Children's Magazines Subscriptions
Reading is a skill that is vital, but ever more kids are only listening to music or watching TV. Childrens's magazines lead kids to the written information and show them that reading can be rewarding and certainly helps them to gain knowledge and keep up-to-date with the newest developments.
Sports Illustrated Kids Magazine
Sports Illustrated Kids (2-year)
Amazon Price: $34.95 (as of 12/08/2009)
List Price: $95.76
I hesitated before subscribing to this magazine on behalf of my son, mainly due to a vague sense of dread about how SIKids might handle the inevitable boorish behavior by various jock/celebs. Every week in the "older" version of SI, you read something about drug bust this, assault and battery that--and you wonder what effect the antics of these millionaire morons has on kids. Well, to my surprise (and relief), SIKids generally skirts this type of nonsense and focuses squarely on the achievements of great athletes. The layouts and photos are great and the writing never talks down to kids. Instead, the magazine seems to excel at delivering good, solid journalism that kids can actually appreciate and relate to. SIKids is a VERY good investment if your son or daughter loves sports! -- fair_deal_guy "BB" (Prior Lake, MN USA)
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Ranger Rick Magazine
Ranger Rick
Amazon Price: $24.00 (as of 12/08/2009)
List Price: $42.00
Ranger Rick is in many classrooms in which I substitute teach. I found myself 3 days in a row teaching the same 3rd graders and this, along with Highlights for Children, were the teacher's magazines of choice, although the children were getting out Sports Illustrated for Kids from the library on library day. There happened to be a lot of reading time in this class (as there are in most) and not one child reached for Ranger Rick. When I asked a couple of children why they weren't what I got was shrugged shoulders.
~Both issues are 38 pages long with a picture of an animal on the cover. I found the March cover particular interesting to me since it is on Coyotes, asking Good or Bad? We have a coyote problem in our town and most think the answer is bad...we'll see what the magazine says. Each issue has a variety of articles but both have "Dear Ranger Rick" and "Ranger Rick's Adventures" where the coyote article can be found. They also both have a pull-out game section.
A Closer Look
~The March issue starts with a terrific 6-page article of "Mush, Mush! Off to Our Wild Winter Camp" which tells the story of a young boy who goes to New Hampshire for the weekend in the middle of winter for dogsledding and camping. The pictures are great of Michael, friends and Michael's dad with the dogs, the campsite, the campfire and other pictures pertaining to the weekend. The article is very easy to follow. Not every 7-year-old will be able to read every word in the article, but most will be able to read most of it. They will have a tough time with some of the names of the dogs, but they will ask how to pronounce it or what it means and you will tell him or her that it is the name of the dogs.
~Dear Ranger Rick is a place where children have submitted answers to question or as in the February issue, poetry. The question answered in March was "Where is the strangest place you ever found wildlife?" There is a snail mail and e-mail address to send in submissions.
~The March issue has a card that suggests giving it to your teacher to order a free wildlife poster and kit. This particular promotion is targeting for teachers but this isn't a magazine just for the classroom. I would have it in my house in spite of it being educational!
~Ranger Rick's Adventures addresses the coyote issue really well. It is done in cartoon form on 4 pages and ends with More Facts (There are facts throughout the cartoon as part of the cartoon narrative.) and this is where children can learn that coyotes can present a danger and problem for people and gives ways that we can keep coyotes (and other wildlife) under control.
~The pull-out game section includes fill in the blanks, a game (The Great Dogsled Race) and a crossword puzzle. The crossword puzzles have been done so children are reading this magazine- or at least doing the crossword puzzle. All games in this section teach the children something. They are fun to do but I will stress it again, educational.
Ranger Rick is certainly geared for the child interested in wildlife but I don't think it is so specific (as Opposed to Sports Illustrated for Kids which will not appeal to a child not interested in sports.) that your child has to be a budding ranger to enjoy it. I think most children like animals and I think most children will enjoy reading this magazine. It may not be the first one they reach for if given a choice, but if you subscribe to it and it is reading time in your house, I would love to have your child reading this magazine.
In the class I was in, there was a girl who didn't like to read. She had, though, read Ranger Rick already and although she can read just doesn't like to. Reading Judy Blume for example is a chore for her. This is the kind of magazine that I would recommend not just for the child interested in reading but for the child who isn't because it is engaging, fun and educational all at the same time.
I highly recommend Ranger Rick. Your child will get information, games and can get involved in contests, send in letters and read! It is [not expensive] for each issue if you do the math. Although there is no upper age limit and I enjoyed reading the magazine, I would say from experience that once your child hits 12, he or she will no longer want to read this magazine and it will be time for National Geographic or Discover! -- "jobythebay" (MA, United States)
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Your Big Backyard Magazine
Your Big Backyard
Amazon Price: $24.00 (as of 12/08/2009)
List Price: $35.40
If your child is facinated with animals, or likes the outdoors, this is a FANTASTIC magazine for emergent or pre-readers. Very well done, it is crammed with great facts and engaging pictures. When they are old enough, the switch to Ranger Rick is easy since the similar format and excellence in education keep them stimulated and engaged.
Magazines are just as useful for promoting literacy as books. In some ways they are even more exciting; a new issue each month has my nephews scrambling to puzzle out the words, and have the stories read to them. After a few short weeks, the glossy magazine is tattered and dogeared, but still holds their interest.
If I had to pick just one magazine for young children, this would be it. Great magazine!!! -- M. Ahrens "maggieliz" (York PA)
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National Geographic Kids Magazine
National Geographic Kids
Amazon Price: $19.95 (as of 12/08/2009)
List Price: $39.50
The folks at National Geographic have a well-deserved reputation for excellence and it continues full-steam with this GREAT publication. Unlike a lot of kids' magazines in which the editorial content is nothing but filler between video game ads, National Geographic World is the sharpest, best-produced kids' magazine on the market.
Each issue is packed with genuinely interesting stuff. The writers never preach or talk down to their audience. And just like its parent publication, National Geographic World is full of great photography. The design is first-rate and it avoids the trend chasing that dooms competitors to being virtually unreadable thanks to poor design. In 10 years, each issue will look as fresh and dignified as it does today. This is a superb publication, and with so many kids' magazines glorifying belly baring pop musicians, doling out sex advice to 12-year-olds, and hawking violent video games, this is a wonderful breath of fresh air.
(Be forewarned that this is not a magazine aimed at younger children. I'd recommend it for kids 7-8 and older. Even then, some of the content is geared toward for pre-teens and early teens--although there's nothing that will scare or trouble the younger set.) -- fair_deal_guy "BB" (Prior Lake, MN USA)
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American Girl Magazine
American Girl
Amazon Price: $22.95 (as of 12/08/2009)
List Price: $27.00
American Girl has always been one of my favorite magazines. I started subscribing when I was about seven, and I'm still getting it now, at age 13, in addition to the typical "teen magazines." This magazine has great craft and party ideas, and stories about real girls who've had different kinds of interesting experiences. From reading some of the Amazon reviews, I've gotten the idea that some girls are upset by the fact that American Girl publishes hardly any stories about boys, puberty, and makeup, and they have too many articles on crafts and parties. However, I think the fun craft and party ideas are part of what makes American Girl a great magazine. Although pre-teen life doesn't revolve around back-to-school themed sleepovers and Christmas ornament crafts, a girl doesn't need to shut crafts and parties out of her life the day she turns twelve. If you're looking for a magazine with advice on how to put on lip liner and deal with your crush, this may not be the magazine for you. But I think there are plenty of magazines with advice about makeup and boys, and American Girl is a great magazine, even if it doesn't talk much about those topics. I think many girls will enjoy this magazine, especially those between the ages of 8 and 12 (although there are eleven-year-olds who feel to old for the magazine, and fourteen-year-olds who still read it faithfully). -- Amazon Girl
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Ladybug Magazine
Ladybug
Amazon Price: $33.95 (as of 12/08/2009)
List Price: $59.40
I love these magazines. We subscribe to Ladybug, Spider, and Cricket (each for a different child). The stories are great, as is the illustration. An illustrator friend of mine says that it is very prestigious to be asked to illustrate a story in these magazines, and I figure it is the same for the stories. No advertising, of course. The thing I like the best is that each magazine is geared toward a certain age of child. Highlights tries to be something for everyone, so we look through the magazine to find an appropriate story. In Ladybug, we just start at the beginning and read straight through. As the publisher will tell you, when your child outgrows Ladybug, you just let them know and they change your subscription to Spider (and later, Cricket. That's as far as we've gotten). -- Queenoid (Greenwood Village, CO USA)
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Muse Magazine
Muse
Amazon Price: $33.95 (as of 12/08/2009)
List Price: $44.55
Muse is an exceptional magazine. Though it is aimed at "tweens", gifted readers from about age 7 up can appreciate it. Parents may wish to pre-read or discuss controversial pieces with their children. There are plenty of interesting articles on a variety of topics. Recent issues have covered stone disks in the Yap islands, gamers making real money from selling virtual goods, racial prejudice, genetics, and snowflakes.
Muse magazine does not contain any advertising, other than subscription offers from the publisher. It's quite refreshing. Some of my family's other magazines (Sports Illustrated Kids, for example) are filled with ads for junk food and toys.
A full page in Muse is always devoted to Larry Gonick's "Kokopelli & Company", a cartoon featuring the magazine's quirky cartoon mascots. These tiny creatures also cavort on pages throughout the magazine. Bo's Page is another regular feature. Here, readers may learn about a scientific experiment to discover how ants find their way home, or why gorillas eat wood, and vote as to whether humans will survive to the year 2100. The Q & A section has answers to queries submitted by readers. Examples questions are "would time travel actually be possible?" and "what happens when you blow a (soap) bubble in winter?" . Robert Coontz and Rosanne Spector provide clear, and often humorous, answers. Ivars Peterson is the Muse math guru. His "Math Page" offers suduko challenges and other math puzzles as well as articles such as "The Simpsons and Math". Every issue of Muse offers a contest of some sort, tucked into the corner of a two page spread honoring winners of the previous issue's contest. Kids are invited to become living art in a tableau vivant, or to design imaginary money.
I highly recommend Muse for both boys and girls. -- Lorel Shea "gifted ed" (New England)
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Discovery Girls - a Magazine for Girls Ages 8 & Up
Discovery Girls - a Magazine for Girls Ages 8 & Up
Amazon Price: $23.00 (as of 12/08/2009)
List Price: $27.00
My 11-year-old daughter has been a subscriber for about 1 %uFFFD years and absolutely adores Discovery Girls. She reads it cover to cover the day it arrives in the mail. It provides a great mix of articles about issues that affect the 7-12 age group as well as fashion tips, celebrity interviews, quizzes and more - all the things the girls are looking for in a magazine! The readers provide much of the content for the magazine so it is truly a forum for girls to express themselves as well as an opportunity to see that other girls are having the same experiences. As a parent, I like the magazine because it is completely appropriate for the "tween" girl - great content in the articles (real topics about real issues), limited advertising and the "models" are readers who are chosen by their answers on a questionnaire, not by the way they look. It's nice for girls who are beginning to worry about body image to be able to see normal girls just like them in the pages of a national magazine. I would definitely recommend this magazine to anyone who knows a girl in the 7-12 age range! -- Mom of a subscriber (Round Rock, Texas)
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Cricket Magazine
Cricket
Amazon Price: $33.95 (as of 12/08/2009)
List Price: $59.40
My mom set up a subscription to Cricket for me back in 1976 when I was in elementary school. I always loved reading and wasn't happy with the same old "See Spot Run" books. Mom saw that I was getting bored with the same old stuff and decided to give the magazine a try.
I got the first few issues and didn't really do anything with them. But once a rainy day came around, I decided to pick them up and give them a try. After that, I was hooked on the stories, the artwork, the games, and the contests the magazine runs each month. Each issue had its own theme and I always found the quality to be top notch. I found out Cricket had only came to be a few years earlier and went to the library with my dad to dig up some back issues.
I was introduced to such writers as Shel Silverstein, Lloyd Alexander, Walter De La Mare, Clifton Fadiman, Robert Frost, Carl Sandburg and William Shakespeare. I find myself coming back to Cricket time and again. I still have my original issues and hope to share them with my kids once they're older. They truly have a timeless quality.
I highly reccommend this magazine to parents whose children have expressed an interest in reading. -- James Choma (Brecksville, OH United States)
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Zoobooks Magazine
Zoobooks
Amazon Price: $25.95 (as of 12/08/2009)
List Price: $47.88
An easy to read format for the budding animal enthusiast with activities for subscribers online and inside the middle section of the magazine.
The magazine arrives about the fifteenth of each month, and not fast enough for my ten year-old son. We have been getting a subscription for about five years now. Each issue focuses on one subject with no advertisements and seventeen pages in each issue.
Inside each issue of Zoobooks the first page gives a brief overview of the profiled animal alongside a photograph that is covering two pages. The ages of the drawings and poems from kids range in age from six to eleven, showing a wide age range that Zoobooks attracts. The text is geared for adults and children with beautiful photographs and artistry nestled inside this thin monthly magazine.
At first it might seem like not much for the money but it is just enough to keep the interest of a child, offering many visits back to issues to see the beauty in each animal. My son loves this magazine. He is an animal lover and on the autism spectrum. -- Bonnie Sayers "autismfamily" (Los Angeles, CA)
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Nickelodeon Magazine
Spider Magazine
Spider
Amazon Price: $33.95 (as of 12/09/2009)
List Price: $59.40
Posted for Maddie (age 9) - My Daughter Loves Spider!:
My favorite part is Spider's Mailbox and the comic strips. I read every issue four times each! There are buggies that make comments and have their own stories on the bottoms of the pages. All the buggies are funny.
If you are thinking about buying this magazine for a child you know, you should know it's mostly reading, stories, and one pull out game page in each issue. I'm sure kids everywhere will love Spider Magazine as much as I do! -- J. White (MA United States)
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Kids Discover Magazine
Kids Discover
Amazon Price: $26.95 (as of 12/08/2009)
List Price:
Beautifully done, Kids Discover issues are packed with information on one specific subject (ie: volcanoes, the Civil War...). My daughter is 8 and a good student. She uses these magazines as reference texts more than as casual reading material. I think these magazines would be enjoyed most by parents and students between the ages of 10 to 14. -- A. Polk "Tartallini" (Grants Pass, Oregon USA)
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Highlights For Children Magazine
Highlights For Children
Amazon Price: $34.95 (as of 12/08/2009)
List Price: $47.40
Highlights magazine is the New Yorker of children's literature. Following that analogy, the Nickelodean Magazine or Disney Princess might be the In Touch Weekly's of children's lit. Highlights may at times feel outdated and stale (as might the New Yorker), but overall the quality is consistent and there is plenty to enjoy. The Hidden Picture puzzle alone is worth the price. If you only know the magazine from schools and doctor's waiting rooms from your childhood, you might not have had the chance to see a pristine Hidden Picture puzzle. The pictures end up getting marked up by kids with poor impulse control and listless parents, the future sociopaths of America, who evidently did not absorb any lessons first from Goofus and Gallant. With Highlights you get no advertising, no slick pandering your children, and you get stories, puzzles, projects, poems, and those lovable Timbertoes.
It's also good just to get magazines for kids in the mail. I find it to be a nice way to encourage reading in my family. Nothing cuter than going through the mail with the kids after which everyone sits down together, in earnest, and flips through their magazine. -- My Uncle Stu (Boston)
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Babybug Magazine
Babybug
Amazon Price: $33.95 (as of 12/08/2009)
List Price: $50.00
Years ago, my daughter received a subscription to Babybug magazine for her first birthday. It was probably the best gift we ever received! The pages are heavy stock so they don't tear (they are not really board books, but close enough). Essentially, there a number of short books within each magazine. There are also poems and rhymes that are very easy to turn into simple songs. (We've "sung" many of them!). Beautiful pictures too! There are continuing stories with the same characters like Kim and Carrots (a story about a little girl and her stuffed bunny). The makers of this magazine really know kids and families. They celebrate simple things like playing with daddy in the park, tumbling in the grass, making cookies, playing with a big red ball, etc. etc.
On the back of every book/magazine, there are four pictures that are taken from the pages, and my daughter loved this mini "I Spy" game.
Besides all of these wonderful features, you get issues throughout the year! I can't recommend this magazine enough. Beautifully done. We still have the "books", years later. My daughter is now 6 and she won't part with them. -- pandabear "pandabear35" (Canada)
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Young Rider Magazine
Young Rider (1-year)
Amazon Price: $12.99 (as of 12/08/2009)
List Price: $29.94
This is a bi-monthly magazine with beautiful posters and pictures of Horses. Since I am allergic to Horses I thought this would be a good way for my son to explore his interest in Horses.
Each issue comes with 4 posters and they are very nice. There is a place to sign up for a penpal exchange. The classified section has ads for beanie babies as well as horse trading cards.
You can learn about choosing a horse camp, how to ride in a group, how to give a Horse a shot and how to give a Horse a bath. The magazine also covers the various horse breeds, how to put on a saddle, what is a bridle and interesting tidbits on horses. There are short stories and people send in pictures as well.
My son has enjoyed reading Horse Rider over the years. -- Bonnie Sayers "autismfamily" (Los Angeles, CA)
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Wild Animal Baby Magazine
Wild Animal Baby
Amazon Price: $27.00 (as of 12/08/2009)
List Price: $27.00
This is a board-book style magazine published by the National Wildlife Federation. (The same organization that publishes Ranger Rick). I subscribed my daughter to this board magazine when she was about 18 months old. She is now 3, but she still likes her magazine and is thrilled when she receives it in the mail. (I intend to replace her current subscription with a subscription for My Big Backyard, intended for 3-7 year olds). She likes the board book size and the thick pages. The front of each issue has a cute picture of a baby animal. Each issue has an "Out and About with Duffy" story. In these stories, Duffy, a white dog, and his human family, siblings Tess and Tommy and their parents, carry out some outdoor activity. There are fingerplays, matching and counting activities. There is a wild animal section that features a specific letter of the alphabet. The "stories" are just the right length to hold the attention of a young toddler. My daughter has a lot of fun trying to find "Sammy the Skunk", who is hidden in 4 different pictures throughout the magazine. Wild Animal Baby is colorful and has excellent pictures of wildlife. It has a little less reading content than Babybug, another excellent board-book type magazine for young children, which is published by the Cricket Magazine Group (Babybug is not about animals, (...)). I recommend Wild Animal Baby for any young toddler, or any very active toddler with a short attention span. If you are looking for quality reading material that you can share with your young child, and you can afford it, I recommend you also try to subscribe to Babybug. .-- a customer
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New Moon: the Magazine for Girls & Their Dreams
by starsam
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