ANIMALS

Why do you
think red
foxes pounce
in snow?

A fox can jump as high

as a grown-up’s head.

Red foxes hunt mice hiding under the

© MARK RAYCROFT / MINDEN PICTURES (1);
© ANDRÉ GILDEN / ALAMY (2); © DONALD

snow. With its big ears, the fox hears the

M. JONES / MINDEN PICTURES (3)

tiny mouse. Then it leaps up and dives

headfirst into the snow. Surprise, mouse!
2 JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2023
 SORTING

What Is Different?
Look at each picture in the top row.
Find the differences between it and the one below.
© IMAGE SOURCE / CORBIS (HATS); © APICHON_TEE / SHUTTERSTOCK
(BIRDS); © SERGEY GALUSHKO / ALAMY (SHELLS AND SEA STARS)

Find one Find two Find three

difference. differences. differences.
N AT I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C 3
 NATURE
That’s Cool!
Musk oxen
Meet the musk ox.
live where it is
very cold. Their
shaggy coats COAT
keep them
warm.

Musk oxen
© INGO ARNDT / MINDEN PICTURES (BIG PICTURE);
© JIM BRANDENBURG / MINDEN PICTURES (HOOF)

live in herds.
They help
protect each They use
other from their hooves
wolves. to dig for roots HOOF
and moss under
the snow.

4 JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2023

 TOP ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT): ALEXANDER BALUEV / SHUTTERSTOCK; © IMAGE SOURCE BLACK / JUPITERIMAGES; BRENT HOFACKER / SHUTTERSTOCK. MIDDLE ROW
(LEFT TO RIGHT): © LEW ROBERTSON / BRAND X / CORBIS; ANDERSEN ROSS PHOTOGRAPHY INC / DIGITALVISION / GETTY IMAGES; DAVE BRADLEY PHOTOGRAPHY /
GETTY IMAGES. BOTTOM ROW (LEFT TO RIGHT): GROVE PASHLEY / BRAND X PICTURES / JUPITERIMAGES; © GRAFICART.NET / ALAMY; © IMAGE100 / CORBIS.

—OW
—IZZA

—UPCAKE
NAMING

—RIENDS
—ANDLES

—APER CUP
—RESENT
—CE CREAM

—OISEMAKER

N AT I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C
Name some other things you see at a birthday party.

5
What in the World Are These?
ANIMALS

HOME IN THE

Snow leopards
live high in
the mountains.
Their home is
very snowy
and rocky.
6 JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2023
 SNOW

Long, thick fur

keeps the snow
leopard warm.
Furry feet keep
the paws toasty.

PAWS

© THOMAS MARENT / MINDEN PICTURES (BIG PICTURE, PAWS) N AT I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C 7

 Can you find two
snow leopards
in this photo?

A snow leopard’s
fur blends in
with the snow
and rocks. It
hides and waits.
With strong legs
and paws that grip
They
the rocks, it leaps hunt ibex,
blue sheep,
to catch its prey. and deer.

8 JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2023

 Snow
leopards
hiss, growl,
and purr.

After it eats, the snow leopard

finds a spot to sleep. It wraps
its long tail around its body
for a snuggly catnap.

The fur
on its belly
is as long as
your hand.

© SYLVAIN CORDIER / NPL / MINDEN PICTURES (TWO SNOW LEOPARDS); © WIM VAN DEN
HEEVER / NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY (LEAPING); WESTBURY / GETTY IMAGES (SLEEPING) N AT I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C 9
 IDENTIFYING

BEFORE
AND AFTER
BEFORE

KINGFISHER

TORTOISE

RED SQUIRREL
BOTTLENOSE
DOLPHIN

What happens
before you go outside
when it is cold?

© OLIVER WRIGHT / NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY (KINGFISHER, BOTH);

10 JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2023 © JANE BURTON / NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY (TURTLE, BOTH);
 Look at the pictures below. Some of them show
what happens before. Some of the pictures show
what happens after.
Draw a line with your finger from the before
picture to the after one.

AFTER

What happens
after you read a
bedtime story?

© DAVID PATTYN / NPL / MINDEN PICTURES (RED SQUIRREL, BOTH); © JOHN

MACPHERSON / 2020VISION / NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY (BOTTLENOSE DOLPHIN, BOTH) N AT I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C 11
 ANIMALS

GIA NT S
TH E S E A
OF

The whale shark

is the biggest fish in
the world. Everything
about it is giant!
12 JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2023
 This is a
shark, not
a whale.

Whales sharks can be as

long as four cars end to end.
The fin on its back is taller
than you.
© GARY BELL / OCEANWIDE / MINDEN PICTURES N AT I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C 13
Open up! The shark’s
mouth is wider than your
outstretched arms. For a
big fish, its
eyes are small—
about the size
MOUTH of Ping-Pong
balls.

EYE

Each whale shark has a different pattern

of spots and stripes on its back.

But the whale shark eats very small

food! The fish swallows the tiny
food whole—it does not bite it.
14 JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2023
 OTHER
SHARKS
BLUE SHARK
There are more than
530 kinds of sharks.
Here are a few.
GREAT WHITE
SHARK

FRILL SHARK

LEOPARD SHARK

© RICHARD HERRMANN / MINDEN

PICTURES (MOUTH); © REINHARD
DIRSCHERL / FLPA / MINDEN PICTURES
(WHALE WITH SPOTS); JOOST VAN
UFFELEN / GETTY IMAGES (BLUE SHARK);
AWASHIMA MARINE PARK / GETTY IMAGES
(FRILL SHARK); © FRANCO BANFI / BLUE
PLANET ARCHIVE (GREAT WHITE SHARK);
© ANDY MURCH / NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY
(LEOPARD SHARK)
 SORTING

WOW, VOWELS!
The letters A, E, I, O,
and U are special letters
called vowels.

Sing the names of the

animals that start with OSTRICH
the letter A.

Whisper the names of

the animals that start
with an E.
EEL
Make an O shape with
your fingers when you
see animals that start
with the letter O.

© JUERGEN & CHRISTINE SOHNS / MINDEN PICTURES (OSTRICH);

© ALEX MUSTARD / NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY (OCTOPUS); MOOSE HEN-
16 JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2023 DERSON / GETTY IMAGES (EAGLE); RUNDSTEDT B. ROVILLOS /
 EAGLE

OCTOPUS

ALLIGATOR

ANT

Can you find the other two

vowels inside these words?
(Hint: The other vowels are I and U.)

ORANGUTAN

ELEPHANT

GETTY IMAGES (ANT); NNEHRING / GETTY IMAGES (ALLIGATOR);

HUMBERTO RAMIREZ / GETTY IMAGES (EEL); © LISA HOFFNER / NATURE PICTURE
LIBRARY (ELEPHANT); © SUZI ESZTERHAS / MINDEN PICTURES (ORANGUTAN) N AT I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C 17
 NATURE
A KANGAROO
A kangaroo hops
instead of walks
to find food and
friends. A kangaroo
can hop as fast as
a car drives on a
street.
18 JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2023
Using its big feet
like a diving board,
the kangaroo leaps
up. It can jump
higher than three
kids standing on
top of each other.
© JUERGEN & CHRISTINE SOHNS / MINDEN PICTURES (ALL)
JUMPS
3 4

A kangaroo’s long, The kangaroo

thick tail helps lands on the
keep its balance in ground. It jumps
the air. The animal again and again to
can jump the find grass, leaves,
length of a school and flowers to eat.
bus in one hop. Boing! Boing!

N AT I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C 19
SCIENCE

WHERE DO
FISH GO WHEN
WATER FREEZES?
When it is very cold outside,
rivers, streams, and lakes
might form ice on the top of
the water. The water right
under the ice is too cold for
most fish to live there.
But the water at the bottom
of the lake or river is not as
cold. So the fish go there to
swim during the winter.
20 JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2023 STARKOV ROMAN / SHUTTERSTOCK
 How do
you get ready
for cold
weather?

ICE

FISH
 SORTING

HEARTS
AND STARS
Nature is full of many shapes. Trace the
star shapes with your finger. Pat your
heart when you see a heart shape.

SEA STAR

STONE

CACTUS

PAPAYA SEEDS
(Papaya is a fruit.)

22 JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2023

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Kids and Family, Magazines and Digital
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BIRDS PUBLISHED BY
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PARTNERS, LLC
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David Brindley

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NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC LITTLE KIDS,

Issue 96, January / February 2023
(ISSN 1934-8363), is published bimonthly by
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N AT I O N A L G E O G R A P H I C 23
wild cards

EUROPEAN WILDCAT

COPYRIGHT © 2022 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PARTNERS, LLC

 European
wildcat
FUN FACTs
Wildcats look a lot like pet
cats. However, they are wild—
just as lions and tigers are.

© PETER CAIRNS / NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY

wild cards

RED BIRD OF PARADISE

 red bird of
paradise
FUN FACTs
It can take six years for the male’s
curved red feathers to grow long.
He uses them to attract females.

© ERIC BACCEGA / NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY

 wild cards

GEMSBOK
 gemsbok

FUN FACTs
Both male and female gemsboks
have horns. Gemsboks use their
horns to fight off enemies.

ANN & STEVE TOON / ROBERT HARDING

wild cards

BLISTER BEETLE
 blister
beetle
FUN FACTs
This blister beetle is about
as long as the word “blister”
at the top of this card.

© ROLF NUSSBAUMER / NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY

wild cards

ANTARCTIC FUR SEAL

 Antarctic
fur seal
FUN FACTs
An adult fur seal may spend
more than a week at sea
looking for food.

© SUZI ESZTERHAS / MINDEN PICTURES

wild cards

HUMPBACK WHALE
 humpback
whale
FUN FACTs
Humpbacks can leap almost
all the way out of the water.
They twist in the air as they jump.

© DOUG PERRINE / NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY

OBSERVATION

Critter Corner
What do you think this polar bear is doing?

A. swimming B. running C. cleaning its fur © JAMI TARRIS / MINDEN PICTURES

Answer: C

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