My son Nicholas is almost thirteen and has been subscribing to Zoobooks since he was five. This is his absolute favorite magazine. Over the years he has also subscribed to Reptiles Magazine, Horses Illustrated, National Geographic, Nick Jr., Nichelodeon, Disney Adventures, Animals, Ranger Rick, Cat Fancy and National Geographic Kids.
We started our subscription by responding to the television commercial that still airs on children's television shows and received the Elephants issue with the Tiger Poster.
This is a monthly periodical that has no advertisements, plenty of colorful pictures, activities to pull out and submit drawings for future issues. The facts covers the current animal profiled in the issue and teaches kids geography lessons by showing maps where they live. If your story is published in an issue you will get a free one-year extension on your Zoobooks subscription.
I am trying to talk my son into doing one this summer, but the work submitted cannot be returned and that is a dilemma for him. This can be either a drawing or poem on the topic they are seeking. There is a deadline to send in your 100 word story for a future issue on a selected species. The last issue had the deadline for submissions of May 1, 2008 on the subject of Zebras and Insects.
There are illustrations also covering everything you would want to know about the specific animal. The Big Cats issue is a favorite from May 2006. This gives details on their eyes, tongue, whiskers, ears and more. Readers learn how they kill their prey, where dark leopards and jaguars live and what their strengths are.
Asian and African lions have short or long manes, old males are driven out of the pride and only male lions have manes. Readers will also gain insights into the laws arounding each species and know which are endangered.
My son knows all the facts on each animal species from reading cover to cover each issue of Zoobooks. This is published by Wildlife Education, Ltd. from San Diego, California. The toll-free number used to be on the back side of the magazine, but they stopped that a few years ago. The number is 1-800-992-5034.
The cost for a yearly subscription is $22.95 in the United States with an additional $9.00 for Canadian residents. You can find single copy issues at the gift stores of Zoos and similar facilities. We have picked up several issues this way since my son did not want to wait for that issue and his younger brother tore some of his issues up and we needed replacements.
Subscribers also get an online newsletter with the website having activities for children to partake in. Each issue of Zoobooks has the secret password for the current month in the activities page for Humphrey's Hideaway. A great feature of this magazine is the back cover lists what the next issue will be covering.
Out of all the magazines we currently get this is the one that comes late most often. I have called a few times over the years to inquire about the issue and they will send another one out the beginning of the next month since they wait till the end of the month to make sure you have received the current issue.
The issue comes after the fifteenth and as late as the 29th of the month. The month received is the same issue. We just received the March issue for 2008, which is on Lions and has an article on Jaguars - this is the theme of a research report for sixth grade and great timing. He has already received his May 2008 ssue of Cat Fancy with a Scottish Fold on the cover.
Zoobooks is a winner of the Parent's Gold Choice Award. The magazine is a glossy finish with the label imprinted on the back. The photography credits and art credits are at the back of each issue. There are seventeen pages within each issue of Zoobooks. The last two pages of each issue are dedicated to the future of the species profiled, where they are found and the people and organizations working to save them
Ever since the preschool class where we first found a Zoobooks magazine they have been a fixture in my child's reading. The school libraries keep copies from years back with issues also available at the public library. My son Nicholas has brought issues to school when they are discussing certain animals during a school project, etc.
Some of the species covered -
My son is always referring to a Zoobooks issue telling people about Elephants, Jaguars and other species and what he has learned from perusing these informative and educational magazines.
They are suitable for giving as a gift through a gift subscription and reading in the car on trips and vacations. It is a thrill to get your issue each month and delve int the learning and exploring of another animal species. Families can follow up on this by tuning into Animal Planet and National Geographic Channel for family shows that focus on animals.