Grayfur the rabbit bounced from his nest. Quickly spotting a patch of clovers, Grayfur jumped over and plucked a leaf from the plant. He ate it, then took more leaves to eat.

“Hi, Grayfur!” said a voice from above. Grayfur looked up. His friend Spotbeak the sparrow was soaring above the trees. “Come down here!” yelled Grayfur. Spotbeak descended gracefully to the forest floor.

Spotbeak said, “It’s good to see you, Grayfur. I was just talking to Redchest, the robin. He was watching the human forest from the edge of our forest. He claims there are more of those steel trees than there were before!”

“I don’t know how humans build those trees so quickly” said Grayfur. “Maybe their forest will be bigger than ours one day.”

“You never know” said Spotbeak. “I think that the humans will never affect our forest.” Grayfur shivered. He wasn’t sure about that.

The Great Forest was a large woodland. Animals like rabbits, squirrels, birds and deer lived there. There was a river rushing through the middle of the forest. Fish lived in that river. This forest was the place where Grayfur and Spotbeak lived.

“You know” said Spotbeak, “The forest elders are telling some stories on the riverbank. Want to go?”

Grayfur answered, “Sure! I can’t wait to hear what stories the elders can tell us today!” Spotbeak flew into the air as Grayfur leaped behind him.

When the two friends got to the riverbank, they saw it was already filled with animals. Birds perched on branches of trees surrounding the river. Rabbits cuddled together, eager to hear new tales. Squirrels chattered to each other with excitement. Deer stood tall in the shadows of the trees.

In the middle of the crowd were the elders. There were two elders from each kind of animals… except for the fish. And the other fish weren’t even there!

“We cannot start the storytelling without the fish!” Oldtail the squirrel said. Oldtail was an elder. “The fish tell some of the most interesting stories!”

The animal crowd waited and talked at the same time. Animals looked at each other with worry. Where were the fish? They were always there before the other animals came.

Grayfur looked down the river. He saw some brown and gray spots. “The fish!” he shouted. The crowd looked down the river to see eight sickly-looking fish with dreadful faces.

“What happened?” Oldtail asked.

One of the fish said, “Many of the fish are gone. They died.”

“They died!?” everyone exclaimed with confusion.

The fish said, “And it’s all because of those terrible humans.”

To be continued next month…

Manatees are seal-like mammals which live in shallow waters along the coasts of oceans. Sometimes manatees live in rivers. Manatees live in these places because the floors of these bodies of water are full of the plants they eat.

Adult manatees can grow to about 10 feet long, and they can weigh 800-1,200 pounds. A manatee’s skin is thick, tough, and mostly hairless. A manatee uses it’s flippers for holding food, walking on the bottom of rivers, turning while it is swimming, and holding children.

Manatees are one of the few animals that communicate with each other by making sounds, like we humans. Mothers and their children use grunts, chirps and squeaks to “talk” to each other. Other manatees of the group communicate by touching their muzzles together. Manatees either live alone or in groups of 15-20.

There are three main species of manatee: the Caribbean, the Amazonian, and the Africa. The Caribbean manatee lives near the coasts of Florida, Georgia, and the coasts of northern South America. The Amazonian manatee, of course, lives in the Amazon river and other nearby rivers in South America. The African manatee can be found near the coast of West Africa and other slow-moving rivers of tropical Africa.

Manatees are endangered animals because many manatees have been hurt or killed by motorboats. Manatees can’t live in cold areas, so they live where the waters are warm, near coasts of oceans. People drive their motorboats into these areas, which kills manatees. Manatees cannot move very fast, and they also have small eyes, so they can’t see well either. Since the manatees can’t see the boats, and they can’t move out of the way, they get injured.

If you have an idea for an amazing animals article, please send your idea to: muslimag@gmail.com

Learn a dua today!

Subject:
Against distress

Arabic transliteration:
Anni maghlubun fa-ntasir

English meaning:
Certainly, I am overcome, so You do help.

In the Surah:
Al-Qamar 54:10

The Bee

ISLAM BEE

1. What was the old name of Makkah?

2. What is the only surah that does not start with "bismillah"?

3.What does Allah's name "As-Salam" mean?

4. Who was the prophet who was sold as a slave by some traders when he was a young boy?

GEOGRAPHY BEE

1. There is a famous waterfall on the US-Canada border, near New York state. What is it called?
2. What city is closer to Makkah, Madinah or At-Taif?
3. What is the capital of Qatar?
4. Is the climate of Egypt arid, temperate or wet tropical?

SCROLL DOWN TO SEE THE ANSWERS!

ANSWERS TO THE BEE

slam Bee
1. Bakkah
2. Surah 9, At-Taubah
3. The Source of Peace
4. Yusuf

Geography Bee
1. Niagara Falls
2. At-Taif
3. Doha
4. Arid

It's always good to make a nice first impression on anyone you meet. Here's how to impress your new teacher.

1. Go up to her/him and say hello
If you go up to the teacher to say hi (or if the teacher is a Muslim, say Assalamu alaikum), the teacher will know that you are confident. If you stay back, shyly, the teacher will not know you very well!

2. Listen to the Teacher
People always love when others are listening to them. It's very important to listen to your teacher because they are trying to teach you something. Listen carefully... you might learn something you have never learned before! And if you listen, you'll be able to do your assignments easily.

3. Be quiet when you are supposed to be
Teachers are very annoyed when students talk when they are supposed to be quiet. Even if you really need to talk to a friend, save it for later. It makes you a better student, and it gives your teacher a good impression.

4. Do your assignments on time... and follow directions
If you do these two things, you can practically ace your grade. You'll become a very good student. If you do your homework, but you don't turn it in on time, it's considered late!

5. Be nice!
Be nice to the teacher, to everyone around you, and to yourself! Being kind will catch your teacher's eye some day, and they'll like you even more!

Make your vanilla ice cream fit your style!

You will need:
-A bowl of vanilla ice cream
-At least one of the following:
cookies
berries
fruit pieces
graham cracker pieces
candy
chocolate
wafers
cereal
sprinkles or syrup
-spoon

What to do:

1. Scoop your vanilla ice cream into the bowl.

2. Take your ingredients. Make sure they are in small pieces, no bigger than 1/2 inch.

3. Sprinkle your ingredients onto the ice cream.

4. Mix with a spoon.

5. Eat!