National Geographic Little Kids Magazine

National Geographic Little Kids: the Magazine for Young Explorers by the National Geographic Society. ISSN 1934-8363

Reader's Annotation: With articles like "Hanging with Fruit Bats", "Jaguars Grow Up", and "The Moon up Close", children will experience a learning adventure with each issue's arrival.

Summary: A magazine for the very youngest nature explorers filled with spectacular photographs and short informational articles about subjects of interest to children. Interspersed among the articles are activities such as naming games, seek-and-find challenges, jokes, and matching fun.

Each issue also includes removable Wild Cards that feature images of animals, insects, and sea life on one side, with fun facts on the reverse side. The wonders of nature, space, and science are presented in a dynamic format and small size perfect for curious preschoolers. 

Critical Evaluation: The National Geographic Society continues its long tradition of quality educational publications with this title for the very young. Preschool children are inherently curious about the world around them, and Little Kids provides age-appropriate informational articles about nature and science in a format that supports both learning and entertainment.

The factual articles are enlivened with many photographs and the text placed on the page in such a way to allow the pictures to figure prominently. Additionally, colored headings, varying sizes of type, and easily understood design layouts encourage reading and browsing by the very young.

The only drawback to this publication is the cost: a yearly subscription of six bimonthly issues costs $15. Each issue averages just 24 pages, and young families may find the subscription price prohibitive when it is weighed against the frequency of issue delivery and quantity of content.

Age or Interest Level: Ages 3 to 6

Awards: Parent's Choice Gold Award

Why Included? I have been a lifelong fan of National Geographic Magazine, and Little Kids is a perfect introduction to this wonderful educational organization and its many publications.

Click Magazine

Click Magazine: Opening Windows for Young Minds by the publishers of Cricket. ISSN 1094-4273, $24.95

Reader's Annotation: Cartoons, activities, information! There is something here for every child, especially those who enjoy learning about science and nature.

Summary: Click presents science-based articles, stories, and activities for children ages 4 to 6. With informational text, as well as stories that feature returning characters from previous issues, Click appeals to children who enjoy factual accounts as well as story narratives. The text is accompanied by a mix of cartoon-like illustrations, comic strip formats, and photographs.

Each issue focuses on a theme such as snow, the sea, going to the doctor, or insects, with content specifically selected to expand on the given theme. The magazine is approximately 36 pages in length, and is published nine times each year. A complimentary digital subscription is also available with the purchase of a print subscription.

Critical Evaluation: A member of the Cricket family of publications, Click offers informational articles about nature and science at a level appropriate for preschool and kindergarten-aged children. The narrative is clearly worded with a friendly tone that does not talk down to the reader. With recurring characters, such as Click the Mouse and Beatrice Black Bear, and a similar design layout and overall order of content in each issue, children will grow comfortable with the publication, and look forward to their favorite features with each new issue.

Many of the articles offer multiple levels of information that can suit the literacy levels of the young readers. The size of the text indicates the complexity of the content, with the largest text including simpler concepts and the smaller text requiring more complex comprehension skills. This design also encourages co-reading where an early reader could tackle the sections written in the larger typeface, while a parent or teacher could participate by reading the more challenging segments.

There is a great deal of information included in each issue that could prepare children for a STEM focused curriculum, once they begin elementary school. Additionally, the featured activities and interesting concepts that inspire further learning can establish a pattern of inquisitive information seeking that will serve young people well throughout their academic lives.

Age or Interest Level: Ages 4 to 6

Awards: A 2013, 2012, and 2010 Parents' Choice Silver Honor Winner, 
2011 Teachers' Choice Awards for the Family

Why Included? This is a wonderful magazine to offer to children who prefer informational texts to fictional narratives.

Plants: a Science App

Plants App created by the team at Tinybop, Inc. Available on iTunes for iPhone and iPad. $2.99

Annotation: Imagine an open-ended digital world where you are in charge of not only the weather, pollination, flora and fauna, but also the passing of time. This cleverly designed app allows the participant to do just that, and learn a great deal about life cycles and the interconnected web of nature at the same time.

Summary: Second in the Explorers Library Series by Tinybop, this open-ended app presents three diorama-style biomes (forest, grassland, and desert) where touch screen capabilities enable the participant to interact with multiple aspects of the landscape, weather, flora and fauna, and time.

There is no instruction booklet, and as children explore the app, swiping here or tapping there, the discovery of a possible action invites further investigation. Pollination, weather events, decomposition, fire, and animal and plant life cycles can be initiated and better understood as each stage of the processes is illustrated.



Accompanying the visual depiction of the dioramas are labels which specify the names of the plants and animals. These labels are also interactive, and are available in over 50 languages. Natural sounds play in the background, but never at a distracting frequency or volume.



As updates are developed, Tinybop plans on releasing additional biomes and animal species to allow more complex natural worlds to emerge. Additionally, Tinybop has provided a free downloadable handbook for parents and educators who wish to encourage conversation about the outcomes in the Plants world.

Critical Evaluation: This science app has been designed to appeal to the natural inquisitiveness of children, and each participant's experience will be highly individualized. Many of the aspects of nature that are explored in Plants support STEM learning outcomes. This would be a valuable app to offer in a school or public library setting, particularly in conjunction with other materials focusing on life cycles and the interconnected structure of the natural world.

French illustrator Marie Caudry's drawings of the plants, landscapes, and animals are playful and attractive while remaining accurate. The many interactive details invite closer study and inspire wonder. Her palette changes with the time of day and with the seasons, but is consistently vibrant and richly hued.

The Plants app is priced very reasonably for the included content. The complexity of the learning experience, as well as the projected expansion of available biomes and animal species make it well worth the cost. Tinybop has released two other titles in the Explorer's Library Series: Human Body and Homes, which are available purchase as a bundle for even greater cost-effectiveness.

Age or Interest Level: Ages 6 to 8

Awards: ---

Why Included? Children's lives are often so structured by daily life in our society that it is not often that they are completely in charge. Plants gives them a chance to do things exactly as they want to, and then observe the results.