WILD MagazineSpring 2012 Magazines
In the world of kids' magazines, Wild is where the wild things are-in the traditional animal sense, that is. Published by the Canadian Wildlife Federation, Wild is all about critters. Okay, a few flowers and other flora sneak into these pages, too, but first and foremost this magazine is filled with animals and insects and things that go bump in the woods.
The magazine's entire approach is a little bit loosey goosey, from its inside-cover table of contents that simplifies everything into large photos and illustrations with minimal text, to its regular "Moose and Weasel" comic strip inside the back cover featuring a couple of Canadian Tom and Jerrys going for the laughs.
The pages in between are filled with wildlife stories and casual science lessons, animal-themed games, trivia and puzzles, fictional Wild Bunch short stories, and lots of wilderness photographs and illustrations. Featured stories in recent issues include an entertaining section on some of nature's smelliest residents (from stink bugs and musk ox to turkey vultures and skunk cabbage) and the "incredible journeys" of migrating species escaping harsh winters (from arctic terns and sockeye salmon to Monarch butterflies and Leatherneck sea turtles). Some of the stories take unusually engaging points of view, like what the world looks like to a fish or how animals camouflage themselves.
Meanwhile, the Canadian Wildlife Federation gets in some self promotion and advertising for t-shirts, Wild subscriptions, children's books and posters-though parents should know that there is no third-party advertising.
In its sixteenth year, Wild is an established and fun resource for kids interested in walking on the wild-life side.