PreK-1, A colorfully filled magazine chalk full of stories, rhymes, songs, and storytelling through hand motions to share with your young child. Predominately created as a read-aloud for adults to children, this magazine has maudlin stories to help spark imagination of children as they listen. Listeners of this magazine might also enjoy Highlights, as the styling of illustrations, and tone of the magazine are similar. ( )

These days, children are so inundated with advertisements that at times they sound like walking commercials themselves. “Mom! I want the FRUITY cereal!” “Dad! I have to have THIS doll!” The culprits are everywhere: tv, movies, billboards, and yes, magazines for children. That’s what makes reading “Ladybug: The Magazine for Young Children” so very refreshing – there isn’t a single ad in the entire publication (unless you count the ONE page in the back for subscription renewals) and it’s still affordable at $33.95/year. From cover to cover, young readers are treated to stories, poems, games, and comics. There to navigate them through the pages are the Ladybug Friends: little cartoon critters that narrate what’s going on on the page and who suggest website links to extras for those kids who want to the fun to keep going. Each magazine is themed (cold weather, traveling, back to school, etc.) and since it’s intended for children 3-6 years of age (publishers Cricket Magazine Group also provide publications for children under 3 – Babybug – and several for children ages 6 and up), there is no messing around with introductions or tables of content – it jumps right in with a story. Readers are treated to a variety of different authors and illustrators, getting them ready for understanding differences they will see later on in the books they read as they get older. A craft or activity is always included in the last four pages of the mag, helping readers with memory and motor skills. Highly recommended. ( )

Filled with short stories and poems sure to interest emerging readers, "Ladybug" is both engaging and thought provoking. Most of the short stories and poems center around a query or a problem posed by a young child, and the entire story demonstrates the thought process required to solve the query or problem. Bold, mostly simple illustrations accompany each page, sometimes to the exclusion of any white space as such, although the amount of text on a page is never too large, perfect for the beginning reader. In addition, several small bug characters are continuous throughout the magazine, inserting questions and fun facts of their own. High-quality glossy paper and no advertisements make this a good addition to any library serving young children, nor is the price is not extravagant; with single issues costing about seven dollars or about thirty-five dollars for all nine issues published within the year. Recommended. Ages 3-6. ( )