The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp

by Kathi AppeıtNewbery Honor-winning author of The Underneath

9781

4424

2105

9 • $

16.9

9 • A

ges 8

-12

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for Y

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Activity Kit

Calling al l Scouts! The Sugar Man Swamp is in danger!

RACCOON BROTHERS Bingo and J’miah are the newest recruits of the Official Sugar Man Swamp Scouts. The opportunity to serve the Sugar Man—the massive creature who delights in delicious sugar cane and magnanimously rules over the swamp—is an honor, and also a big responsibility, since the rest of the swamp critters rely heavily on the intel of these hardworking Scouts.

Twelve-year-old Chap Brayburn is not a member of any such organization. But he loves the swamp something fierce, and he’ll do anything to help protect it.

And help is surely needed, because world-class alligator wrestler Jaeger Stitch wants to turn Sugar Man swamp into an Alligator World Wrestling Arena and Theme Park, and the troubles don’t end there. There is also a gang of wild feral hogs on the march, headed straight toward them all.

The Scouts are ready. All they have to do is wake up the Sugar Man. Problem is, no one’s been able to wake that fellow up in a decade or four . . .

Newbery Honoree and National Book Award finalist Kathi Appelt spins a tale of care and conservation, funny as all get out, and ripe for reading aloud.

★ “A rollicking, ripping tall tale with ecological subtext.” —KirKus reviews, starred review

★ “This delicious, richly detailed story is told in 104 short chapters, which swing the plot beautifully from one thread to the next and keep the action moving.” —BooKlist, starred review

★ “The book’s folksy narrative adds brightness and humor to the story as Appelt explores the swamp’s rich history, varied denizens, and current threats.” —PuBlishers weeKly, starred review

HI HO, young Scouts! Let the Mission beg in!

The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp This page may be photocopied for free distribution.

True Blue Scout Membership Cards

OFFICIAL ORDERS:• keep your eyes open• keep your ears to the ground• keep your nose in the air• be true and faithful to each other• in short, be good• always heed the Voice of Intelligence, and• in the event of an emergency, wake up the Sugar Man

S i g n e d ,

Bingo J’miah

~ M e m b e r s h i p C a r d ~

_______________________________________________________( Y O U R N A M E )

The bearer of this card is hereby named anOfficial Sugar Man Swamp Scout

Information Officer

OFFICIAL ORDERS:• keep your eyes open• keep your ears to the ground• keep your nose in the air• be true and faithful to each other• in short, be good• always heed the Voice of Intelligence, and• in the event of an emergency, wake up the Sugar Man

S i g n e d ,

Bingo J’miah

~ M e m b e r s h i p C a r d ~

_______________________________________________________( Y O U R N A M E )

The bearer of this card is hereby named anOfficial Sugar Man Swamp Scout

Information Officer

OFFICIAL ORDERS:• keep your eyes open• keep your ears to the ground• keep your nose in the air• be true and faithful to each other• in short, be good• always heed the Voice of Intelligence, and• in the event of an emergency, wake up the Sugar Man

S i g n e d ,

Bingo J’miah

~ M e m b e r s h i p C a r d ~

_______________________________________________________( Y O U R N A M E )

The bearer of this card is hereby named anOfficial Sugar Man Swamp Scout

Information Officer

OFFICIAL ORDERS:• keep your eyes open• keep your ears to the ground• keep your nose in the air• be true and faithful to each other• in short, be good• always heed the Voice of Intelligence, and• in the event of an emergency, wake up the Sugar Man

S i g n e d ,

Bingo J’miah

~ M e m b e r s h i p C a r d ~

_______________________________________________________( Y O U R N A M E )

The bearer of this card is hereby named anOfficial Sugar Man Swamp Scout

Information Officer

OFFICIAL ORDERS:• keep your eyes open• keep your ears to the ground• keep your nose in the air• be true and faithful to each other• in short, be good• always heed the Voice of Intelligence, and• in the event of an emergency, wake up the Sugar Man

S i g n e d ,

Bingo J’miah

~ M e m b e r s h i p C a r d ~

_______________________________________________________( Y O U R N A M E )

The bearer of this card is hereby named anOfficial Sugar Man Swamp Scout

Information Officer

OFFICIAL ORDERS:• keep your eyes open• keep your ears to the ground• keep your nose in the air• be true and faithful to each other• in short, be good• always heed the Voice of Intelligence, and• in the event of an emergency, wake up the Sugar Man

S i g n e d ,

Bingo J’miah

~ M e m b e r s h i p C a r d ~

_______________________________________________________( Y O U R N A M E )

The bearer of this card is hereby named anOfficial Sugar Man Swamp Scout

Information Officer

OFFICIAL ORDERS:• keep your eyes open• keep your ears to the ground• keep your nose in the air• be true and faithful to each other• in short, be good• always heed the Voice of Intelligence, and• in the event of an emergency, wake up the Sugar Man

S i g n e d ,

Bingo J’miah

~ M e m b e r s h i p C a r d ~

_______________________________________________________( Y O U R N A M E )

The bearer of this card is hereby named anOfficial Sugar Man Swamp Scout

Information Officer

OFFICIAL ORDERS:• keep your eyes open• keep your ears to the ground• keep your nose in the air• be true and faithful to each other• in short, be good• always heed the Voice of Intelligence, and• in the event of an emergency, wake up the Sugar Man

S i g n e d ,

Bingo J’miah

~ M e m b e r s h i p C a r d ~

_______________________________________________________( Y O U R N A M E )

The bearer of this card is hereby named anOfficial Sugar Man Swamp Scout

Information Officer

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True Blue Character Crossword

The T

rue Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Sw

amp Th

is page may be photocopied for free distribution.

Down 1. Young proprietor of Paradise Pies C

afé and the hero of our tale (along with two intrepid Scouts, of course)

2. Sleepy gazillion-year-old cousin of Sasquatch who’s m

ade up of bits and pieces of every living creature in the swam

p

3. Official Sugar M

an Swamp Scout

Information O

fficer (the one who prefers to stay on the ground, thank you very m

uch)

4. Pet rattlesnake of 2 Down

7. Official Sugar M

an Swamp Scout

Information O

fficer (the one who likes to clim

b trees)

Across 5. Beloved grandpa of 1 D

own and the original owner of a certain 1949 Sportsm

an DeSoto

6. World C

hampion G

ator Wrestler of the N

orthern Hem

isphere

8. The baddest wild hog that ever was

9. The baddest sow that ever was, sweet dearie dear of 8 Across

10. Official owner of the entire Sugar M

an Swamp and

a no-good, low down, yellow-livered . . . oh, don’t get m

e started on the man

The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp This page may be photocopied for free distribution.

True Blue Fried Sugar PiesA Recipe from Paradise Pies Café

(Well, sort of. The truth of the matter is that you can’t make real Paradise Pies

Café fried sugar pies without canebrake sugar, which everyone knows grows only in

Sugar Man Swamp. So this recipe is a quick and easy shortcut that tastes almost as

good. Well, not almost, but close enough.)

Make your favorite pie crust dough and chill it. Roll the chilled dough on a flour-

covered surface to 1/8- inch thickness. Sprinkle a touch of sugar over the dough and

roll once more to make it stick. With a 3-inch round cutter, cut as many circles as

you can, rerolling the dough as needed. (We’re making small pies here, just right

for little hands.)

Pick your favorite jam. What are you in the mood for today? Raspberry? Peach?

Strawberry? Put a generous teaspoonful of your flavor du jour in the middle of

each dough circle. Lightly moisten the edges with water and fold each circle in half,

pinching the edges to seal. Refrigerate your sealed pies until ready to fry.

Now this frying part is tricky, so be sure an adult does this bit for you. Fill a very

deep 10-inch cast iron skillet half full with oil (peanut oil works well). Heat over

medium heat until very hot (like 365 degrees hot). Fry pies, a few at a time, about 3 minutes, turning as needed to cook evenly to a lovely golden brown. Drain on

cooling racks and cool slightly. Roll each pie in sugar. Serve warm or at room

temperature.

Oh, my! Oh my! Do they taste good!? Keep a watchful eye for striped tail pie thieves!

The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp This page may be photocopied for free distribution.

True Blue I BWO

IBWO

You will recall, sports fans, that Grandpa Audie loved the birds of the Sugar Man Swamp. Yessir, he did. He kept his own sketchbook and drew imaginative portraits of the magnificent Greater Chaparral (namesake of his grandson Chap), the dapper red-winged blackbird, and the jazzed up brown thrasher. Right in the center of his sketchbook is a blank page—a plain white page waiting, friends, for the glorious ivory-billed woodpecker, the IBWO. Grandpa Audie saw that bird once in 1949 and longed to see it again so he could sketch it. Let’s close our eyes and imagine that bird. Imagine he comes with his wife and kids to the Sugar Man Swamp once again—that magical place his grandpa’s grandpa sang about so many years ago. Let’s fill that blank page in Grandpa Audie’s sketchbook with a portrait of that fine bird. Yes, let’s.