Illustrated For Kids

Good SportsGary PaytonGary Payton of the Seattle SuperSonics has a gift he likes to give kids every year: a special day.Last March, Gary flew three seriously ill kids from Seattle to his hometown of Oakland, Calif. The kids attended a Sonics' game.``They felt like regular kids, instead of always thinking about being sick,'' says Gary. ``It was a good day.''Sports Around the WorldBrazilBrazil is the largest country in South America. Soccer is the national sport of Brazil. Other popular sports are beach volleyball, tennis, basketball and auto racing.

GOOD SPORT MIA HAMM KICKED OFF THE MIA HAMM foundation in 1999. The foundation raises money to fight bone-marrow diseases. It also runs camps and clinics for young girls interested in soccer. What inspired you to start a foundation? My brother Garrett died from a bone marrow disease. He was an inspiration to me. I want to help other people who have Garrett's condition. I also want to be a role model for girls and help young female athletes. Sports can help girls grow into confident women.

Many Mini-WordsPitcher William Joseph VanLandingham has one of the longest full names in major league history (26 letters). How many three-letter words can you come up with by using the letters of his last name? We found 29, but you may find more!ANSWERS: aid, ail, aim, and, dam, dig, dim, din, gad, gal, gam, gin, had, hag, ham, hid, him, inn, lad, lag, lam, lid, mad, mag, man, nag, nil, van, vimKerri StrugGymnast Kerri Strug was a shining star of the 1996 Summer Olympics. She also shines with kids.

Meet Vince CarterVince Carter of the Toronto Raptors is a gravity-defying sensation. Vince draws ooohhhs from fans and opponents because of the way he flies above the rim and slams the ball through the hoop.Vince had an amazing rookie season in 1998. He led his team in scoring (18.3 points per game) and field goal percentage (45 percent). He was voted Rookie of the Year by a landslide.Vince loves to soar and score. He is continuing his high-flying heroics in the 1999 season. Vince is averaging 23.3 points per game and is leading his team in scoring and steals.

Craig Biggio Houston AstrosMeet one of the good guys of sportsCraig spends much of his free time helping the Sunshine Kids. They are a group of about 400 cancer patients ages 2 to 18 in Houston.What do you do with the kids?I love playing baseball and games with them. We have fun. About 20 of the kids were waiting for me with water pistols at my charity golf tournament last year. I got soaked! After that, one kid brought me a water gun. So I was ready for them this year!Do you have any advice for kids about helping others?

This Mystery Athlete plays for the WNBA. Using the clues below, can you figure out who she is?1. The Mystery Athlete's team won a gold medal at a sports event.2. The Mystery Athlete plays in the same city as Derek Jeter.2. The Mystery Athlete's last name is the Spanish word for "wolf."The Clues:ANSWER: Rebecca Lobo of the New York LibertyVISIT OUR WEB SITE AT WWW.SIKIDS.COMPub Date: 10/20/99

Two sports publications not only want to hear from young fans, but also need their support.Major League Baseball for Kids and Sports Illustrated for Kids are the two largest publications that depend on the responses and involvement of young baseball fans.MLB for Kids comes out three times during the baseball season (May, June/July and August/September). Approximately 200,000 copies of each issue are handed out free to kids entering major-league ballparks across the country.The publication encourages boys and girls 8 to 12 years old to write articles, interview major-league players and supply ideas for stories.

WILL A TWINKIE really last forever? Are mail-order clubs a good way to buy compact discs? How can kids cut down on the amount of water their families waste? Is Reebok's "The Pump" worth $170?The answers can be found in Zillions: Consumer Reports for Kids. It's one of three excellent magazines for ages 8 and up. Along with Sports Illustrated for Kids and National Geographic WORLD, Zillions gives kids a timely, fun look at issues that matter to them. And all three magazines do it without talking down to kids.

A FUNNY THING happened to comic books on their way to the 1990s: They became respectable.In this decade, it's a rarity to see anyone under the age of 30 read printed material -- other than the instructions to the VCR or the millimeter-tall type in CD liner notes. So when a 10-year-old chooses to spend 20 minutes reading a Spiderman comic instead of playing Nintendo, parents consider it a literary triumph.Bigger publishers are getting in on the act. Little, Brown and Company has a new imprint, Sports Illustrated for Kids, that includes ''Buzz Beamer's Out of This World Series'' ($3.95, ages 8-12)

Craig Biggio Houston AstrosMeet one of the good guys of sportsCraig spends much of his free time helping the Sunshine Kids. They are a group of about 400 cancer patients ages 2 to 18 in Houston.What do you do with the kids?I love playing baseball and games with them. We have fun. About 20 of the kids were waiting for me with water pistols at my charity golf tournament last year. I got soaked! After that, one kid brought me a water gun. So I was ready for them this year!Do you have any advice for kids about helping others?

This Mystery Athlete plays for the WNBA. Using the clues below, can you figure out who she is?1. The Mystery Athlete's team won a gold medal at a sports event.2. The Mystery Athlete plays in the same city as Derek Jeter.2. The Mystery Athlete's last name is the Spanish word for "wolf."The Clues:ANSWER: Rebecca Lobo of the New York LibertyVISIT OUR WEB SITE AT WWW.SIKIDS.COMPub Date: 10/20/99

Steve Yzerman [EYE-zer-man] is the captain of the Detroit Red Wings. He's the guy they look to when they need a clutch goal. He ranks among the NHL's Top 10 all-time scorers.Steve, age 33, led the Red Wings to Stanley Cup wins in 1997 and 1998.Steve loves to spend time with his wife and two kids. He often pushes his baby daughter around the arena in a stroller after home games.KIDS ASKIf you added the weight of every player on an NFL team, what would be the total?Stefan N., 10 Columbia, MissouriThe average NFL team weighs as much as an elephant: 12,826 pounds!