Anorak Magazine

Dear Happy Friends, What is that you are holding in your hands? Duh, a new edition of our Happy Mag for Kids, we hear you say. Ah, but wait… it’s not just a copy of our Happy Mag for Kids. It is a very-extremely-extra-special edition! Why is it very-

There are many different types of art: drawing, making sculptures, writing, playing music or putting on a play. We love them all. Creating art is pure joy because it means we get to express ourselves and have fun all at the same time. On the days we

There’s nothing better than being engrossed in a book. It means we get to travel to different worlds without even leaving home. Magic! In the old days being called a bookworm was considered an insult because it referred to actual insects that used to

Cheering our favourite team involves lots of whooping, shouting and yay’ing! Being a good cheerleader means supporting our friends, classmates and family members through thick and thin, happy moments and not-so-happy ones. Yippee for all of you and t

We think the number 8 is perfectly formed. Not only does it look great, it is also believed to be a bringer of good luck. On the periodic table, the number 8 is the symbol for oxygen, which all of us need to live on. So, another reason to love it eve

It’s thought that us humans have been dancing since the dawn of time, making it the oldest form of fun ever! Let’s carry on our ancestors' traditions, put some music on and dance! Let’s jump, twirl, wiggle and throw ourselves about a bit, because dan

We love all birds, but when we see flamingos they instantly make us smile. They are the perfect combination of elegance and pinkness. Also, they sleep on one leg, which we think is wonderfully weird. In a bid to find a partner, flamingos will group t

Space is a source of infinite joy, and galaxies are up there* in our love for all things astronomical. A galaxy is a huge collection of stars, dust, gas, planets and their solar systems. And a galaxy is our home, too! Nestled amongst the billions of

If an alien visited Earth and asked us what the most joyful of all joyful things is, we would have to put ice cream as our number one. Before friends, family and even sunshine. Eating an ice cream when it’s hot outside fills us with joy. Have you tri

As long as people are happy to be hugged and it’s safe to do so, hugs cost nothing and can make us feel really good! Hugging humans is nice. Hugging a pet is lovely, too. Except if your pet is a hedgehog or an ant! When we hug, our brain releases ha

Do you remember when you last learned a new skill? How good it felt? We do! Learning how to ride a bike? Pure joy. Learning how to eat an ice cream without dropping it on the floor? Best happy ever. Learning how to cook a dinner for our families? Nex

There are two types of magic: the everyday wonders of the world, and the tricks a magician performs. Both bring us equal levels of joy. Magicians make us go ‘ooh, aaah’, ‘whaaatt?’, and ‘how did they do that?’ with their amazing tricks. We love being

Kindness is sharing, giving and thinking happy things about everything else. It’s having a huge heart filled with rainbows, unicorns and love. Kindness is good for all: those who give it and those who receive it. Kindness doesn’t have to cost money,

Jokes are joy. Want the proof? Read on! What did one plate say to the other? Dinner is on me! Why did the triangle feel sorry for the circle? Because it’s pointless! What does a lemon say when it answers the phone? Yellow! What does a rain cloud wear

We are proud nerds, yes we are. In fact, did you know that the word 'anorak' in British slang means someone who’s a nerd? It does! Nerding is a favourite occupation of ours, as it means we get to learn about lots of fascinating things. For example, w

Oranges are what would happen if the Sun was made into a delicious fruit. What’s not to love about that? The outside is pretty to look at but not so good to eat. The inside, however, is where the real joy lives. The flesh of oranges is tasty, refresh

All planets are amazing, but ours? Super-extra special. It has everything we could dream of: animals, air, food, friends and so much more. Imagine living on a planet with none of these things? No, thank you! Whales, ants, eagles, lions and even worms

Shhushh, can you hear? Nothing? Good! It’s nice to have a bit of quiet, isn’t it? While noise can be fun, we also love it when silence takes over. Because it calms our bodies, minds and makes us feel relaxed. We like to fill our quiet times with colo

Ah, the joys of singing! A guaranteed way to turn a sad moment into a happy one. In the bath, in the rain, on the bus, in class, singing can be done anywhere. Ignore the grumpies who try to tell you your voice isn’t good enough, or, even better, inv

Trees are life! They give us oxygen so all of us can live happily on our lovely planet. Trees are ancient and wise. Even though we've never had a chat with one (yet), we know they have loads of exciting stories to tell. Trees give us lots: wood to ma

Udon noodles are the most perfect food ever created. They wriggle like worms, but unlike worms, they taste de-li-cious and bring us much joy. Because they are so slippery, they are the perfect food for slurping. Hooray for slurping! They are great ho

Vacations or holidays are the most joyful times of the year. Fact. One of the best things about being on vacation is that the only plan is there is no plan! Or the only plan is to play, hooray! When school is over, it is time to have some well-deserv

We use them every day. They can be long ('supercalifragilisticexpialidocious'), short ('ha!'), weird ('Bumfuzzle'*) and beautiful (err.. 'beautiful!'). They can make fun sounds (parp!) or create feelings ('I love you'). They change all the time. A fe

What are all these xxxxs doing on this page you might wonder? They are the symbols for kisses, which always make us happy! Even slurpy ones from our dogs. 'Mwah' is the sound a kiss makes in the English language. In French, it is ‘Smack’*, 'Mua' in S

What is zzzz? It is sleeping. We love a good sleep. Isn’t it the nicest feeling to go to bed? No? It is! Think of all the dreaming you will do, the weird lands you’ll visit and strange stories you’ll live through. All in the space of one short night!

*and ice creams. Hihi. ■

*Quote from our friend Yiying from Noodoll. ■

Me cooking my favourite food. By Sylvie (6 years old) A joyful chocolate ice cream with a cherry on top. By Amelie (4 and 3 ‘corners’) A lovely mushroom family made of fly agarics, ink caps, puff balls and some trees. By Elodie (6 years old) A day in

Splash! Isha jumped into one puddle. Splash again! She jumped into a second puddle. As she was readying herself to jump into a third, something extraordinary happened…. ■

I am Anorak’s favourite food. I do not like pigeons. I love sending you on magical adventures. I make pigeons disappear.

Get an adult to visit our shop for more information. www.anorakmagazine.com Thank you! This issue was made by these joyful creatures: Cathy Olmedillas, Lucia Pham, Ben Javens, Julia Staite, Gloria Di Bella, Jonno Hopkins, Viki Mladenovski, Lizzy Itzk

Joy is my favourite feeling. Sometimes it’s hard to find joy. Water IS joy. It’s our home! I guess. Is it tiring to be joyful? It makes for an adventurous life. I like an adventure. The key to find it is to look carefully. Look where? All I can see i