Click

As an earlier review noted, each issue has a specific theme. For example, the last few issues were titled "At The Zoo", "In The Night Sky", "In The Islands", and "Busy Cities". This makes each issue like a mini-book, to be read and re-read, depending on your child's interest in the topic of the month.

Even if the current issue's topic doesn't engage your child, he/she will still want to read it, if only to see the recurring features, such as "Click & The Kids" and "Yo Wants To Know". This combination is a great way to introduce new topics in a familiar setting.

The writing is fresh and much more interesting to young minds than what you find in some other kids' magazines. Each story is well-illustrated. A given issue will have a variety of types of writing - cartoons, photoessays, non-fiction articles, 4-5 page fiction stories, and ideas of things to do.

This mix is great for kids with variable attention spans - if he/she can sit for 30 minutes, you can read the whole magazine. If 5 minutes, or 15 minutes, is today's limit, you can find something to fit that span.

Finally, as another reviewer noted, the magazine is written at several different comprehension levels, meaning that it spans the suggested age range quite well, with something for everyone, and that you can go back and read old issues with more mature eyes and get a new experience.

All in all, this magazine has been a great source of information for my son, and I recommend it highly.


Click and we're off !   January 16, 2003
51 out of 51 found this review helpful

Click is a kids magazine that addresses the physical world in a way that appeals across a broad age range.

The Cricket Group seems to have cut its teeth on first literary magazines (Spider and Cricket), but Click is the complement, discussing the real concrete world of "people who work at night", "where things come from", "on the moon", and "surviving in the desert".

The articles range from early read-it-yourself to longer listening stories. Recurring cartoons with text "Clicks and the kids", "Yo wants to know" and "Beatrice Black Bear" are perennial favorites.

The real magic to Click is that it is a preferred read for both our 7 and 4 year olds. That is a tough spread, but Click has and is the favorite. When its time to read to both, or time for a warm comfort, Click is it.

When you order, find a safe place to keep the issues, because they will be read and re-read. And if you are doing the re-reading, you may want to refresh with last year's issue.


Excellent magazine   November 29, 2002
27 out of 27 found this review helpful

My four year old and seven year old enjoy this magazine which is published by the Smithsonian and Cricket. Working with one theme (ie, gardens, animal homes, working animals, flight, communication, etc.) the magazine presents the material with stories, comic strips, non-fiction articles and games. The issues are 36 pages long, not too long to read in one sitting, but thorough and satisfying. The photographs and illustrations are attractive and informative. The only complaint I have about it is that there are only nine issues in twelve months, a problem in my house since my older children's magazines come every month. Otherwise, this is an excellent magazine and well worth the money.


Yeah, what they said. Plus....   October 1, 2004
tappinlisa (Montebello, CA United States)
26 out of 26 found this review helpful

...once you tear out the subscription cards, there are no ads (unless you count one unobtrusive one buried in the publisher's information, telling you how to renew your subscription or order a slipcase).

Each issue includes a tear-out activity...a craft or game related to that issue's theme.

The cast of characters is fairly diverse with various races represented. And if you like your child's reading material to be secular, this magazine fits the bill.

My 4 year old and I look forward to each issue...it's a little expensive for 9 issues, but it's worth it!


Our number 1 pick, even over Ladybug   January 25, 2004
KNSudha (Saratoga, CA USA)
25 out of 25 found this review helpful

My curious 3 1/2 yr old pre-schooler is absolutely fascinated by the themes in this magazine. A few of the articles are above his level which means I will be saving the magazine in a slipcase for future re-reading. The last issue I received was on the theme of magnification -- and we played with a magnifying glass and now more than a month later he enjoys pulling out a magnifying glass and magnifying all of the teeny tiny objects that catch his interest like the little metal balls in mazes, ants outside the house etc... Don't pass on this one, it has in depth articles, and plenty of pictures to engage a young ones interest too. What a great opportunity for open ended learning!