According to Hoffman, 52 percent of single-copy magazine sales are in supermarkets, but children's magazines are poorly represented there. On the market for less than a year, Magic Window will go into national distribution this winter - not only through subscription, but also through supermarket sales. ``Also, the magazine's advisory board doesn't seem to have adequate representation from experts in children's literature.'' ``It has good entertainment value, but I wanted more. ``Magic Window seems too concerned with entertainment,'' Ms. It's a little condescending for a 12-year-old. It aims at too ambitious a span and might do better for just seven- through nine-year-olds. By catering to such a large age group, Magic Window has to hit the lowest common denominator. ``I don't like Magic Window in comparison with some other children's magazines we use - Calliope, Cobblestone, Faces, and Cricket,'' says Cathie Mercier, assistant director of the center.
But some experts in the field of children's literature have dissented.įor example, staff members of the Center for the Study of Children's Literature at Simmons College, Boston, reviewed Magic Window and raised questions about the magazine's literary quality and appropriateness for its target audience. The 10-year-old boy who was enjoying Magic Window in the back of that car was unwittingly casting his vote in favor of it. ``Since we're encouraging reading, we don't have an extension of our product into the media.'' We avoid controversy: sex, violence, drugs, and alcohol. ``We provide children with so many subjects to read - and through the articles encourage them to pursue other interests, too. ``The diversity of subjects encourages reading,'' Hoffman adds. If someone's a slow learner - all the way to the computer kid - we feel Magic Window has something to offer. ``If a child can read at all, he'll find at least three articles he'll like in each issue. ``Magic Window is unique because of the comprehensive editorial format,'' says Mr. Astor's estate.'''ĭepartments in the magazine include ``That's Entertainment,'' ``Where Things Come From,'' ``Across the U.S.A.,'' ``Natural Wonders,'' and ``Things People Do.'' ```Wild mint,' she wrote in her notebook. A strong fragrance confirmed what she suspected. She muttered, `Sorry,' and broke it in two. Space Camp, a unique program for teaching young would-be astronauts the realities of living and working in space.''Īnother article, ``Mystery among the Flowers: Can Kris figure out the answer?'' starts: ``Kris held the delicate green stem. Space Camp,'' begins: ``Space Camp? Bet you thought that was just the name of a movie! But there really is a U.S. In one issue an article, called ``Out of This World - on Earth! U.S. There's fiction, science features, craft ideas, computer programming (Apple II), an advice column, reviews, poetry, jokes and riddles, letters to the editor, travelogues, puzzles (like crosswords, ``Look for These Hidden Objects!,'' and ``What's Wrong Here?''), and pictures for coloring. ``It's staggering,'' says Jerry Hoffman, publisher, speaking of the response to this new monthly children's magazine.īroadly aimed at six- to 12-year-olds, Magic Window incorporates 96 small-size, four- or two-color pages, bursting with items of interest. The right sparks of color to hold the attention of a 10-year-old boy or girl.
The right size to hold open with a 10-year-old hand. The object of his scrutiny was a rainbow colored, art-postcard-shaped, shiny, stiff-backed magazine called Magic Window. Or the cassette player the hand rested on, primed as it was with a books-on-tape adventure story. It wasn't the Cortland apple he had just freshly picked for himself in an upland orchard - and now held unbitten in his left hand. But the 10-year-old boy in the back seat had something else in mind. Driving down a New Hampshire country road not long ago, the adults were all but overcome by the flame-, pumpkin-, and sunflower-colored leaves of the sugar maples.
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