Issuu

Skydance

Puzzle Answers

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. 3 Swapped and Ed’s Bit

KA! JAM 6 Bumper Bible Breakdown

Kiddo 8–9 Giggle in the Middle 10 A Mermaid’s Diary Competition

Colouring Corner 12-13 KA! World 14–15 Your Space 16 Patch’s Pals Naughty Norman

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.

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EDITOR Cara Mott

DEPUTY EDITOR AND KA! JAM CO-ORDINATOR Ibukun Baku

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Jacob Adams

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Philippa Elliott

PROOFREADER Chris Horne

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.

llie’s a little pookoo that’s full of curiosity! Unfortunately, pookoos aren’t meant to be curious, because it’s a dangerous world outside Pookoo Island and the pookoo motto is, ‘hide today, alive tomorrow!’

The pookoos used to live with the other creatures in the valley, but this was destroyed when a firewolf attacked the magical dzo trees, forcing them to leave. Now the animals live in fear of each other and trust nobody.

When little Ollie sees a small javan bird struggling to eat a piplet, he shows the bird how to eat it, but his kindness brings trouble for the pookoos. Soon their island is full of javan birds, and they eat all the piplets, leaving none for the pookoos to survive on!

While searching for a way to save his family, Ollie is changed into a javan bird, whilst a javan bird called Ivy becomes a pookoo! The two creatures must work together as they go on a wild adventure to put things right. They’ll need to put aside their differences and trust each other to become the heroes that the valley needs!

Check out ‘Swapped’ on Netflix 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.

I love that Ollie wants to help other creatures, even though his family are scared and just want to look after themselves. Many people in our world just want to look after themselves, rather than helping others. Some of them might do that because they’re scared and just want to protect the people they care about. However, like Ollie discovers in Swapped, this isn’t the best way to live. When the pookoos work with the other animals, the valley they live in thrives. Wouldn’t it be amazing if our world was like that? Everyone looking after each other and having enough – like God wants it to be. It might seem like an impossible task if others aren’t doing the same, but that didn’t stop Ollie and it shouldn’t stop us either. If we do our best to show kindness to everyone, hopefully others will be inspired to do so too!

Skydance

Spread the News!

What’s the most amazing news you’ve ever heard? A few years ago, I got a special message from my sister. She told me that she’d just given birth to an adorable baby called Riley! I was so excited by this news that I wanted to share it with others. I told my friends that I was an uncle, and then I showed them a picture of the cutest baby in the whole world!

This week’s Bible cartoon tells us that Jesus was getting ready to return to Heaven. However, he knew that before he left, he needed to remind his followers that they had the most spectacular news to share! Are you wondering what the news was? Well, it was that Jesus had died and come back to life. So now people from around the whole

Read the comment below about a special mission Jesus gave us

by Jacob Adams

world could follow Jesus and join God’s family!

Since this was the best news ever, Jesus gave the disciples the mission of spreading it. This task had a name – the Great Commission. However, this wasn’t just a mission for the disciples – it’s also a mission for us! We should share the good news of Jesus with everyone around us, so that all our friends and family know that they can join God’s family too.

That might sound like a scary task, but we don’t need to be frightened! Jesus told his disciples that even though he was going to Heaven, God would always be with them. The same is true for us! If we follow Jesus, then we can trust that God is with us and always helping us.

Time to Share

Who can you share the brilliant news of Jesus with in your own life? Write or draw some of the people you can tell about Jesus in the space below.

The Great Commission

Bumper Bible Breakdown

We’ve made it to the end of our Bumper Bible Breakdown series (which began all the way back in the 2 March 2024 issue of Kids Alive!). To celebrate, let’s take another look at the big story of the Bible, as we discover why God made the world, what went wrong, and how Jesus saved us!

The Big Picture, Part 2

Hundreds of years after King David died, a baby was born in his hometown – and this baby would grow up to save the world! This baby was called Jesus and he was actually God! Jesus lived the perfect life, and then he died on a cross to take the punishment we deserve for all the wrong things we do.

But Jesus didn’t stay dead! He came back to life, and he gave his many followers an important mission – to tell others about him. Then Jesus went to Heaven, and his pals got to work.

Some of Jesus’ followers, such as Peter and Paul, travelled all over the place to tell people about Jesus.

Plus, many of Jesus’ friends, now known as Christians, wrote letters to encourage one another to keep following Jesus. For those of us that are in God’s family, we have Jesus to thank for that. And we will get to thank him, because one day, we’ll live with him!

Join...

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:

Address:

Date of birth:

Postcode:

Boy or girl: Do you attend a church, and if so, which one?

I, (signature)

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!

PLEASE USE BLOCK CAPITALS.

When I Grow Up

What do you want to be when you grow up? To help you learn about a job that you might be interested in, we’ve asked a grown-up to tell us all about what they do for work. It’s time to meet a…

Patch’s

Problem...?

? ? ? ? ? ?

Graphic Designer

I’m Joseph and I work for The Salvation Army as a designer. That means I use my imagination to work out the best way to tell stories and share ideas through images and text. I make things such as posters, leaflets, banners and booklets for The Salvation Army all around the UK. I’ve even designed some pages for Kids Alive!

On a normal day, I check my emails for new design projects. Sometimes I have meetings with people to talk about ideas. I might be asked to design a leaflet to tell people how they can get help, or a booklet for an event. Once I know the project, I start thinking of ideas! I sketch with pencil and paper, before moving on to the computer, where I use software to make artwork that can be printed or displayed online. If I get stuck, I might go for a walk to get inspiration!

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.

The best thing about my job is using the creativity and skills that God has given me. He created us to be interested in different things, so I’m glad that I use my interests for work. It’s exciting to doodle and dream for my job!

If you want to be a designer, you can start now! Draw, paint, take photos and make things. You don’t need special software – why not make a poster for a family event or a leaflet telling people about your church? You’ll get better the more you do it. The most important thing is to have fun and don’t stop dreaming!

s wa p p e d WO R D S E A R C H

Find the ‘Swapped’-related words in the grid

ivy Ollie boogle lily calli caloo violet majestic bird wolves teamwork body swap woodland animals

the valley waterfall

ha, ha ha, ha ha!

sworn enemies

What do you call a supportive bird?

A youcan! Why did the toucan stop using his phone? He got a large bill!

What do you call an otter that just got glasses?

A see otter!

Why are owls so bad at using computers?

They keep eating the mouse!

What do you call a wolf you can’t find? A where-wolf!

I was born in 1987 in Santa Ana, California.

I’m an actor, producer and director. I have acted in many TV shows and films. This includes playing the role of Johnny Storm, the Human Torch, in Marvel’s Fantastic Four.

I also played the role of the villain, Erik Killmonger, in another Marvel film, Black Panther.

I’m a part-owner of AFC Bournemouth football club.

In March 2026, I won the Oscar for best actor. Can you guess who I am?

by Neil Locker

across:

1 Chart in an atlas. 3 Rain heavily, or serve a drink. 6 Reef-forming marine creature. 7 Mediterranean, for example. 8 Organs of hearing.

10 Remain. 12 Folk tale character with pointy ears. 13 Desert plants. 15 Thaw. 16 Traffic light colour.

down:

1 Edible sea fish. 2 Standard golf score. 3 Horseback game or sweet with a hole in the middle. 4 Make someone unhappy or worried.

5 Red garden insect with black spots. 9 Search through someone’s belongings. 11 Person from Aberdeen, for example. 14 Motor vehicle.

The answers to the clues are made up using all the letters from the list of words below. The three highlighted letters have already been placed in the grid to help you. Solve the clues and use up all the remaining letters. 1 2 3 2 3

across:

1 Passenger vehicle

2 Act of joining together

3 Bright, summery weather down:

1 Playing card suit

2 In science fiction stories, an extraterrestrial

3 Name of eight kings of England

by Neil Locker

A MERMAID’S DIARY COMPETITION

Have you got your own diary? A diary is a book in which you can write about everything that’s going on in your life. Many people have written diaries, but this week’s prize is a diary that’s probably unlike any you’ll have ever encountered before. That’s because this diary seems as if it’s been written by a mermaid called Atalanta Scrimshaw!

In A Mermaid’s Diary (which is actually written by a bestselling, award-winning author called Chris Riddell), Atalanta records lots of amazing adventures that she goes on with her friends. She writes about collecting messages in bottles, riding seahorses and even going for walks on the beach! However, when Atalanta discovers that her home is going to be destroyed, she’ll need all of her pals to help her to save the day!

For the opportunity to win your own copy of A Mermaid’s Diary, answer the question below and email your full name, age, address and answer to kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk

Remember to put ‘A Mermaid’s Diary Competition’ in the subject box. Your entry needs to reach us by Friday 29 May when the winners will be chosen. You can also enter by filling in the details on the coupon below and posting it to: A Mermaid’s Diary Competition, Kids Alive! 1 Champion Park, London SE5 8FJ.

Which sea creature does Atalanta ride?

Name:

Seahorse Starfish Shark

Address: Postcode:

FIREFIGHTERS COLOURING

On 4 May, it’s International Firefighters’ Day. At midday, many firefighters will stop to remember the bravery of firefighters who have lost their lives across the world. We think firefighters do an amazing job to keep us safe, so as a thank you, why not add a splash of colour to the design below? You could even drop off your colouring to your local fire station and tell them you appreciate what they do! If you’d like to share your artwork with other readers, email your colouring to: kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk Make sure you write ‘Firefighters 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

World Laughter Day

What’s the last thing that made you laugh? If you’ve checked out this week’s Giggle in the Middle, then perhaps a couple of the jokes on those pages made you … well, giggle! Or maybe you watched a hilarious film this morning which had you crying with laughter. Perhaps a school pal said something so funny you couldn’t stop yourself from chuckling!

Celebrate Laughter

Laughter really is brilliant, isn’t it? In fact, it’s something that people all around the world have in common. There are so many different cultures and languages, but every person can laugh! Even babies can laugh, way before they’ve learnt how to speak.

Laughter deserves to be celebrated. That’s why lots of people from all over the planet will be taking part in World Laughter Day tomorrow (3 May). In more than 100 countries, friends will get together to make one another laugh. Plus, people will take the time to learn about how amazing laughter can be for them!

Brilliant Benefits

There are actually loads of benefits to laughing. When someone feels stressed, it’s been proven that laughing can help that person to relax. In fact, even when someone knows they’re about to see something funny, that can help to make them feel less stressed!

Laughter also releases chemicals in our bodies, which can help someone to feel better if they’re poorly – it can even make an injury less painful! So if you take part in World Laughter Day, it might actually be good for your health.

Plus, laughter is a fantastic way of helping us to connect with others. When you joke around with a friend, it can help you to feel closer to them!

Your Turn

Here are some suggestions for how you could celebrate World Laughter Day…

Meet up with your friends and take it in turns to make one another laugh. Then decide who has the funniest laugh!

Put on a silly show for your parents or carers. See if you can get them to giggle!

Watch a film or television show that never fails to make you chuckle. Why not watch something with a friend, so that you can laugh together?

Write a joke book or draw a hilarious comic. As you’re creating your comedy masterpiece, you might laugh so hard that you can’t stop your pencil from wobbling all over the place!

If you’re feeling sad or you’re finding it tricky to laugh, try pretending to laugh instead! Research has shown that pretending to laugh often makes people laugh for real.

Giggle After the Middle

It wouldn’t be right for us to talk about World Laughter Day without telling a few jokes, would it? We hope you’re ready for a good chuckle!

What vegetable do sailors hate the most? Leeks!

What did one plate say to the other?

‘Dinner is on me!’

Why does it take pirates years to learn the alphabet?

Because they spend ages stuck at C!

Where do polar bears keep their money? In a snow bank!

What does a lemon say when it answers the phone?

‘Yellow!’

Why are mountains so funny? They’re just hill areas (hilarious)!

Last Laugh

Can you come up with a joke that will make your friends laugh so hard their sides hurt? Then send it to the Kids Alive! team at kidsalive@salvationarmy.org.uk, and we’ll print any joke that gives us the giggles!

Get ready to laugh yourself silly on World Laughter Day!

Creating a Buzz

School children joined The Salvation Army, Green Christian and Zero Hour when they visited the Houses of Parliament to call for a new law to care for creation. They carried a banner they’d made and handed in hundreds of handmade postcards decorated with thumbprint bee designs. These postcards were made by children at churches, community events and schools across the UK as part of Green Christian’s ‘Bee a Climate and Nature Champion’ campaign.

For more information about this campaign, check out greenchristian.org.uk/bee-a-climate-and-nature-champion

Cool Colourings

Gregory, aged 12

Here are three eggs-cellent Easter colourings from our readers!

Isla, aged 3

Maya, aged 4

New Junior Soldiers

A junior soldier is a young member of The Salvation Army Archie, Charlie, Rory, Tiara, Peterborough Citadel.

H a p p y 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

2 May

Lily Atkinson – age 13

5 May

Tayla Nivar Garcia – age 10

7 May

Freddie Stubbs – age 7

G e T o u

Look at all those hobbies Maewyn has! She must be so clever to do all of

The Kids Alive! 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.