Wild Animal Baby - A Toddler's First Magazine!

If you are looking for a grandparent gift for a toddler, look no further than Wild Animal Baby, a publication from the National Wildlife Federation.

When my son turned 1 year old he started a subscription to Wild Animal Baby and we've looked forward to receiving our issue each month (or so). For $19.95 a year, you will receive 10 magazines sent approximately once a month.

Because the target age group for this publication is for 1-3 year olds it is not your typical glossy paper magazine. Instead, Wild Animal Baby is printed on a card stock and is somewhere between cardboard and a board book in "stiffness". This means that it is durable and withstands use (and abuse) by young child. Its also sized appropriately for its target audience. Instead of being letter sized or larger, each issue of this publication is 6"x6" square and contains 24 pages. The binding is staple-free and the paper is non-toxic. This means that the Wild Animal Baby is safe for your child to play with and explore to the fullest. If they happen to take a nibble or a lick that is ok too.

Wild Animal Baby may be both small and tough enough for a kid to handle, but its made to be interactive. This magazine is best benefitted from if shared between parent and child. A subscription to this magazine is sort of like having a new book delivered each month to share and explore together and even add to your bookshelves to look at down the road.

In Each Issue

Out and About With Duffy
A 4 page "story" about Duffy (a family pet). These stories are very simple, but they always involve a family, children, and nature/seasons. Since the attention span for toddlers is often quite short a 4 page story is just about perfect. You won't find anything "deep" or with embedded lessons here, but instead nice pictures to look at and enjoy.

Zudzee's Zoo
This is a 2 page spread which is intended to teach children about animals, habitats and build pre-reading skills. On the left-hand side we see Zudzee, a hippo, in the tub with her tub toys. She has one animal shape stuck to the shower tiles and instructions for you to find the animal on the other page. On the right hand side, you'll see 4 photos of real life animals and the object is to match real animal to the shape in Zudzee's tub.

What do you say?
Another 2 pages featuring a photo of a wild animal and its baby. Children are encouraged to make whatever sound the animals make (i.e. Roar like a lion, Bray like camel).

Fingerplays
Since children love to do finger plays, body movement, and imitate there is always some sort of interactive game. In the month of May 2002 issue there is a "dance" called the "Duck Dance" which involves both full body movements and hand motions.

I Can!
On the left side of the page we see a child and/or parent & child doing something. On the right side we see an animal doing the same thing. From the May issue, a Mom holding a baby tight, and then a Gorilla doing the same with her young. This makes for a perfect opportunity for parent/child to do the same.

Wild Shapes
On the left side a couple shapes are displayed (and labeled with colors). And on the right side an animal is made out of the shapes. Encourage your child to point out the colors and shapes in the picture. This is great for a young toddler just learning shapes, and as a teaching tool.

Featured Animal
Gorgeous photographs from nature of a new animal each issue. Each page shows a photo and gives a description about the animal. Special attention is given to include an animal baby and parent in each 6 page spread.

Wild Alphabet
One letter per issue, this is usually on the back cover of each issue and actually features an animal with a photo of a reader and an alphabet letter.

**Special Fun - There are 4 little hidden pictures throughout the magazine of Sammy the Skunk. Sammy is an adorable little skunk who is wearing overalls. Its fun to find Sammy and ask your child to point him out.


There is NO ADVERTISING in Wild Animal Baby. I am sure that this is why the cost of subscription remains as "high" as it is (at $19.95/10 issues). However, for no ads and a quality publication such as this - the $20 is well justified. In our case we also got a new subscriber gift (dinnerware set) along with our subscription, which made it worth even more the while.


Overall
If you are a parent of a toddler looking for something "fun", consider trying out a one-year subscription to this magazine. Or if grandparents, relatives are wondering what to give for a special gift, suggest a subscription to this publication.

We're enjoying Wild Animal Baby for many reasons. But the biggest being, the animal photos are great. Children respond to animals and will get a kick out of seeing the various animal babies with mommy or daddy.
The magazine is even more worthwhile because the issues are something to keep and not throw-away like traditional magazines. And, last but not least, this publication encourages interactivity on many levels. My son enjoys flipping through the pages alone or doing the activities on each page along with me.

This really is quite special and I definitely will be renewing. I think that 2 and 3 year olds probably will get more out of this publication than 1 year olds. However, I can say with quite a bit of confidence that my 16 month old enjoys these little books very much. He loves animals, and this is a great way to introduce nature, and wild animals to young children.

I honestly never thought that toddlers could have magazines, or that it would be worth it. I was so wrong!
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Additional Info

http://www.nwf.org/wildanimalbaby/

As subscribers to the magazine each issue has a password printed on it for use at the website. This entitles subscribers to access to a special area called "Sammy's Den"- including activities, crafts, and more. If you don't have internet access you just need to send a SASE to a specified address with the password and they'll mail you a paper version of the issue's activity.

Other Magazines for older children include:
Your Big Backyard (Ages 3-6)
Ranger Rick (Ages 7-12)