27. Sports Illustrated Kids - June, 2011

MAGAZINE (ages 8-12)

Brief Description: "Sports Illustrated Kids," a monthly publication, covers sports highlights for that month and includes all major sports. A removable poster of two sports figures is included each month as well as removable sports figure cards. The "favorites" section includes various monthly features such as "Tips from the Pros," "Scouting Report," and "What's the Call?" Great action shots and other photography pepper the pages of this exciting monthly magazine. Most articles feature men's sports, but a few articles focused on women athletes. Very few advertisements are present.

Awards: None

Personal Opinion: This magazine was gorgeously photographed with action shots - and huge spreads throughout the publication. I enjoyed the featured articles as well as the monthly favorites like "Freeze Frame." While most articles are short, there are a few longer and fairly well-written pieces as well. I noticed a lack of information concerning college-level athletes, but that may be because of the season.

Curriculum/Programming: This magazine offers an excellent addition to a PE Curriculum and would help create a wonderful discussion about various aspects of major league sports.

22. American Girl Magazine, July/August 2011

MAGAZINE (ages 8-13)

Brief Description: This colorful publication is beautifully designed. Included are recipes, fashion and hair tips, crafts, quizzes, and a short story with a message, but a great deal of the content is generated by readers through drawings, life stories, and true stories of good deeds. This particular issue included a fold-out poster of fun cartoons to color. Of course, there is an entire story centered around "doll fun" in which American Girl dolls are pictured on a camping trip. Adorable cut-out posters of animals are featured at the end of the publication as well as a "Help!" column in which readers request assistance for problems. The only advertisements were two pages on the inside covers for American Girl magazine itself, and American Girl's online store of doll/kid-matching dresses. Ages of readers ranged from 9 - 13.

Awards: Recommended Award, Parent's Choice, 2011

Personal Opinion: My library has carried this publication for many years, yet I have never cracked the cover! I found it beautifully photographed and written, although it seemed a bit much to have fashion tips, but that's probably just me. The stories were well written, and the interactive games and quizzes were pretty fun. I would have enjoyed coloring the poster insert, and I think I'll be trying a few of the simple recipes for library programming. I would definitely recommend this to patrons.

Programming/Curriculum: It might be fun to center a weekly craft activity on the crafts provided in the magazine; from scrapbook paper beads, to simple no-cook snacks, this publication could easily support a weekly craft activity for kids.

16. National Geographic Kids - June/July 2011

MAGAZINE (ages 6-14)

Brief Description: National Geographic Kids is a visual smorgasbord! Bright fun photos and short quick articles and facts punctuate every page, making this a treat for today's visually-oriented young person. Great features include the "weird but true" section, "sports funnies" and "animal myths busted." I also liked "bet you didn't know" which features six surprising facts about sharks, including that "you are more likely to win American Idol than to be killed by a shark." There are several charming stories about animals and the unusual friends they've made, and, as the cover promised, a nice section on water which included three hotels with water features that are not your average hotel pool! Several games are included which make the magazine more interactive. The section on the intelligence of various animals was also interesting.

Awards: None

Personal Opinion: I like this shiny bright presentation of animals and other topics interesting to kids. I found the articles quite short and were primarily comprised of a listing of facts with accompanying photographs. The games were fun, and the section in which you "stump your parents" wasn't as easy as I thought it would be! There were some tough questions in there! I liked the minimal advertisements, and the ones present were for toothbrushes, newly released books, goldfish crackers, and Seaworld - not bad. I'd give the publication an A+ for content and gorgeous photography and graphics.

Curriculum/Programming: Not sure what I'd do around this magazine for programming at the library, but it is a fantastic supplement to a science curriculum centered around the study of animals. I think I'd use this on a Friday afternoon as additional reading for students in grades 4 or 5.