Title: Zoobooks
Author: John Bonnett Wexo
Publisher: Wildlife Education, Ltd.
Date: March/April 2016
Format: Print; 18 pages
Summary:
Zoobooks is a magazine for children that teaches about wildlife. Each issue features a different animal. All the articles will be written about that particular animal and all the photos will highlight that animal. Articles address things such as habitats, subspecies, little known facts, predator-prey relationships, and family relationships.
The featured animal for this particular issue of Zoobooks is the parrot. Articles mention "talking" parrots, which ones make the best pets, where different species are located, how their feet/talons work, what their skeletons look like, how they use their beaks, and how they build their nests and care for their young.
Audience:
The audience for this magazine is children ages 6-12. Amazon, Zoobooks themselves, and Parent's Choice Reviews list it for this target range. I would agree. Vocabulary is fairly simple, layouts are colorful and easy to comprehend, and the content material is something that would resonate with small children and relate to topics that they study in school.
Strengths:
Zoobooks performs well in the following areas:
- Colorful and interesting layouts/spreads that make good use of captions
- Small blocks of text and plenty of white space so that information is not overwhelming or difficult to read; Simple and straightforward.
- No advertisements which create a clutter-free feeling as you leaf through the pages. It also means that there are less distractions.
- Themed issues that teach about a single animal reinforce comprehension.
- Interesting spread in each issue that asks children if they would like this animal as a pet. Then the writers discuss what it would be like, which materials the children would need, how much food they would need, etc. which makes the animal come to life.
- Beautiful full-color photo spreads that could be used as posters after the magazine is read; lots of photos without wording superimposed on them that would work for cutouts for collages as well.
- Often includes puzzles, charts, maps, etc. that are relevant and helpful for informational text.
- "Explore Even More" section on the back of the magazine which offers links, Q&A, jokes, and suggestions for further reading/research.
Zoobooks would be a better read if:
- The text is set in Times New Roman, which is a bit dull and formal for small children, and the text font does not vary throughout the magazine.
- It could make better use of inserts and special stories that highlight children interacting with the particular animal of the month.
- The layouts are very basic. Much more could be done with graphics to enhance images, create more interesting backdrops, etc.
This magazine would pair well with any kind of study about animals: biomes, reproduction, biology, ecology, environment, science-related subjects, etc. It would also work well with units covering responsibility, pet ownership, and human-animal-environment systems. It would be a great tool for small "research" projects with young children. They could read the magazine and then do short presentations that teach the class about their animal.
Read-alikes:
Some similar magazines include the following:
- National Geographic Kids
- Ranger Rick
- Ask
Zoobooks has received the following honors:
- Parent's Choice Gold Award
- Amazon Bestseller distinction for children's magazines and magazines about animals
- Longevity: It has been published for 35 years and counting
On the whole, I would give this magazine a 3 out of 5 star rating. While it does not match up to National Geographic Kids or Ranger Rick in terms of visual appeal and the variation of content material, I think its single theme and simplicity offer something unique. The magazine offers few distractions, which I think is very important sometimes for young readers. I also like it that children can go more in-depth about a particular animal of interest to them.
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