family
The Christmas tree PAGE 34
Little Brown Bear
Are big presents best? PAGE 40
SamSam
A yucky present PAGE 38 Polo
A great present! PAGE 42
Games
Christmas in Catland PAGE 46
www.bayard-magazines.co.uk Happy Christmas!
The Christmas giant Written by Sophie Furlaud Illustrated by Boiry
Angelo the giant sat on the top of his mountain, keeping a watchful eye on his forest and his fir trees. From time to time he glanced at the village down in the valley. Angelo never went to the village but the last few evenings he had noticed some little lights twinkling down there‌ 3
A few days later, Angelo was doing exercises to keep warm. “One! Two!” he said, stretching his long arms and legs. “One! Two! One! Two!” He was just getting his breath back when he noticed something down in the woods. “What? A moving fir tree! A dancing fir tree! A leaning fir tree!” Then he heard a loud BOOM! Angelo asked himself, “What now… a fallen fir tree? What’s going on in my forest? This is very strange!”
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Angelo leaned over and saw some tiny villagers carrying a giant fir tree away. Angelo was angry. “I don’t want anyone touching a single needle on that fir tree! It’s MY fir tree! How dare they take it from MY forest? I’m going to follow them…” He started to slide down the mountain on his bottom, causing a small avalanche.
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Down in the village, Angelo hid behind the bell tower. He watched in amazement and whispered, “That’s strange! Why are those people putting golden fir cones on MY fir tree?” Then Angelo heard a man calling his children, “Milo and Mila, come and help me lay the table! Don’t forget to set an extra place for the Christmas guest!” Mila said, “Christmas guest?” Milo asked, “Who’s that?” Their dad explained, “We always set an extra place at the table at Christmas so if someone is alone, they can come and sit with us and share our meal.”
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Angelo had pins and needles in his feet from standing still so long. He straightened up and all the snow on his coat floated gently down onto the village like a shower of white confetti. “Ooooh! It’s snowing” cried the villagers. Angelo thought they sounded pleased so he came out of his hiding place. “Hello!” he said in his softest giant voice. But when the villagers looked up and saw that Angelo was so big and tall, taller than the Christmas tree, taller than the bell tower… they ran away and locked themselves in their houses. Milo and Mila had just enough time to hide in the branches of the Christmas tree.
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“Yoohoo!” called Angelo confused. “Where is everybody?” The giant stood all alone, staring at the sparkling fir tree with his big giant eyes. “Red! Gold! Green!” he said. He was astonished. “It’s so beautiful!” He touched the tiny lights and glass balls with his finger. They were very small and delicate. Then he sighed, “It’s all very pretty… but still, I have to put MY fir tree back in its place in MY forest…”
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Angelo grabbed his fir tree with one huge hand. He put it over his shoulder and set off. He didn’t notice that Milo and Mila were hidden in the branches. As he walked, Angelo suddenly heard a little voice singing, “Oh Christmas tree, Oh Christmas tree, how lovely are your branches…” The giant stopped in surprise. “That’s strange! Now MY fir tree is singing!” He shook the tree and listened carefully to see if it was still making music. Milo and Mila held on as tight as they could. “Oh, it’s not singing anymore!” said Angelo, feeling disappointed. “Okay…” he said and he went on his way.
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When he got to the middle of the forest, Angelo made a hole in the snow with his giant thumb. He planted his tree and said, “That’s where you should be, standing tall and straight!� Then he wiggled the tree around to make sure it was firmly in the ground. Milo and Mila could not hang on any longer. They fell, plop, plop, into the snow, like two pine cones.
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They were so scared of the giant that they couldn’t shout or run away. Angelo screwed up his eyes to see them better. “Who are you?” he asked in his big giant voice.
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Then more quietly he added, “Oh… you are children!” Angelo blew on Milo and Mila to get the snow off them. “Whhhooh… Whhhooh…” “Hey! We are getting blown away!” said Mila. ploosh! She fell flat on her back and… ploosh! So did her brother. That made the giant laugh. “Ha! Ha! Ha!” Milo and Mila felt better and they started laughing too.
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It was a cold, frosty night in the forest. Angelo, Milo and Mila looked at the starry sky and the decorated fir tree. “What’s going on today?” asked Angelo. “It’s Christmas!” said the children. “Christmas?” said Angelo. “Yes! Come with us!” said Mila. “You can be our Christmas guest,” said Milo. “Please…” Angelo hesitated then he said, “All right, I’ll come with you… and I’ll bring my fir tree!”
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Down in the village everyone was worried. Milo and Mila had disappeared and so had the Christmas tree. What if the giant had taken them? Suddenly, they heard a little voice, high above their heads. “Yoohoo! Here we are! Look, we found a Christmas guest!” Then out of the dark night… came Milo and Mila sitting on Angelo’s shoulder. The villagers crowded round the giant, who almost forgot he was a giant, even if he still had to be careful not to step on anyone with his big feet!
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The villagers brought a table out by the fir tree so their Christmas guest could join them. Angelo, Milo, Mila and all the villagers ate together round the table. The fire had never been so crackly, the sky had never been so clear, the stars had never been so bright and the tree had never been so sparkly. They were all as happy as giants. They laughed like giants and they ate like giants (well, Angelo did!). Then Milo and Mila held out a tiny violin to the giant. Angelo took it and played a tune that floated up, right up to the top of his mountain. It was Christmas night… THE END
STORYBOX
N°180
I don’t want to get out of
written by
STORYBOX
bed!
M. Van Zeveren
Three little lost their kittens mittens traditional
poem
N°181
Momo's adventure written by P. Chénel
Rain on the green grass traditional
poem
us M
ic by S. M
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Š Bayard Presse - Les Belles Histoires December 2014.
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© Bayard Presse - Pomme d’Api December 2014. Text: Sylvie Ladouce. Illustrations: Régis Faller. Photo: Isabelle Franciosa.
WHAT CAN BABIES DO? NOTHING! THEY ARE BABIES!
LET’S GO AND SEE WHAT THE ANSWER COULD BE…
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Jonas is 9 months old. He can already do lots of things!
Eyes… When Jonas was born, he only saw
in black and white. Everything around him looked blurred. Slowly his eyesight got better and he began to see colours – first red and green. Now Jonas’s eyesight is like yours, or like an adult’s!
GO, JO-JO! YOU CAN DO IT!
Mouth… Jonas is starting to make gurgling
noises. He repeats sounds like ‘ba ba ba, da da da!’ This is called babbling. All babies in the world babble in the same way!
HE IS SO CUTE WITH HIS TINY LITTLE TEETH!
Teeth… Jonas has four milk teeth, two on top
and two below. He will have 20 teeth but at the moment they are still hidden in his gums. Jonas can use his first few teeth to eat food that is cut up into little pieces. Clever boy!
CAN HE WALK?
Legs… At Jonas’s age, babies begin to move around on their hands
and knees, on their bottom or on their tummy. Jonas crawls on his hands and knees. He also grabs on to anything he can to pull himself up and stand on his feet. He will soon be walking!
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Nose… Babies can smell as soon as
they are born. For example, they recognise the smell of their mum and that makes them feel safe.
Family and friends… Jonas is beginning
to tell the difference between people like his mum, his dad, his sister and his brother… He recognises each person’s smell and their voice… He is starting to behave in different ways with people! WHAT ABOUT HIS HANDS? CAN HE CLICK HIS FINGERS?
Hands… Jonas picks up anything he can
reach and puts it in his mouth to find out more about it! When Jonas is happy, he claps his hands and smiles. He is copying his parents when they play with him!
NOW I UNDERSTAND! BABIES LEARN TO DO NEW THINGS EVERY DAY WITH THEIR MOUTH, THEIR LEGS AND THEIR HANDS… 27
Reindeers Reindeers are a type of deer. They have antlers. In North America they are called caribou. They can survive in the cold and the snow.
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Where do they live?
NORTH POLE
In the Arctic, near the North Pole.
What do they eat?
Lichen*, buds, moss, leaves…
How big are they?
They are a little taller than you. * you can say ‘lit-chen’ or ‘lie-ken’.
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This group of male reindeers will stay together until spring. At the beginning of winter, they start to lose their antlers.
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It gets very cold in the Arctic in winter and the ground is covered in snow. Fortunately, reindeers can smell their favourite plants through the snow. They uncover them by digging with their hooves.
It is almost always dark. The sun does not rise very high in the sky and it only appears for a few hours every day. Luckily, reindeers see well in the dark.
So the reindeers soon spot some wolves coming towards them. Quick! They must escape before the wolves have time to attack. The reindeers run away together.
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Text: Emmanuel Chanut. Illustrations: Jean François PÊnichoux.
They got away from the wolves but now there is a blizzard. An icy wind blows. The reindeers stop and lie down in the snow. Their fur keeps them warm.
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The wind has stopped but the reindeers will have to wait for many more weeks to feel the warmth of the sun again. During the long Arctic nights there are beautiful lights in the sky.
The lights that appear in the winter sky in the Arctic are called aurora borealis or the northern lights.
In the Arctic it is dark almost all winter and light all summer (even at night)!
Antlers are bones that grow on male and female reindeers’ heads. They fall off and grow again every year.
Š Bayard Presse - Youpi December 2014. Text: Emmanuel Chanut. Illustrations: Yves Calarnou.
Did you know?
Sami people in the Arctic keep reindeers and use them to pull sledges. Does that remind you of someone?
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family
Mu m
Millie
Ge o r g
e
Jolly The
Da d
Leonard
who always look on the bright side of life
The Christmas tree
The Jolly family have a big Christmas tree in their sitting room. Dad and Mum are going out in the garden for a while. They say to George and Millie, “Let’s see if you two can decorate the tree! See you in a bit.” Millie is happy. She is already taking the angels out of their box. She has an idea… 34
“The angels can be footballers,” she says. “Each one has its own ball.”
George is not happy. He says, “Millie, you are taking ALL the angels and ALL the red balls!”
Millie is not listening. “The elves look like they are playing football too.”
George is really cross now. “I want that elf! Give it to me!”
Millie is still not listening. She gives each elf a ball. George is furious.
He is so angry that he starts shaking the tree! “Careful!” shouts Millie. 35
Oh dear! The Christmas tree falls down. “Dad! Mum! Help!” cries George. Luckily, Mum and Dad are back in the house. Dad runs over. “George, are you okay?”
Dad puts the tree back up. George is not hurt but he feels a bit silly that he made the tree fall over. He helps Millie to pick up the angels, the elves and the balls. 36
… some reindeers and some stars… “Good idea,” says Millie. “They can watch the football match.”
© Bayard Presse - Pomme d’Api December 2014. Text: Sophie Chabot. Illustrations: Anne Wilsdorf.
Millie hangs the balls and the elves back on the tree. George puts up some Father Christmases…
So when the children open their presents, the elves, the angels, the reindeers and the Father Christmases are all looking on. “Cool!” says George. “I got a football kit!” “Look!” says Millie. “I got one too!” Dad says, “And the ball is for the whole family!” 37
It’s very, very cold. SamSam and his friend SweetPea are out for a walk.
The smallest of the big heroes
A yucky present
1
Suddenly, they hear the sound of sobbing.
lt’s coming from that big fir tree!
It’s a poor little YuckYuck shivering with cold. YuckYucks are very kind but they are ugly and they smell bad.
Boohoo!
2
Brr brr brr…
3
“What are you doing here all alone?” asks SweetPea. “Nobody wants me!” sobs the little YuckYuck.
4 38
SamSam and SweetPea are very kind. They hold their noses and say, “Come with us!”
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“Will you take him home?” asks SweetPea. “You must be joking!” says SamSam. “My mum will not let him into the house!”
SamSam says, “We could take him to SuperJulie. She likes little animals!”
Really?
7
But SuperJulie sends them away. “You can keep your stinky thing!”
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“You see? Nobody wants me!” says the little YuckYuck. The two friends suddenly have an idea…
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They take him to MuckYuck’s house. MuckYuck says, “He’s so cute and he smells really bad!”
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MuckYuck is thrilled. “Thanks SweetPea! Thanks, SamSam!”
This is the best present ever!
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© Bayard Presse - Pomme d’Api December 2014. Story: Serge Bloch. Illustrations: Serge Bloch and Astrid Scaramus.
6
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Little Brown Bear Are big presents best?
1. It’s Christmas. Little Brown Bear is at Granny’s with Big Red Bear and all the family.
2. There’s a big present under the tree. Big Red Bear reads the label and says, “It’s for me!” 40
3. Little Brown Bear is sad. “Why are my presents smaller?” he says crossly.
6. At last, Daddy Bear hands out the presents. Little Brown Bear opens his.
5. But Little Bear can’t see what is inside the packages. He can only see how big they are!
7. It’s a tent with a tunnel. He really wanted one. “Hooray… and my present is really big!”
© Bayard Presse - Pomme d’Api December 2014. Text: Marie Aubinais. Illustration: Danièle Bour.
4. “Just wait,” Mummy Bear explains. “It’s what’s inside the package that’s important…”
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A great present!
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CUT
KNOCK KNOCK
CUT
CUT CUT
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Š Bayard Presse - Les Belles Histoires December 2014. Created and illustrated by RÊgis Faller.
Merry Christmas Polo!
The end
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Christmas in Catland
Fill in the grids. The letters N O E L must appear just once in every row, column and group of four boxes.
E N
L
E
O E
1
L
2
N
L
O
Answers: grid 1 top line E N L O grid 2 top line E O N L.
46
N
L
Presents under the tree Find these 5 small pictures on this page.
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Answers: from left to right – 1 big decoration on tree 2 ribbon on floor 3 stool 4 and 5 middle cat's socks and the pattern on his shirt 6 snow in window 7 soft toy on floor.
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Find the 7 differences between these pictures.
Opening presents
Christmas decorations
The lights are arranged in a pattern. Work out the order and then colour in each light.
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Answer: red, blue, yellow green, red‌
Š Bayard Presse - Mes Premiers j'Aime Lire December 2014. Concept: Arnaud AlmÊras. Illustrations: Aki.
The best present Draw your dream present here.
50
re.
Wr ite r you na m e eh
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Danny was a kind, gentle little boy. He had six brothers who were not at all kind or gentle and were always playing tricks on him..
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Danny and the ogre’s seven d augh ters
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A
B 1 I love its green leaves. Its red berries are jolly. I know it’s Christmas when I see the _ _ _ _ _ .
The little _ _ _ loves making Christmas toys to see the happy faces of the girls and boys.
C
Christmas time! Match each picture to the riddle that best describes it.
4 The three wise men would not have gone far if they had not followed the Christmas _ _ _ _ .
StoryBox was great... now I’m ready for
3 If you ever hear jingle bells in the snow… It’s Santa’s _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ , with the sleigh in tow.
D
Answers: 1–D holly, 2–C elf, 3–B reindeer, 4–A star.
Text: Jim Sanderson. Illustrations: Bridget Strevens.
Text: Simona Sideri. Illustrations: Bridget Strevens.
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