Getting something in the mail always feels like a special occasion, but we feel just as special about putting our new magazines in the mail! Every month or two, we get excited to share our latest treasure trove. Now that summer is nearly here, our new May/June issues are filled with summer fun and adventure of all kinds. Check out a video overview of all of our titles on our YouTube channel here:
Now, it can be a little tricky to keep track of ten different magazines for all different ages. If you’d like to learn a little more about any of these titles, read on for a peek inside each May/June issue!
“Trip to the Farm”
from BABYBUG Magazine (Ages 0-3)
Cover art by Ellen Stubbings.
What could be more exciting for a toddler than a trip to the farm? Join Kim and Carrots on a journey through the countryside, meeting animals and finding bugs! Grow a garden or dance through a meadow! Did you know that National Mother Goose Day was May 1? This issue includes the classic nursery rhyme, “Little Boy Blue.”
Meet real farm animals in the “Let’s Explore” section. See if your little one can identify the animals by their sounds! In the adorable poem “One by One,” children can enjoy colorful paintings of their favorite animals while counting items one by one.
BABYBUG was designed for read-aloud time, and this issue is no exception. The ‘Guide for Caregivers’ gives tips about how grown-ups can use the stories and poems to inspire lessons and experiences. In this issue, pictures of baby and adult animals can provide an opportunity for kids to learn about ‘big’ and ‘little!’ Reading BABYBUG together is an experience worth cherishing for kids and the adults who love them!
“Get Well Soon”
from CLICK Magazine (Ages 3-6)
Achoo! It’s no fun being sick—but if you have to stay in bed, there’s nothing like a little reading to pass the time! Germs can make you really sick, and they are everywhere. So why aren’t we sick all the time? Because our bodies are constantly hard at work fighting the bad germs. Find out how in this issue of CLICK!
Learn how parts of your body trap germs from getting in, and find out why bacteria makes your throat sore. Meet microbes, the gazillions of teeny tiny creatures that live in and on our bodies, and find out why we need them to live (and to make cheese and chocolate)! Try experiments to find out how far germs can go with a single sneeze and how long we need to wash our hands to get rid of germs.
A comic strip called the Germ Busters follows the adventures of the superheroes that exist inside our own bodies: antibodies and vaccines! See the difference between bacteria and viruses and learn what people in different countries say when somebody sneezes. Can flowers get sick? Discover how! This issue even includes the true story of Elizabeth Blackwell, the first American woman to become a doctor!
In this month’s Click & Jane cartoon, Cece comes down with a cold! Find out how her friends take care of her.
Also, Beatrice the Black Bear takes her cat to a doctor for animals: a veterinarian! Kids will also enjoy the take-out pages, which include a ‘Germ Game’ in which players try not to spread germs through a variety of situations.
“Splash!”
from LADYBUG Magazine (Ages 3-6)
Cover art by John Sandford
Now that summer is near, it’s time for plenty of adventures—by land or by sea!
The May/June issue of LADYBUG is sure to make a splash! Join Max and Kate for a car wash, go to a beach party, build your own wave stick, greet creatures under the ocean, and sing a sailing song! Can you imagine what would happen if a car ran away from home on a journey of a lifetime? In “Suleiman’s Big Adventure,” that’s exactly what happens. Find out what Greta and her grandmother do with a beloved but broken piano in “Nana’s Piano,” or join in the fun with a musical family in “Timothy Plays the Drums.”
Plus, test your eyes with an ‘I Spy’ activity; make your own Go Fish game; go fishing with Molly and Emmett; and visit a very strange used car lot with Ladybug, Muddle, & Thud!
There’s no end to the fun you can have together with a little imagination and a spark of inspiration from LADYBUG! Where will you chart a course this summer?
“Do Rocks Need Us?”
from ASK Magazine (Ages 6-9)
Cover art by Thor Wickstrom
It’s no exaggeration to say that we rely on rocks—in fact, the ground we stand on (and a lot of buildings) would collapse without them. But do rocks need us? That’s what this issue aims to explore.
You might think rocks don’t change. But they do, in their own slow time, and living things play a part in the process! See how islands are born from volcanic eruptions and meet the rocks that were once alive: fossils. Kids may be shocked to learn that even THEY are part rock: after all, the human body is about 5% minerals, mostly calcium! Encounter some of Earth’s earliest inhabitants in the shallow waters of Shark Bay, Australia, and learn to tell the difference between real rocks and animals who cleverly mimic them.
But not all rocks exist on Earth. Journey to Mars to find how scientists use rocks to determine whether anything ever lived on the red planet!
Separate salt from pepper with Marvin’s Clever Trick and find out why only SOME bodies of water are salty in “Ask ASK!” In Nosy’s News, meet the original unicorn that lived thousands of years ago (not as beautiful as you might hope) and find a forgotten scrap of Ancient Egyptian homework! And don’t miss the winning entries from January’s contest about super senses!
There’s no denying that this issue of ASK totally ROCKS!
“Raining Cats & Dogs”
from SPIDER Magazine (Ages 6-9)
Cover art by John Sandford
You’ve probably heard people say “It’s raining cats and dogs,” but what about “It’s raining fish and frogs?” Believe it or not, animal rain is actually a real phenomenon. This issue of SPIDER is filled with wonderful, impossible, and surprising stories and activities, all guaranteed to liven up a rainy day!
Join Doodlebug & Dandelion for a trip to the wacky Scary-Hausen Adventure Park, make your own ‘glass flower’ craft, or join Yolanda and her Abuelo for a lazy Sunday game of dominos! Have you ever wondered why the sky is so far away? A Nigerian folk tale gives a colorful explanation of why that might be. Enjoy a summer sunset and imaginative superhero artwork sent in by SPIDER readers. The popular “Ophelia’s Last Word” feature shares Chef Miro’s recipe for corn dog muffins.
In Debbie Urbanski’s previous SPIDER stories, “Too Many Dragons” and “Too Many Stinkbugs,” you may have read about Skoki and Charlie, children from two different parallel worlds that can be visited by jumping through a magic puddle. In this issue of SPIDER, enjoy “The Diary of a Pet Stinkbug” and find out how Skoki and her pet save the magical puddle from disappearing!
In the take-out pages, create your own cloud viewer to spot interesting clouds in the sky, find what they’re called, and see what they can tell you about the weather! Even when the sky is gray, there’s plenty of excitement to be had with SPIDER!
“Money Smarts”
from COBBLESTONE Magazine (Ages 9-14)
Do your kids have a piggy bank at home? It’s never too soon for young people to start the journey toward being a wise saver and spender of money. This issue of COBBLESTONE is all about money in America from barter to bitcoin and beyond!
Gold has been valued since ancient times, but it had one big drawback. Imagine waiting that long for a shopkeeper to weigh your gold when you’re just trying to buy a quick snack! Soon, gold coins were introduced in around 550 BCE, followed later by silver, bronze, and paper money! What ensured that a $100 bill was really worth its value? The Gold Standard, which held an equal amount of gold in the nation’s reserves for every bill. Since the World Wars, however, the country no longer operates on a gold standard. So what determines the worth of our money today? Find out in COBBLESTONE!
Learn about the pluses and minuses of checks, credit and debit cards, cash, digital payment, and cryptocurrencies. Decipher a credit card statement, find out how interest and debt can be a friend or foe, and come up with your own recipe for savings. Meet a real banker for a no-nonsense Q&A and start budgeting!
On the way, learn the origins of popular sayings about money, spot the biggest American bill ever printed, read about the Louisiana Purchase, and much more!
Don’t forget some of the cool currencies across the world, from beaver pelts to wheels of cheese, and plans for future currency to be used in outer space! This month’s COBBLESTONE is rich with information!
“Born to Dance”
from CRICKET Magazine (Ages 9-14)
Cover art by Polly M. Law
The beautiful ballerina on the cover of this month’s CRICKET is no red herring: this issue is filled with singing, dancing, and making a splash onstage! Illustrator Polly M. Law was inspired by Misty Copeland, the first African-American female principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre.
In “Finding the Perfect Sandy,” a student stage-managing a school production of ANNIE begins a search for the perfect dog to play Sandy and learns something about accepting her own imperfections and pursuing her wishes!
Learn about strange theatre superstitions through history, from saying ‘Break a leg’ to avoiding blue costumes! Follow it up with this issue’s superstition-themed version of Ugly Bird’s Crossbird Puzzle. Meet Jacques D’Amboise, the American boy who became a famous ballet dancer, and Enjoy Aurelia Fronty’s lush illustrations for Alissa King’s adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale, “The Nightingale.” Read a tale based on the true story of a young Korean boy who helped a famous admiral defeat the invading Japanese fleet, or the touching story of a Japanese girl whose encounter with a street musician helps her cope with the death of her grandfather.
Plus, Cricket builds a robot in Cricket Country, February’s “Magic Spell” poetry contest winners are revealed, and Old Cricket shares the surprising true story of Hans Christian Andersen’s youth, which apparently inspired “The Ugly Duckling!” This exciting issue of CRICKET puts on quite a show!
“The 1860’s: What a Decade!”
from DIG INTO HISTORY MAGAZINE
(Ages 9-14)
What do you think of when you hear “the 1860’s?” Maybe something to do with the Civil War? But what about outside the USA? It turns out that the 1860’s were an eventful time across the world! This issue of DIG explores the 1860’s one year at a time, with a major and minor world event for each year.
Before the Emancipation Proclamation was issued in the USA, serfs were being emancipated in Russia in the early 1860’s. Learn the shocking history of the Second Opium War, followed by the quirky tale of the Great Tea Race. (Readers can even play a game inspired by this particular event, when several sailing ships all competed to reach Britain with a cargo of tea from China.) Check out some of the famous art, literature, and music that was created in the 1860’s—and visit the infamous theatre where Abraham Lincoln was assassinated.
Have you ever heard of the Battle of Callao? It doesn’t often come up in history class, but this bloody South American battle literally occurred over… bird poop. Yes. Various European countries fought over Peru’s Chincha Islands because they were rich in, um, natural fertilizer.
Discover why people thought that the purchase of Alaska was a huge mistake, or why the building of the Suez Canal was such a huge challenge. Plus, what’s a Hippomobile?
Follow the ongoing Adventures of Dr. Dig and check out some of the regular features of this issue. Learn the surprising origins of common words like ‘battle,’ ‘history,’ and ‘decade,’ and find out the English meanings of American cities and states with Spanish names. Meet famous authors who wrote under ‘pen names’ in ‘Did You Know?’ and uncover how ancient Egyptians colored their paintings in the ‘Ask Away’ section. Explore recommendations for some top-notch books and websites to learn more about the 1860’s! This may be your only chance to time-travel through ten years in less than 60 pages!
“People of Canada”
from FACES Magazine (Ages 9-14)
It’s easy to think of Canada as the USA’s friendly upstairs neighbor, but this huge and diverse country is more than just America’s hat! Cross a treetop walkway, enjoy talented street performers, and
We know that the United States is a melting pot, but did you know that nearly a million immigrants passed through Pier 21 in Novia Scotia? Thousands of African-American people also moved north to Canada between 1850 and 1860 before the Civil War broke out. But Canada wasn’t a safe haven for everyone. This issue of FACES also explores the dark chapter of Canadian history in which Native American children were taken from their families and cultures and forced to attend residential schools.
Today, many Indigenous or First Nations people living in Canada carry on ancient traditions, like the ‘potlatch’ ceremonies held by the Haida people. See some intricate artwork made by Haida artist Eric Parnell! Come face-to-face with a moose (and learn why they’re not called ‘meese’), enjoy street performers, visit a rodeo, and find out how to eat like a Canadian! Poutine, anyone? Plus, create your own flag, share an Ojibwe legend, and make a mosaic quilt! In this month’s “Dear Kylie” feature, Kylie trades letters with a teenager living in French-speaking Quebec. ‘A Closer Look’ explores Canada’s favorite sport: hockey!
Can you solve a Canadian crossword using clues from the magazines? Canada may not be far away, but there’s worlds of adventures to be had there!
“Marvelously Modern Maps”
from MUSE Magazine (Ages 9-14)
It may sound crazy, but it’s true: ALL maps are wrong! But that doesn’t mean that they’re not useful. This exciting issue of MUSE takes readers from the earliest days of maps to the future of geography. In Ancient Mesopotamia, maps already included familiar symbols like triple curving lines for rivers and rounded shapes for mountains. Some things truly never change!
Getting lost in the wilderness, far from any civilization, is many people’s worst nightmare. Luckily, Kobe Pole, who is only 15 years old, is an expert search and rescue volunteer who uses technology and his own climbing skills to rescue lost hikers. Discover the tools that people like Kobe use to spot missing people, and find out what to do if you ever get lost. Here there be dragons! Match the real animal to the mythical creatures often mistakenly labeled as existing on old maps. Then, meet a real-life cartographer and read about Marie Tharp, the woman who mapped the ocean floor. Would you believe that dolphins help scientists create accurate maps of the ocean? Sound waves can tell researchers a lot.
Plus, why do wombats poop cubes? It’s the question you never knew you needed answered. Check out a furturistic map of Earth in Parallel U, go geocaching in your neighborhood, and read a letter from the representative from the Intergalactic Organization of Hot Pink Bunny Hunters and more in Muse Mail.
In the Q&A section, puzzle over what you would see if you turned on the headlights of a car traveling at light speed. Don’t forget the winners of the January contest– creatures engineered to live in extreme conditions! According to Tim Wallace, as long as the Earth is still revolving around the sun, there are more things to map. Maybe this issue of MUSE will point future cartographers in the right direction!
Do you any of these topics spark your kids’ interest! Want to buy one specific issue without subscribing to the whole magazine? Find our most recent single magazine issues here!
