Puzzle Answers
6 Bramble. 10 Human. 11 Beef. 12 Knot. 15 Moo.
DOWN: 1 Shop. 2 Cat. 4 Horse. 5 Pope.
9 Chimney. 13 Elm. 14 Lemon. 16 Fang. 17 Coat.
ACROSS: 1 Sock. 3 Ship. 7 Otter. 8 Rip.
SUPER SUM!: 2 x 8 + 14 – 3 ÷ 9 = 3. CROSSWORD
SUDOKU:
BIG MYSTERY: Cat collar.
GIGGLE IN THE MIDDLE
PATCH’S PROBLEM: Page 12.
When they heard this noise, a crowd came together. They were all surprised, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. (Acts 2:6, International Children’s Bible.)
TIME TO TRANSLATE
3 Charlie the Wonderdog and Ed’s Bit 4–5 KA! JAM 6 Proverbially Speaking 7 World Wonder 8–9 Giggle in the Middle 10 Toy Story Jada Metalfigs Competition 11 Colouring Corner 12–13 KA! World 14–15 Your Space
16 Patch’s Pals Olive Forruthers 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.
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. Subscribe* to for £4.33 a month
*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 DESIGNER Philippa Elliott
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 Julian Watchorn Published weekly by The Salvation Army United Kingdom and Ireland Territory. 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.
Charlie the Wonderdog in cinemas now
Which animal do you think would be the hardest to keep as a pet? You’d need an enormous fish tank to look after a blue whale, and you probably wouldn’t want to keep a ferocious lion in your bedroom. In a film called Charlie the Wonderdog, a boy called Daniel discovers that he might just have a pet that’s even trickier to care for than a giant whale or wild cat – a superpowered dog called Charlie! Charlie used to be an ordinary dog, until he was captured by aliens. Now Charlie has powers that even Superman would be jealous of! Even though Daniel wants Charlie to keep his new abilities a secret, Charlie just can’t stop himself from saving the day. Whether it’s rescuing a bus from a sinkhole or catching a falling plane, Charlie’s always ready to be a hero. He’s even got his own superhero name – Wonderdog! Daniel can’t keep Charlie out of trouble – and there’s some serious danger coming his way! A superpowered cat called Puddy is jealous of Charlie’s success, and he’s decided he wants to take over the world with an army of felines. Now Charlie and Danny will need to work together to save the day! Does Charlie have what it takes to be the best hero the world’s ever seen? Watch Charlie the Wonderdog to find out!
You can watch ‘Charlie the Wonderdog’ in cinemas 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.
Charlie the Wonderdog can do amazing things. He’s strong, brave and fast, and he loves to help people. However, before getting his super powers, he was just an ordinary dog. This weekend, Christians will be celebrating Pentecost (find out more on pages 4 and 5). This is a day to celebrate when Jesus’ followers received a powerful gift from God – the Holy Spirit. After Jesus went back to Heaven, his disciples were nervous and unsure, but once they had the Holy Spirit, they suddenly knew what to do and were full of the courage needed to tell the world about Jesus. The disciples didn’t look like superheroes – they were just ordinary people. However, with God’s powerful gift they changed the world! If the Holy Spirit can do that for the disciples, just think about what he can do for you too. It won’t be lifting cars or flying, but it can still be something extraordinary!
Guten Tag!
My girlfriend is a German teacher, so she sometimes talks to me in German. She’s absolutely amazing at it – or, at least, I think she is, because I can’t understand a word she’s saying! That’s because I can only speak English!
In this week’s Bible cartoon, a crowd gathered to listen to Jesus’ followers as they talked about how wonderful God is. The listening crowd was full of people from all around the world, and they spoke different languages to one another. So most of the crowd shouldn’t have had a clue what the disciples were talking about!
However, every person was able to understand exactly what Jesus’ followers were saying! That’s not because Jesus’ followers were fab at learning new languages – it’s because the disciples had been filled with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit, who is God, was now living inside them, and he was using them to do something spectacular!
This week’s cartoon really does show us that thanks to the Holy Spirit, God can use us to do brilliant things! If you’re a Christian, then the Bible says that you will have the Holy Spirit – that’s a promise! It also tells us that the Holy Spirit is a gift from God, because he gives us the power to do things we might not have been able to do before. That doesn’t mean that you’ll suddenly be able to speak German, but it does mean that you can trust that God will help you when you tell your friends about him!
Time to Translate says Jacob Adams
Read the comment on the left about how we can trust that God will help us
We’ve accidentally written a verse from this week’s Bible story in German. Find the verse in English and write it in the space below, so that you can understand what it’s saying. Then take some time to try to read the German version out loud, and to think about how fab it is that people from all around the world can learn about Jesus! Hint – check out Acts 2:6!
‘Als
nun jenes mächtige Brausen vom Himmel einsetzte, strömten sie in Scharen zusammen. Sie waren zutiefst verwirrt, denn jeder hörte die Apostel und die, die bei ihnen waren, in seiner eigenen Sprache reden.’ (NeueGenferÜbersetzung)
Check out your Bible –Acts 2:1-15
Pentecost Part One
Proverbially Speaking top tips from proverbs
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.
There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death. Proverbs 14:12 (New International Version) Top Tip 3
Join...
Action!
This week, as you make decisions about your school, friends, hobbies or anything else, why not ask your parents or carers for their advice? And in your prayer time, ask Jesus to help you make the right choices.
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.
Name:
Address:
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.
Date of birth:
Postcode:
Boy or girl: Do you attend a church, and if so, which one? apply for membership of Kids
I, (signature)
PLEASE USE
Tongue Twisters
See if you can say this terrifically tough tongue twister 10 times!
Chilly
chipper children cheerfully chant
? ? ? ? ?
Patch’s Problem... ?
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.
World Wonder
Our world is pretty awesome! All around the globe there are magnificent things to see. So jump in our imaginary jumbo jet and travel the world with us!
Golden Gate Bridge
In San Francisco Bay there’s one of the most spectacular bridges ever built. The Golden Gate was opened on 27 May 1937, but the journey to that day was a difficult one. The bridge was once called ‘the bridge that couldn’t be built’ because of the 10-year planning stage and then 4 years of construction, as workers struggled against winds, fog, rocks and treacherous tides. Tragically, 11 workers died during construction, but 19 lives were saved by a safety net underneath the bridge. This amazing landmark is painted in ‘International Orange’ so that it’s more visible in the fog for passing ships. The bridge is also a super slimmer! The Golden Gate Bridge lost 12,300 tonnes of weight in the 1980s when the road deck was replaced with lighter material.
Ha ha, ha ha, ha ha!
Identify the mystery item in the magnifying glass
He he, he he!
Why are cats afraid of trees?
Because of their bark!
What do you call a floating dog? A good buoy!
What did the dog say when it sat on sandpaper? ‘Ruff!’
What do you call it when a cat wins a dog beauty contest? A cat-has-trophy!
Complete the grid so that every column, row and colour-grouped box contain the numbers 1–6
He he, he he! ÷- ÷ X ÷ + + X ÷ ÷ + - SUPER SUM! X
by Neil Locker
Why do cats like to lie on computers?
To keep an eye on the mouse!
What happens when it rains cats and dogs?
You might step into a poodle!
Replace the question marks with an add, subtract, divide or multiply symbol to complete the sum + 2 ? 8 ? 14 ÷ ? 3 ? = 3
9
Ho ho, ha ha, he he!
Ho ho, ha ha, he he!
Ho ho, ho ho!
Hoho,haha,hehe!
Hehe,hehe!
What dog loves to take bubble baths? A shampoodle!
What’s a cat’s favourite colour? Purrple!
Why don’t dogs make good dancers? Because they have two left feet!
Why can’t you tell a dog a knock, knock joke?
Because every time they hear knocking, they won’t stop barking!
by Neil Locker
across:
1 Clothing item worn on your foot. 3 Large boat. 7 Riverside mammal. 8 Tear. 9 Fireplace’s smoke outlet. 13 Deciduous type of tree. 14 Yellow citrus fruit. 16 Tooth of a snake, for example. 17 Outer garment or layer of paint.
down:
1 Retail store. 2 Feline animal. 4 Equine mammal.
5 Head of the Roman Catholic Church. 6 Blackberry plant. 10 Person, a _ _ _ _ _ being. 11 Meat from cattle. 12 Tangle in a piece of string, for example. 15 Sound made by cow.
Find the ‘Charlie the Wonderdog’-related words in the grid
charlie danny sam judge gruff madison president rose jacob alien prince slinky puddy emma otis kitten superpowers
alien queen
What if every toy in the world is secretly alive?
Toy Story COMPETITION
That’s exactly what a film called Toy Story is all about. Toy Story came out in 1995 (which means that it might be older than your parents or carers) – but we have some exciting news for you! Toy Story 5 comes out next month, with another fab adventure for everyone’s favourite toys –Woody and Buzz Lightyear!
The only thing that could be more exciting than watching Toy Story 5 is having your own Woody and Buzz figures at home – and that’s exactly what this week’s competition offers! Winners of this competition will receive their own Toy Story 2.5 Inch Metalfigs pack from Jada. This pack contains four figurines made of metal, all based on some of Toy Story’s most iconic characters, and they’re small enough that you could take them anywhere with you. You can even tuck them into your pocket when you go to watch Toy Story 5
For the opportunity to win your own Toy Story pack, answer the question below and email your full name, age, address and answer to kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk
Remember to put ‘Toy Story Jada Metalfigs Competition’ in the subject box. Your entry needs to reach us by Friday 19 June when the winners will be chosen. You can also enter by filling in the details on the coupon below and posting it to: Toy Story Jada Metalfigs Competition, Kids Alive! 1 Champion Park, London SE5 8FJ.
Name:
Address:
Which of the following is a character from Toy
Story ?
Woody Mulan Elsa
WORLD TURTLE DAY COLOURING
Are you ready for this week’s turtle-ly awesome colouring? It’s World Turtle Day today (23 May), which is a day all about shell-ebrating some of the world’s coolest animals – turtles and tortoises! This is a fab opportunity to learn more about these magnificent reptiles and to discover how we can protect them from any threats. To join in with the shell-ebrations, add a splash of colour to the design below. If you’d like to share your artwork with other readers, email your colouring to: kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk. Make sure you write ‘World Turtle Day Colouring’ in the subject box and give us your full name, age and address. Alternatively, you can post your colouring 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 colouring we publish, so don’t miss out!
Name:
Address:
Postcode:
Living a healthy and active lifestyle, and caring for your physical, mental and spiritual
well-being
The Holy Spirit Now God’s Power
If you’ve already read this week’s Bible cartoon, then you’ll have seen how Jesus’ followers were filled with the Holy Spirit, who is God himself. However, the Holy Spirit isn’t just a gift that was given to Christians 2,000 years ago – he’s been working in the lives of Christians ever since!
Imagine what would happen if someone tried to be a superhero without having any actual powers! It would be impossible – a superhero needs to have X-ray vision, the ability to fly or another spectacular skill!
In the same way, Christians can’t do amazing things without the Holy Spirit. Many Christians have served God throughout history, but they’ve only been able to do this because the Holy Spirit has helped them.
Holy Spirit Stories
We’re about to take a look at three stories of very inspiring Christians, but what these stories really show us is how amazing the Holy Spirit is! The Holy Spirit worked in the lives of these Christians – and because of him, some truly amazing things were achieved.
Corrie ten Boom
One of the most amazing things that the Holy Spirit can do is to transform a Christian’s heart so that it’s more like Jesus. This means that God might make a Christian more loving than they were before!
The story of Corrie ten Boom is a great example of this. Corrie was unfairly captured by an evil group called the Nazis during the Second World War, and she was sent to a prison camp (also known as a concentration camp).
After the war, Corrie met with a prison guard who had treated her terribly. This guard had become a Christian, and he asked Corrie to forgive him for what he’d done. Even though Corrie was still really upset, she was able to forgive him – because the Holy Spirit had changed her to make her more like Jesus!
Brother Andrew
Andy van der Bijl (who’s also known as Brother Andrew) wanted to share the good news of Jesus in countries where being a Christian was against
In 1953, Andy began to study the Bible at WEC Glasgow Bible College. It was while he was at this college that he felt God calling him to bring Bibles to people living in places where it was almost impossible to get one.
With courage that only the Holy Spirit could give him, Andy sneaked Bibles into countries by hiding them in his luggage. It was a risky move, and it could have got Andy into lots of trouble –but the Holy Spirit worked through him and helped to keep him safe!
FREE BIBLE?
James and Angus
Brother Andrew isn’t the only person who’s given out lots of free Bibles. In 2024, two teenagers called James and Angus were inspired to give out Bibles in London after seeing a social media post.
They bought 100 Bibles and made a sign that said, ‘Free Bible?’ Then they went to Trafalgar Square. The pals were terrified, but they knew that the Holy Spirit had given them this mission for a reason. Soon they found themselves handing out lots and lots of Bibles.
So James and Angus came back the next week with more Bibles, and the week after that! They ended up giving away more than 4,000 Bibles. James and Angus had the Holy Spirit to thank. Although they were scared, the Holy Spirit was with them and gave them the words to say!
Your Turn
The Holy Spirit worked in the lives of Corrie, Brother Andrew, James and Angus. He can work in your life too! Why not tell your friends about Jesus, or pray to God to ask him what amazing things he might like you to do for him?
The Holy Spirit is still working in 2026!
Cool Colourings
Emily, aged 6, has done a beautiful job creating this World Book Day Colouring!
Sophie, aged 6
Ella, aged 10, sent us this fab colouring for World Book Day. We love all the colourful books to choose from!
Adam, aged 7, has used such bright and bold colours for his World Book Day Colouring! Sophie’s super sock design was done to celebrate World Down Syndrome Day and she’s done an incredible job! You’ve got so much creative talent, Sophie!
Aronas, aged 6, sent in this fab ColouringLanguages to celebrate all the cool languages in our world!
How amazing does this Bird Colouring look? It’s from Daniel, aged 11 – look at those super stunning wings!
New Junior Soldiers
A junior soldier is a young member of The Salvation Army Elsie, Freya, Harry, Maddy, Mae, Olivia, Gloucester; Aurelia, Isabella, Pollyanna, Stockton.
H a p p y
B i r t h d a y
t o y o u !
To see your name and birthday printed in a future issue of KA! email your full name and date of birth to kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk
24 May
Emelie Alves – age 11
25 May
Esme McGlynn – age 10
27 May
Jonah Stephen Oldham-Wilding – age 11
29 May
Orla Dunn – age 13
G e t I
T o 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?
Esther
Age? 11.
Favourite colour? Indigo.
Favourite food? Pizza.
Favourite sport? Swimming.
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
Favourite bit of Kids Alive!? Reader profile.
Favourite Bible story and why? Ruth, because she was faithful to Naomi.
Favourite TV programme? The Adventures of Tintin
What do you want to be when you’re older? A librarian.
Pets? None, but when I’m older I would like a cat.
Hobbies? Collecting perfume bottles – I have 120!
Tell us a joke. A woman knocked on my door and asked for a small donation to a local swimming pool … so I gave her a glass of water!
What special skill or talent do you have? I learnt how to carve stone.
Tell us something interesting about yourself. I go to Girls’ Brigade and it’s great!
Is there anything else you would like to tell us? I collect Jacqueline Wilson books (I have 62). I started collecting Michael Morpurgo books this year too.
I’m pleased that you’ve chosen to do the iNventing badge, Olive.
How are you getting on with it?
Brilliantly, brown owl.
I’ve invented a glue which doesn’t get stuck to your fingers when you’re sticking things down. it does have just one downside, though.
you’re a genius, olive! No more sticky fingers. it doesn’t stick to anything else either!
what’s that?
