NatWorld Magazine

The Ill-Fated Illustrator

If you’ve seen or read A Series of Unfortunate Events, you’ve seen Brett Helquist’s unique art. Learn about this American illustrator and view illustrations he’s done for the Unfortunates and other books. Read more

The Secret Origins of Nursery Rhymes

The relationship of many historical events to the Nursery Rhyme have been long forgotten. The Bubonic Plague and its symptoms were parodied in “Ring Around the Rosy” and the English Queen Mary I (Bloody Mary) was believed to be the ’star’ of the “Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary” rhyme which featured a hidden reference to the Queen’s treatment of Protestants using instruments of torture (silver bells) and execution by burning them alive at the stake. It’s no wonder that this Queen has since been known as Bloody Mary! Witches and their ‘familiars’, like cats, frogs, mice and owls, are frequently, but obliquely, referred to in the words of a Nursery Rhyme as we have discussed in “The Identity of Mother Goose.” We need to understand the people, history and cultures of by-gone days to unlock the hidden meanings of the humble Nursery rhyme. The history and origins of many an ‘innocent’ Nursery Rhyme can be found on this site. Read more

Tongue Twisters

A tongue twister is a phrase, sentence or rhyme that presents difficulties when spoken because it contains similar sounds—Whistle for the thistle sifter, for example. To get the full effect of a tongue twister you should try to repeat it several times, as quickly as possible, without stumbling or mispronouncing. Tongue twisters have long been a popular form of wordplay, particularly for schoolchildren, but they also have a more serious side - being used in elocution teaching and in the treatment of some speech defects.
The collection of funny tongue twisters presented here, however, is purely for entertainment, and consists of many old favorites as well as some new ones — try to tackle tricksy tongue twisters today! Read more

Book Spotlight: Found

FOUND Margaret Peterson Haddix Book Trailer

Thirteen-year-old Jonah has always known that he was adopted, and he’s never thought it was any big deal. Then he and a new friend, Chip, who’s also adoped, begin receiving mysterious letters. The first one says, “You are one of the missing.” The second one says, “Beware! They’re coming back to get you.”

Jonah, Chip, and Jonah’s sister, Katherine, are plunged into a mystery that involves the FBI, a vast smuggling operation, an airplane that appeared out of nowhere — and people who seem to appear and disappear at will. The kids discover they are caught in a battle between two opposing forces that want very different things for Jonah and Chip’s lives.

Do Jonah and Chip have any choice in the matter? And what should they choose when both alternatives are horrifying? Read more

Tweety Birds

Click to listen to some bird songs and calls! Allaboutbirds.org is an excellent website for learning more about birds. Check out the Bird Guide or learn about the characteristics, behavior, and flight patterns of all kinds of fowl. They’re pretty sweet! Read more

A Piece of Poetry

Fueled by a million man-made wings of fire
the rocket tore a tunnel through the sky
and everybody cheered.
Fueled
only by a thought from God —
the seedling
urged its way
through the thickness of black —
and as it pierced
the heavy ceiling of the soil —
and launched itself
up into outer space —
no
one
even
clapped.

(”Fueled,” Marcie Hans)