National Geographic Kids — August 2010

All-Time Cutest Animals; Freaky Forces in Space; Tree Hiking; Wallaby Rescue; Weird But True

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The 20 Cutest Animals of All Time (cover story) — Whether two-legged or four-legged, feathered or furry, winged or with a tail, the 20 cutest animals of all time earn the spotlight in this month’s National Geographic Kids. Check out the cuddly critters — from tiger cubs, bunnies and emperor penguin chicks to baby elephants, puppies and kittens — and learn fun facts about the cutest wildlife on Earth. Page 20.

Freaky Forces in Space — Stars may twinkle at night, but don’t be fooled — outer space is a freaky place, where galaxies smash together, black holes devour anything nearby and stars are born in vivid clouds of gas. National Geographic Kids soars into space to explore 10 cosmic events, including spinning pulsars, icy orbiting comets, great gushing geysers on Saturn’s moons and mighty solar burps. Page 26.

Weird But True — National Geographic Kids shares nine Weird But True facts, including: The Earth weighs about 6.6 billion trillion tons; donuts did not have holes until the 1800s; elephants walk on their tiptoes; and 6009 is the next year that will look the same right side up and upside down — the last one was 1961. Page 3.

Extreme Sport: Tree Hiking — National Geographic Kids climbs into the forest canopy to go extreme tree hiking, traversing walkways suspended high above the ground. Originally built for researchers studying wildlife, walkways now allow tourists to get a bird’s-eye view of the forest — and the entrance fees often help pay for conservation efforts. Nearly 40 percent of what lives on Earth lives in the treetops, so bring binoculars and keep your eyes peeled. Page 7.

Wallaby Rescue — Read an amazing story of survival as a baby wallaby orphaned by a car accident finds a new family and prepares to return home to the wild. Page 24.

Other Features — Go behind the scenes of the new movie “Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore.” Meet “Amazing Animals” like a picture-taking orangutan. “Guinness World Records” spotlights the world’s largest hiking boot, a solid-gold bathroom and a man who can spin 136 hula hoops at once. “Cool Inventions” highlights a robo-taxi, a wearable hummingbird feeder and a Hollywood-esque home studio. And get a cool great white shark pull-out poster.

National Geographic Kids, a multitopic, photo-driven magazine for 6- to 14-year-olds, empowers its readers by making it fun to learn about the world. Its numerous industry awards include Periodical of the Year in 2005 and 2006 from the Association of Educational Publishers.