Magazines

We have been receiving 2 magazines for Sophie since her birthday and I think I should write reviews on them. Personally, I do find the magazines costly (almost $10 per copy) but they are truly wonderful for Sophie. We subscribed them through Righteous International Subscription Services although I would see them occassionally in Kinokuniya.

The first one is Wild Animal Baby (for age 0 - 4yrs) published by National Wildlife Fedaeration. Sophie loves the photographs of animals and enjoys reading the short, simple stories. There are also fun fingerplay rhymes and engaging activities in each issue. Initially, Papa felt that the magazine was too expensive for its contents, now he is happy to have subscribed it. Sophie has learnt to identify many of the animals from the magazine. Also, we can go to its website for more information about wildlife, parenting tips and other related activities. Here is the sample.

Of course there are also similar magazines for older children, like Your Big Backyard for age 3-7 yrs (sample), and Ranger Pick for age 7 yrs and up (sample). I cannot say much about them because I have not read any of their issues yet. However, I am likely to subscribe them when Sophie is older.

Another magazine we have subscribed for Sophie is the BABYBUG® (for age 6 mths - 3 yrs), published by Cricket Magazine Group. It is a literary magazine so it is hard to weigh its value against its price tag. However, it is a great way to expose Sophie to a wide variety of genres. I also like the main characters, Kim and Carrots, and their story. In a way, I am inspired by Kim's mother and her style of parenting. She is nurturing and ever so patient and loving towards her son. Their website also provides useful information for parents on education, resources and follow-up activities. Here is the sample.

They also have LADYBUG® for age 3 - 6 yrs (sample), SPIDER® for age 6 - 9 yrs (sample), CRICKET® for age 9 - 14 yrs (sample), and CICADA® for age 14 yrs and up (sample) under the literary catergory. Their nonfiction magazines (devoted to the sciences, arts, and humanities) include CLICK® for age 3 - 7 yrs (sample), ASK® for age 7 - 10 yrs (sample), and MUSE® (sample) for age 10 yrs and up. There are many other magazines but I cannot list them all. These are just a few potential ones that I would consider subscribing for Sophie.