Kids Alive! – formerly The Young Soldier – Issue No 7527
22 August 2026
The world's longest-running publication for children!
salvationist.org.uk/kidsalive
50P/60c
this week...
tyle and caring and an active lifes Living a healthy mental and spiritual well-being. l, for your physica
The Ultimate UK and Ireland Guide
this week...
Jesus Sits Altitude picture
WIN! Kids Alive! is available online – go to salvationist.org.uk/kidsalive KA - p1 - 22 August.indd 1
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What’s Inside?
Puzzle Answers Turn this page upside down to read the answers
3
Coyote vs Acme and Ed’s Bit
4–5
KA! JAM
6
Proverbially Speaking
7
Kiddo
8–9
Giggle in the Middle
10
Goo Jitzu Competition
11
Creative Corner
LINKWORD: 1 Basket. 2 Air. 3 Goal. 4 Eye. 5 Light. New word: Bagel. BIG MYSTERY: Grand Canyon. DOWN: 1 Princess. 2 Gel. 3 Lamb. 4 Kenya. 5 Stranger. 9 Linen. 11 Swap. 14 Oat. CROSSWORD ACROSS: 1 Pig. 3 Lake. 6 Islam. 7 Nut. 8 Colt. 10 Data. 12 Sun. 13 Wrong. 15 Snip. 16 Tar. GIGGLE IN THE MIDDLE PATCH’S PROBLEM: Page 15. SPOT THE DIFFERENCE 1 The top bowl Martha is holding is pink. 2 One of the thought bubble circles is missing. 3 There’s an extra water drop falling off the table. 4 The jug on the right is missing its handle. 5 Mary has changed to Martha in the thought bubble. KA! JAM
Love our comic? Check out Morning Praise with Kids Alive! on Salvationist Radio every Saturday and Monday at 7.30–8am and every Sunday at 9–9.30am.
Go to salvationist.org.uk/radio to get your morning started with half an hour of music, prayer, a thought and lots of giggles. Or listen any time you like with the podcast, which is available on our website and all major audio platforms.
e Availabl online!
12–13 KA! World 14–15 Your Space 16
Patch’s Pals: Pirate Pete and His Jolly Crew
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Hey there, readers! We hope you’ve enjoyed reading this issue of Kids Alive! If you would like to get your own copy of Kids Alive! delivered to your home every week, why not ask your parents or carers to take out a subscription* for you? Every week, Kids Alive! includes a cartoon Bible story, a competition, puzzles, jokes, comic strips and topical activities and articles for you to enjoy. Ask your parents or carers to go to sps-shop.com/kids-alive, call 01933 445445 (option 1, option 1) or email subscriptions@satcol.org to set up a subscription. *A subscription costs just £4.33 a month (or a one-off payment of £52). This subscription offer applies in the UK and Republic of Ireland, with 51 copies delivered over 12 months. Please note that different prices apply to Europe and international orders.
EDITOR Cara Mott DEPUTY EDITOR AND KA! JAM CO-ORDINATOR Ibukun Baku EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Jacob Adams GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Philippa Elliott and Matt Penberthy PROOFREADER Chris Horne CONTACT US Phone Office – 020 7367 4910 Territorial Headquarters Switchboard – 0845 634 0101 Email kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk Post 1 Champion Park, London SE5 8FJ FOUNDERS Catherine and William Booth INTERNATIONAL LEADERS General Lyndon Buckingham and Commissioner Bronwyn Buckingham TERRITORIAL LEADERS Commissioners Jenine and Paul Main EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Major Andrew Stone Published weekly by The Salvation Army United Kingdom and Ireland Territory.
salvationist.org.uk/kidsalive
The Salvation Army is a Christian church and registered charity. The charity number in England, Wales and Northern Ireland is 214779, in Scotland SC009359 and in the Republic of Ireland CHY6399. ISSN 1363-5662.
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H
Altitude pictures
ave you ever bought something only to discover that it doesn’t work properly? Wile E. Coyote, a mischievous and constantly hungry coyote, has bought a fantastic pair of rocket skates to help him to catch his greatest rival, the Road Runner. However, when Wile actually tries to use his rocket jets, they don’t work how he expected them to at all. They’re incredibly slow – and they’re also explosive! For years, Wile E. Coyote has been using awful products created by a company called Acme to try to catch the Road Runner. After his most recent disaster, he’s had enough! He wants Acme to get in trouble for all of the terrible devices he’s had to use, so he’s teaming up with a guy called Kevin Avery, who’s a lawyer (which is someone who helps to make sure that the rules of a country are followed). Wile E. Coyote and Kevin want Acme to pay for all of the wrong things they’ve done – but first, they’ll have to win a court case. They’ll also have to go up against Kevin’s old boss, Buddy Crane. This might sound like a very serious film, but don’t worry – it’s actually absolutely ridiculous. You can expect lots of explosions, plenty of silliness and even an appearance from Bugs Bunny!
W O N S A M IN CINE ‘Coyote vs Acme’ is in cinemas from 28 August, but you can watch preview screenings now. The film is rated PG, which stands for parental guidance. Parents or carers can read more about this rating at bbfc.co.uk before deciding if it’s suitable for their family.
Have you ever felt that something didn’t go the way you hoped? Maybe you worked hard for a test, but didn’t pass. Or maybe you weren’t chosen for a sports team. It’s hard when you’ve tried your best, but things still don’t work out. Wile E. Coyote knows all about that! He knows what it’s like to fail … a lot! Despite his many failures, Wile always picks himself up and tries again. Usually, Wile would just grab a new Acme product and go for Road Runner again, but this time he’s asking for help. Trying again doesn’t always mean doing the same thing again and again. Sometimes it means asking for help or trying something different. As Jesus’ friends we can always turn to him for help and advice – he doesn’t promise that we’ll never fail, but he does promise he’ll always be there to help us and work out what to do next!
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Read the comment below about how Jesus is more important than anything else
What’s Distracting You? asks Jacob Adams
W
hat could distract you from reading this issue of Kids Alive!? How about a tornado tearing through your neighbourhood, or a dragon landing on your roof? If the best football players in the world turned up at your door right now and invited you to join them for a kickabout, would that convince you to stop reading this issue? I reckon it probably wouldn’t actually take anything that big to distract you from Kids Alive! – if your tummy started rumbling, you might put this issue down to grab a tasty snack. In this week’s Bible cartoon, Martha didn’t need anything giant to distract her from spending time with Jesus. She didn’t need a tornado, dragons or a football team to stop her from
sitting at his feet – just lots of housework! Jesus, the maker of the whole world and everything in it, was at Martha’s home – and she almost missed how brilliant that was! Thankfully, Martha was able to learn from her sister, Mary, who knew what was really important. Have you realised how brilliant Jesus is? There can be so many distractions in our lives that can keep us from spending time with him, but the truth is that nothing can beat getting to know Jesus better. When so many other things might be fighting for your attention, choose to read the Bible or pray to God. The best way to spend your time is speaking to and learning about the creator of everything, who loves you more than you could possibly imagine!
Spot the Difference There was a big difference between the ways that Mary and Martha acted when Jesus visited their home, wasn’t there? Can you spot the five big differences between the two pictures below?
Answers on Page 2
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Jesus Sits
Kids Alive! follows the Salvation Army Children and Youth’s Explore it! resource – go to salvationist.org.uk/resources/discipleship/explore-it
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Check out your Bible – Luke 10:38-42
Following Jesus
5
Steve English
Proverbially Speaking top tips from proverbs
Top Tip 16ater leak –
w gument is like a The start of an ar ks out. real trouble brea so stop it before Proverbs 17:14
nglish Version)
(Contemporary E
. .. n i Jo
STEVE ENGLISH
Knowing the right thing to do is often a lot easier than actually doing it. That’s why King Solomon wrote the Bible book of Proverbs. It’s filled with hundreds of tips on how to live a godly life. So if you would like to live your life Jesus’ way, see if you can put this week’s top tip into action.
Action!
Having an argumen t is no fun! It hurts everyone involved. It’s OK to be upset and to fe angry, but it’s best el to calm down as soon as possible. That way you can talk abou t what’s upsetting you and find a way to solv e it. This week, try to ta lk about how you’ re feeling before you become really angr y.
KA! JAM is the coolest Bible activity club around. As a member you’ll go on amazing adventures through the Bible learning about Jesus. Each activity sheet is filled with lots of great stuff about being a Christian. You’ll also receive our mini-mag, Chatterbox, which is filled with jokes, games and much more. And to top it off, there are loads of awesome prizes to be won! To join KA! JAM and complete the Bible activity courses online, go to salvationist.org.uk/kajam. Or if you would like to receive the postal version, simply fill in the coupon below.
To join KA! JAM just fill in the application form and send it – along with two first-class stamps – to: KA! JAM, 1 Champion Park, London SE5 8FJ. Applicants must be between 7 and 17 years old to join.
Name:
Date of birth:
Address: Postcode: Boy or girl: I, (signature)
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Do you attend a church, and if so, which one? apply for membership of Kids Alive! Jesus And Me. I understand that joining KA! JAM doesn’t mean I have joined The Salvation Army and that it is not a free subscription to Kids Alive!
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To n g u e Tw is t e r s
Patch’s ? Problem... ?
See if you can say this terrifically tough tongue twister 10 times!
Ro be rta ra n rin gs ar ou nd th e Ro ma n ru ins
? ?
?
HELLO, READERS, I’VE LOST A VERY IMPORTANT OBJECT SOMEWHERE IN THE ISSUE. WOULD YOU BE ABLE TO HELP ME FIND IT? I HAVE A CLUE OF WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE HERE.
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r e d n o W d l r o W
the globe there are magnificent things Our world is pretty awesome! All around jet and travel the world with us! to see. So jump in our imaginary jumbo
Leaning Tower of Pisa This wobbly-looking tower is one of the most famous sights in Italy. If you visit, you’ll see lots of people trying to get a photo that makes it look as if they’re holding the tower up! The tower wasn’t meant to look wonky – it was meant to be straight. The first three levels of the bell tower were built, but then construction was halted for many years because of a war. Around this time, it was discovered that the foundations of the building had been built on soft ground – this meant that one side of the tower sank a bit. As more layers were added to the tower, architects tried to fix the problem but it continued to lean! Thankfully, work has been done on the tower to stabilise it and keep it standing for many years to come!
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What do you call a rabbit with fleas? Bugs Bunny!
When is the Moon at its heaviest? When it’s full!
Crossword Clues
by Neil Locker
Crossword Clues across:
1 Farm animal. 3 Large body of water such as Windermere, for example. 6 Muslim religion. 7 Almond, for example. 8 Young male horse. 10 Information, or facts and figures. 12 Centre of the solar system. 13 Incorrect. 15 Cut with scissors. 16 Road-surfacing material.
down:
1 Monarch’s daughter. 2 Hair-fixing product. 3 Young sheep. 4 African country whose capital is Nairobi. 5 Person you don’t know. 9 Cloth used for bedding and tablecloths. 11 Exchange. 14 Cereal grass.
Answer 8
on Page
s
2
He he, he he!
Ho ho, ha ha, he he!
Why did the golfer wear two pairs of trousers? In case they got a hole in one!
What do you call a wolf with a carrot in each ear? Anything you want, it can’t hear you!
How do billboards talk? They use sign language!
Where does Porky Pig keep his money? In a piggy bank!
What time do ducks wake up? At the quack of dawn!
What do you call a lost wolf? A where-wolf!
What is Tweety Pie’s favourite thing to do online? Tweet!
H e h e, he he!
H o h o, h a h a, h e h e!
tem tery i s y m glass ify the Ident magnifying in the
Correctly fill in the words that s to link the left and right-hand column s. reveal a new word in the pink square Clue: Type of bread.
ball PICNIC port open kick own sight bull’s head house coyote vs acme WORDSEARCH 1
2
Linkword 3
4
5
by Neil Locker
Find the ‘Coyote vs Acme’-related words in the grid
WILE E. COYOTE KEVIN AVERY q k y r e v a n i v e k acme anvil buddy crane wi ad nc ov ui rl ti ce ka bs te rt paige sal maltes lawsuit el ff tj gi kl cp mj dg hu ug we ne e y i p a t bill dottie daffy duck c d u y m y od uj df bs te un o u s k c z t x l u y r ro ad se ca ru nner y c w r n v t l w n p d court o k a o p a bugs bunny tweety pie t n l p s b ei gt ue ny ei oa e s a l m a l t e s d r porky pig judge
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N O I T I T E P COM V
incent Van Gogh was a famous artist, Mary Seacole was a brilliant nurse and Neil Armstrong was an amazing astronaut. In fact, he was the first person to walk on the Moon! Vincent, Mary and Neil show that some people in history were so fantastic that it’s absolutely impossible to forget about them. In this week’s competition, we’re celebrating six Goo Jitzu warriors who were so brilliant and super stretchy that no one’s been able to forget about them too. These legendary figures are being brought back for Goo Jitzu fans, but with an exciting new twist – they’re hidden inside Surprise Eggs! These eggs are delightfully squishy and stretchy, and you’ll have to crack them open to discover which awesome Goo Jitzu hero is now yours to play with! For the opportunity to win your own Goo Jitzu Mystery Surprise Egg, answer the question below and email your full name, age, address and answer to kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk. Remember to put ‘Goo Jitzu Competition’ in the subject box. Your entry needs to reach us by Friday 18 September when the winners will be chosen. You can also enter by filling in the details on the coupon below and posting it to: Goo Jitzu Competition, Kids Alive! 1 Champion Park, London SE5 8FJ.
WIN!
Who was the first person to walk on the Moon? Vincent Van Gogh
Neil Armstrong
Mary Seacole
Name: Address: ____________ Postcode:
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Age:
_
Remember, the best way to enter is to email your entry to kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk 14/08/2026 11:27
DESIGN A CARTOON CHARACTER For longer than you (or any of the Kids Alive! team) have been alive, amazing artists have designed awesome cartoon characters, such as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Wile E. Coyote! In fact, Wile E. Coyote first appeared in a Looney Tunes cartoon all the way back in 1949. To celebrate the return of such a historic cartoon character to the big screen, why not design your own fantastic cartoon character in the space below? If you’d like to share your artwork with other readers, email your design to: kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk. Make sure you write ‘Design a Cartoon Character’ in the subject box and give us your full name, age and address. Alternatively, you can post your design to: Your Space, Kids Alive! 1 Champion Park, London SE5 8FJ. One last reminder, if you’re sending by post remember to fill in the details below so we know who you are. We send a gift to everyone whose design we publish, so don’t miss out!
Name:
Age:
Address: Postcode: Go to salvationist.org.uk/kidsalive to download a printable PDF of this page KA - p11 - 22 August.indd 1
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lifestyle, and caring ve ti ac d an y th al he a Living tual well-being iri sp d an l ta en m , al ic ys for your ph
The Ultimate UK and Ireland Guide From stunning landmarks to delicious dinners, there are so many fantastic reasons why the UK and Ireland are such spectacular places to call home! To celebrate England, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, we’ve put together the ultimate guide to these five countries. Why not join us as we discover just a few of the reasons why we believe that the UK and Ireland are absolutely brilliant?
In this week’s guide to the UK and Ireland, we’ll be learning some…
Fab Facts It’s time to discover a few excellent (and slightly random) facts about the UK and Ireland to stun your friends and family with!
England Bonjour!
Around 30 per cent of English words are based on French words! That’s because the Normans from France once conquered England. After their invasion, the main language used by royalty in England from 1066 until the 14th century was actually French!
Ridiculous Race There are lots of hilarious competitions in England – and one of the funniest is a cheeserolling contest in Gloucestershire! Participants race down a steep hill after a wheel of Double Gloucester cheese. The first person to reach the bottom of the hill is the winner!
Ireland Wonderful Wallabies Wallabies are animals that are closely related to kangaroos. They live in Australia, Tasmania, New Guinea … and Ireland! These spectacular animals were brought to Lambay Island in the 1950s, and it’s now believed that there are at least 60 wallabies living there.
The Longest Name 12
If you were to take a trip to County Galway, then you might spend some time in the town with the longest place name in Ireland. Take a deep breath before you try reading this one out loud – it’s called Muckanaghederdauhaulia! It means ‘pig-marsh between two salt-waters’.
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Northern Ireland Penalty Kicks Penalty kicks were invented in Northern Ireland! Between 1890 and 1891, a (fairly terrible) goalkeeper called William McCrum came up with the concept of penalties after seeing that lots of footballers weren’t playing very fairly. So penalties were added to the football rule book on 2 June 1891!
Superb Scones How tasty do you think scones are (and do you think the word ‘scone’ rhymes with cone or gone)? The bakers working at Neill’s Flour in Belfast must think that scones are absolutely delicious, because in 2017 – with the help of Patton’s Bakery, some catering students and a celebrity chef – they created the world’s largest ever scone. It weighed 141.8 kilograms!
Scotland
Castle Rock
Edinburgh Castle was built on top of a hill called Castle Rock around 900 years ago. However, Castle Rock isn’t actually a hill – it’s an extinct volcano! This means that it’s a volcano that hasn’t erupted for a very long time, and isn’t expected to erupt again.
A National Symbol What would you guess the national animal of Scotland is? If you’re thinking it might be a unicorn, then you’re absolutely right! Unicorns first served as a symbol for Scotland all the way back in the 12th century. Even nowadays, unicorns are celebrated in Scotland on 9 April – which is National Unicorn Day!
Wales
Spectacular Sheep
There are more sheep living in Wales than there are people! A census in 2016 discovered that there are 3 million people in Wales – as well as 10 million sheep! This means that for every one person who lives in Wales, there are three sheep.
Mount Everest Before you think we’ve gone bananas, we’re not about to tell you that Mount Everest is in Wales! However, this famous mountain got its name from a Welsh surveyor called Sir George Everest. Because George was one of the first people to map the mountain, it was named after him!
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l a i c e p S s g n i r u o l o C Cool We have re ceived so many amazing c olourings fr om our reade rs that we ’ve been stru ggling to fit them into Your Space. So he are two p ukka page re s full of some o f our favo urites! Keep them coming everyone – they’re th , e best!
Tomas, aged 13, has used his creative skills to remind us all how important sun safety is – great work!
esome This aw Creation Care for g was Colourin Emily, sent by It’s so aged 9. l! beautifu
ke Doris li s k o lo It h a fun had suc ring u time colo brate ele this to c rt Day! A ld r o W
Look at this fab Cheerleading Colouring from Juliet, aged 7. We really love the little friends she’s added – adorable!
Abigail, aged 8, is clearly a turtley awesome artist – look at her fab World Turtle Day Colouring!
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Éirinn and Ottilie, both aged 7, sent us these delightful toy designs e together! We think all th toys look great – what’s your favourite?
Diwa, aged 5, has given their cheerleader some ace red pom poms!
this fab t a k o o L circus and fun g from colourin ged ,a George cool? it 12. Isn’t
This colouring from Ryan, aged 11, is on fire! We’re sure any firefighters would agree too!
Ruby, aged 9, has also sent a brilliantly bold circus colouring. Those big top tents look amazing!
super Another n for ratio shell-eb ndiswa, a Y ! s le t tur , has aged 11 to us inspired more find out l ese coo h t t u o b a s! creature
G et I n To u c h !
The Kids Alive! team loves to hear from its readers. And guess what – other readers love reading your news! So why not get in touch? You can email or post your own colourings, drawings and letters. Or you could ask your Sunday school, church or corps leaders to email us or write to us with any news about the fun stuff you’ve been doing at your church or corps. Email: kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk Post: Kids Alive! 1 Champion Park, London SE5 8FJ
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I’M GETTING RID OF ALL THE LETTER BS FROM THE SHIP, PATCH.
WHAT ARE YOU DOING, PIRATE?
I OVERHEARD CAP’N PETE SAY THAT HE DOESN’T LIKE SUMMER.
WHY DO YOU THINK THAT IS?
I DIDN’T QUITE CATCH IT PROPERLY, BUT HE SAID SOMETHING ABOUT NOT LIKING BS, WHICH IS WHY I’M GETTING RID OF THEM.
NOT BS, YOU SILLY SAILOR BEES! IT’S BEES I DON’T LIKE!
OOPS!
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Published by The Salvation Army. © The Salvation Army United Kingdom and Ireland Territory, 2026. Printed by CKN Print, Northampton.
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Please Recycle Me! 14/08/2026 12:00