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Your Proofness: Sarah Munir Master Storyteller: Nudrat Kamal Creativity Analysts: Jamal Khurshid, Essa Malik, Talha Ahmed Khan, Omer Asim, Mohsin Alam, Aamir Khan and Umar Waqas
Dr Suess’s books for kids xxxx PAGE 2-3
How xxxx does sugar affect our brain? PAGE PAGE 4 4
xxx Best graphic novels PAGE PAGE6 6
Make a beaded wind chime xxx PAGE 8
THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, JANUARY 25, 2015
Hi light
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You know those Dick and Jane book series we were all forced to read when we first started school? The ones where either Jane runs or Dick runs or Dick and Jane both watch as the dog runs? Those books may have taught us English, but let’s face it, they were bland, boring books that we never wanted to read. One children’s author and illustrator knew just how bland most primary-level books for children were, and he wanted to change all that. Throughout his career, he wrote and illustrated books for children that were the exact opposite of boring — they were imaginative, they were funny, and they were just simply fun to read. He wrote in rhyming verse, making up rhymes in creative ways, as a result of which his books were great to read out loud. He was Dr Seuss, the man behind wonderful children’s works such as The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, and The Lorax among many others.
Dr Seuss was the pen name of Theodore Seuss Giesel, an American writer and cartoonist born in 1904. He used to draw cartoons for different advertising companies and newspapers, and also wrote books in poetry, which were his trademark. But his career as a popular children’s author really took off in 1854, when a magazine published a report saying that children were not learning to read because their books were boring. The director of education thought that this was a problem that should be dealt with, so he came up with a list of 348 words that he felt were important for first-grade kids to recognise. Then, he went to Dr Seuss, asked him to cut down the list to 250 words, and challenged him to write a book using those words, daring him to, in his own words, “bring back a book children can’t put down.” Nine months later, Dr Seuss, using 236 of the words given to him, completed The Cat in the Hat, the now classic tale of a naughty cat who comes into the house of two siblings and wrecks all kinds of havoc and excitement. The book was an immediate success, and publishing houses created the Beginner Books series that were modelled after Dr Seuss’s fun and inventive writing style. Dr Seuss went on to write and illustrate a total of 46 children’s books, all of them clever and funny and greatly loved by kids.
The basic reason why Dr Seuss is such a great children’s writer is that he understood something most grown ups hardly ever understand: learning doesn’t have to be boring. In fact, learning can be fun, and as Dr Seuss himself said, “If you never did you should. These things are fun and fun is good.” Dr Seuss’s books are weird and ridiculous, but in the best way possible. They have wacky plots — a boy daydreaming about running a circus, an elephant saving an entire tiny civilisation, a grumpy Grinch stealing Christmas from a whole town. They have crazy, upbeat characters, and great lessons that are important for people of all ages to learn. For example, The Lorax teaches us about how important it is for us to take care of our planet. Aside from being fun, Dr Seuss’s books also teach kids language in a very effective way. They have rhymes and repetitive sounds and use limited vocabulary, which is ideal for someone just beginning to learn English. Also, because of their funny rhymes, these books are great fun to read aloud.
THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, JANUARY 25, 2015
Hi light
3 This is the book that started it all, and it is a great one. It’s a rainy day and Dick and Sally can’t find anything to do — until the Cat in the Hat unexpectedly appears and turns their dreary afternoon into a fun-filled extravaganza! This strange Cat wants to do fun and crazy things, like juggle 10 items while jumping on a ball. With incredible characters like the disapproving Fish, and the mischeivous Thing 1 and Thing 2, The Cat in the Hat is one great roller coaster ride of a book.
“The Grinch hated Christmas! The whole Christmas season!/ Now, please don’t ask why. No one quite knows the reason.” For 53 years, the Grinch has lived in a cave on the side of a mountain, looming above the Whos in Whoville. The noisy holiday preparations and infernal singing of the happy little citizens below annoy him to no end. The Grinch decides this frivolous merriment must stop. His “wonderful, awful” idea is to steal Christmas from the chafingly cheerful Whos of their Yuletide glee once and for all. Will he succeed? Read this wonderful tale to find out.
This is the story of Horton the Elephant, who while splashing in a pool, hears a small speck of dust talking to him. Horton surmises that a small person lives on the speck and places it on a clover, vowing to protect it. He later discovers that the speck is actually a tiny planet, home to a community called Whoville, where microscopic creatures called Whos live. The Mayor of Whoville asks Horton to protect them from harm, which Horton happily agrees to, because he believes that “a person’s a person, no matter how small.” In his mission to protect the speck, Horton is ridiculed and harassed by the other animals in the jungle for believing in something that they are unable to see or hear, but Horton will not give up! What would you like to see in Hi Five? Send an email to hifive@tribune.com.pk and let us know!
THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, JANUARY 25, 2015
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Fun facts about atoms
How do teddy bears keep their den cool in summer? They use bear conditioning.
In Ancient Greece a man named Democritus figured out that every single thing in the universe must be made up of tiny particles that can’t be cut anymore. He called these particles ‘atoms’, which in Greek means ‘uncuttable’. We now know that atoms are built from even smaller particles called quarks, neutrinos and leptons, which are the smallest particles in the universe.
Why did the kid throw the butter out the window? To see the butter fly.
There are over 100 different kinds of atoms. By combining these atoms in different ways, we can make anything in the universe. 98% of the seven billion billion billion atoms in the human body are replaced every year.
Why was the mother firefly unhappy? Because her children weren’t that bright.
There are eight times as many atoms in a teaspoonful of water as there are teaspoonfuls of water in the Atlantic. No one has ever seen an atom. They’re too small to be seen by a microscope and can’t be counted or weighed individually.
What steps do you take if you a tiger is running towards you? Big ones!
If the three quarks in a hydrogen atom were scaled up to the size of garden peas, the hydrogen atom would be 1,000 miles across. Every three seconds, the sun emits more neutrinos than the number of atoms in all the humans who have ever lived.
What do you get from a pampered cow? Spoiled milk.
If an atom were the size of the solar system, a neutrino would be the size of a golf ball.
Did you know? How does sugar affect our brain? Imagine a freshly baked cookie, or a tub of ice cream. Is your mouth watering? What happens to our brains when it craves sugar? To understand this, we first have understand what sugar is. Sugar is a group of molecules called carbohydrates, and is found in lots of foods and drinks. Carbohydrates include glucose, sucrose, starch, lactose and maltose, among others. These molecules can be found everywhere, from fruit juices to milk to wheat biscuits. Since sugar is everywhere, it is important to know what effect it has on our brains. When we take a bite of a sugary candy, it activates the sweet receptors found in the taste buds on our tongue. These receptors send a signal to the brain stem, and from there the signal goes to different parts of the brain, including the cerebral cortex which processes different tastes. From here, the signal activates the brain’s reward system. This reward system is a series of electrical and chemical pathways in the brain, and it helps us subconsciously answer the question, “Should I do that again?” So when you get a warm fuzzy feeling taking a big bite of chocolate cake, it’s your brain’s reward system telling you to definitely do that again. But the problem is, if the reward system is overactivated, things can go awry, setting off things like cravings and loss of self-control. The brain, through its reward system, releases dopamine, a hormone that creates the warm fuzzy feeling. Sugar is not the only food that releases this feel-good hormone, but it’s the only food that consistently keeps releasing the hormone at high levels (with other foods, the more you eat them, the lesser the amount of dopamine that is released). So, eating lots of sugar will continue to feel rewarding. In this way, sugar acts in a way similar to that of drugs. People can become hooked on sugary foods if they eat too much of it, because that will kick the reward system into an overdrive.
THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, JANUARY 25, 2015
World wide weird Get your weekly dose of the unusual and funny news from across the globe!
Visit from an asteroid A giant asteroid will zoom by past earth on the 26th of January. This would be the closest any asteroid would get to earth for the next 200 years. The space rock, code-named 2004 BL86, is a third of a mile wide. It is expected to reach a point about 745,000 miles from our planet, or three times the distance to the Moon. Although it is easily far enough away to be safe, the flyby counts as a narrow encounter in astronomical terms. MIRROR.CO.UK
Saving pennies An 81-year-old man deposited a small fortune worth $816 entirely in the form of pennies. Ira Keys from Slaton in Texas says he stopped spending pennies in 1952, when he was 17 after his father gave him the golden advice that every parent gives their child: to make a habit of saving money. After 65 long years of persistently avoiding the temptation of spending his pennies, Mr. Keys’ collection reached a collective weight of 226kgs. It took an employee at Prosperity Bank in Slaton an hour to count out all the coins. Mr. Keys says this was not the whole of his collection although it was a significant chunk of it. METRO.CO.UK
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Cat hero
A long-haired kitty named Marsha, found a child dumped in a box on the street outside an apartment block in Obninsk, Russia and kept him warm through the night as temperature dropped below zero. Marsha jumped into the box and kept the child warm for several hours with her fur. Residents in the block of flats discovered the heroic feline protectively curled around the freezing infant and licking his face. The baby boy was found in clean clothes and with a pack of nappies next to him. Even after the ordeal was over, Marsha carried on showing her mothering instincts by following paramedics as they took the tiny baby to the ambulance, it was reported. EXPRESS.CO.UK
Déjà Vu student A student was forced to drop out of university after a bizarre case of chronic déjà vu left him unable to lead a normal life. The 23-year-old even stopped watching TV, listening to the radio, or reading newspapers or magazines because he believed he had seen it all before. Details of the case have been revealed in a report published by the Journal of Medical Case Reports. He told doctors that he was “trapped in a time loop” and said he felt as if he was reliving the past moment by moment. Doctors are baffled because the man does not suffer from any of the neurological conditions usually seen in people who normally suffer frequently from déjà vu — which is French for “already seen”. Report author Dr Christine Wells, a psychology expert from Sheffield Hallam University, said that if proved, this could be the first-ever recorded instance of psychogenic déjà vu, which is déjà vu triggered by anxiety rather than a neurological condition such as dementia or epilepsy. TELEGRAPH.CO.UK
THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, JANUARY 25, 2015
Reading corner
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Jelly Biscuits
Ingredients:
Instructions: • Plain sweet biscuits 1 packet • Unsalted butter 175g • Sweet condensed milk 400g • Gelatine 1 ½ tablespoon • Strawberry jelly 1 packet
1. Butter a baking tray (16cm x 26cm x 3cm). 2. Meanwhile, dissolve the jelly powder in one ½cup boiling water and cook. Place it in the fridge for about 45 minutes until cool. 3. Crush biscuits in a plastic bag with a rolling pin, put them in a bowl and mix in melted butter. Place the mixture in buttered tray and press down firmly. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. 4. Dissolve the gelatine in 1/2 cup of hot water. Combine the gelatine mixture with condensed milk in a bowl, pour over the biscuit base and place the dish back in the refrigerator for 30 minutes until it is cool and nearly set. 5. Pour the cold jelly on top of the slice and return it to the fridge to set. 6. Slice the squares using a butter knife. KIDSPOT.COM.AU
Best Graphic Novels A graphic novel is any book made up comic-strips, or which uses graphics and illustrations as a method of telling the story. Graphic novels include comic books, manga (Japanese-style comics) as well as other types of novels that use graphics, like the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. Graphic novels use sequential art, a kind of art that uses images in a sequence to tell a story. Therefore, in graphic novels, the words and the pictures work together. Here are some graphic novels worth checking out: Amelia’s Notebook by Marissa Moss When Amelia’s mom gives her a journal for her ninth birthday, Amelia has a place to share her truest feelings at last. In her journal, Amelia writes all about her recent move to a new town, doodles pictures of people she meets and saves such mementos. Amelia distracts herself by drawing and by writing short stories. Marissa Moss, who has written and illustrated the Amelia’s Notebook series, has designed this story to resemble a real diary. The words are written in Amelia’s scribbled handwriting and there are lots of colourful illustrations. Read all about Amelia’s hilarious experiences in school and at home in the graphic novel series Amelia’s Notebooks. Big Nate by Lincoln Pierce If you are a fan of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, the Big Nate series written and illustrated by Lincoln Pierce will be right up your alley. Nate knows he’s meant for big things. He knows he’s destined for greatness. A fortune cookie told him so. But things don’t always go your way just because you’re awesome. Nate always ends up getting into some kind of mischief, whether it is at school or at home. On the very first day of school, Nate ends up in the principal’s office. Trouble always seems to find him, but Nate keeps his cool. Read about Big Nate, the accidental mischief maker, in the first part of the series, Big Nate: In a Class by Himself.
Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi Marjane Satrapi, known to family and friends as Marji, lives in Iran in the 1970s. She is a normal girl living an ordinary life, but then events in her country turn her world upside down. Marji tries to stand up to the new government of Iran, which doesn’t let people listen to music or wear jeans or do any fun thing they want. But when the new government starts objecting to girls like Marji going to school, her parents send her to study in Vienna. But in Vienna, Marji misses her family and friends and her country. Join Marji in her journey of growing up in the four-part graphic novel series Persepolis.
The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick Orphan, clock keeper and thief, Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. But when his world suddenly interlocks with an eccentric, bookish girl and a bitter old man who runs a toy booth in the station, Hugo’s undercover life — and his most precious secret — are put in jeopardy. Brian Selznick has crafted The Invention of Hugo Cabret in both sketches and words. Each picture takes up an entire double page spread, and the story moves forward because you turn the pages to see the next moment unfold in front of you.
El Deafo by Cece Bell Starting at a new school is scary, even more so with a giant hearing aid strapped to your chest. Cece is sure the kids are staring at the Phonic Ear, the powerful aid that will help her hear her teacher. Then Cece makes a startling discovery. With the Phonic Ear she can hear her teacher not just in the classroom, but anywhere at all! Cece is on her way to becoming El Deafo, Listener for All. But can Cece channel her powers into finding the thing she wants the most, a true friend? Written and illustrated by Cece Bell, who based the story on her own experiences growing up with an impaired hearing, El Deafo is funny and heartwarming.
Do you have a favourite book or movie you would like us to review? Write to us at hifive@tribune.com.pk and tell us all about it.
THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, JANUARY 25, 2015
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Artwork
Abeeha Zehra
Shehrbano
Laraib Shahbaz
Notable Entries for the Liberty Books Cards
Fatima Zehra
Competition Hajra Ziaur Rehman
Anonymous
THE EXPRESS TRIBUNE, JANUARY 25, 2015
• Paper cup • Plastic bubble blower • Strings • Big beads • Small bells • Drinking straws
• Poster paint • Paint brushes • Scissors • Hole punch • Coin
You will need: • Bowls or dishes (for making the ice) • A large tray with sides • Salt • Liquid watercolours or food colouring • Droppers or a spoon
What to do:
Directions: 1. 2. 3. 4.
Trim a paper cup to a height of approximately 2-3 inches. Punch four evenly-spaced holes around the cup’s mouth. Paint the paper cup with poster paint and make your own designs. Cut four equal lengths of string approximately 12 inches long. Cut a fifth string that is two inches longer. 5. Tie a small bell at the end of four of the strings. Set the fifth string aside for the pendulum. 6. Cut the drinking straws into an inch long pieces. 7. String beads and drinking straws through each of the four strings. 8. Attach the beaded strings around the painted paper cup by securing the top end of each string around the punched-out holes. 10. To make the pendulum, tie one end of the fifth string through the loop of the bubble blower. 11. Attach a coin on the other end of the string. 12. Punch a small hole at the centre of the paper cup base. 13. Attach the pendulum to the wind chimes by inserting the end of the bubble blower through the hole at the centre of the paper cup. Pull all the way through as the loop on the pipe cleaner serves as a stopper. 14. Check if the coin is at the same level as the bells. 15. Loop the bubble blower on top to make the wind chimes’ handle. 16. Hang the wind chimes where it can catch a soft breeze. FIRSTPALETTE.COM
1.Fill different sized bowls with water and leave them overnight to freeze. 2.Loosen the ice from the bowls with a little warm water and place the ice blocks in a large tray. 3.Sprinkle salt over the ice domes. 4.Notice the little ravines down the side of the ice where the salt melts it. 5.Once you can tell that the salt is melting the ice, squeeze a few drops of different coloured watercolours or food colouring over the ice.
What is happening: The freezing point of water, the temperature just cold enough to make it freeze into ice, is 0O C. Dissolving salt in water makes the water harder to freeze. To get salt water to freeze you have to make it colder than 0O C. So you can say that salt lowers the freezing point of water. If you add salt to ice, some of the ice will melt. The salt pulls some water away from its crystal form in the ice, thus reducing the size of the ice by melting it. When that happens, the ice-salt mixture will get colder than 0O C. The reason that we added the liquid watercolours to the ice is to highlight the ravines, crevasses, and tunnels that are forming in it as the salt melts it. THEARTFULPARENT.COM
If you want your story to feature in Hi Five, email us at hifive@tribune.com.pk