Spider (magazine)
Encyclopedia
Spider is an illustrated literary magazine
designed for children from 6 to 9 years old. Started in January 1994, the magazine is published in the United States
by The Cricket Magazine Group, which is owned by the Carus Publishing Company
. The magazine publishes original short stories, poems, nonfiction articles, activities, games and illustrations from world famous authors. It also sponsors an art or writing contest in each issue and publishes work created by its readers.
The magazine is published 9 times a year, every month, except for combined May–June, July–August, and November–December issues.
Notably, there is an illustrated cast of insects that appear in the margins of every page, similar to a comic strip. They include Ophelia the praying mantis, Sam the caterpillar, Sonya the damselfly
, Thistle the weevil
, Miro the French mushroom, and Spider the spider, who the magazine is named after. The bugs are involved in their own story line throughout each issue, but they also comment on the articles or stories above them. Each insect also has their own personality and specific interest, which dictates their specific section in the magazine; for example, Miro loves food so he can be found in the kitchen or the recipe section of each issue.
Also found in each issue:
As with all the other magazines published by The Cricket Magazine Group, Spider accepts absolutely no advertising
.
The websites are also free of advertising, just like the magazines and a subscription is not required to view the website.
for excellence in children's publishing. Collectively, the 14 magazines under the Cricket Magazine Group have won every award in North America, including the Association of Educational Publishers Golden Lamp Award and the Parent's Guide to Children's Media Award.
. The last four magazines are a line of non-fiction collections devoted to the sciences, arts and humanities: Cicada, Click, Ask, and Muse
.
Literary magazine
A literary magazine is a periodical devoted to literature in a broad sense. Literary magazines usually publish short stories, poetry and essays along with literary criticism, book reviews, biographical profiles of authors, interviews and letters...
designed for children from 6 to 9 years old. Started in January 1994, the magazine is published in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by The Cricket Magazine Group, which is owned by the Carus Publishing Company
Carus Publishing Company
The Carus Publishing Company is a publisher with offices in Chicago, Peru, Illinois, and Peterborough, New Hampshire. It owns the Open Court Publishing Company as well as the Cricket Magazine Group, and Cobblestone Publishing...
. The magazine publishes original short stories, poems, nonfiction articles, activities, games and illustrations from world famous authors. It also sponsors an art or writing contest in each issue and publishes work created by its readers.
The magazine is published 9 times a year, every month, except for combined May–June, July–August, and November–December issues.
Features
Every issue of Spider is 40 pages long and includes a few recurring sections throughout every magazine.Notably, there is an illustrated cast of insects that appear in the margins of every page, similar to a comic strip. They include Ophelia the praying mantis, Sam the caterpillar, Sonya the damselfly
Damselfly
Damselflies are insects in the order Odonata. Damselflies are similar to dragonflies, but the adults can be distinguished by the fact that the wings of most damselflies are held along, and parallel to, the body when at rest...
, Thistle the weevil
Weevil
A weevil is any beetle from the Curculionoidea superfamily. They are usually small, less than , and herbivorous. There are over 60,000 species in several families, mostly in the family Curculionidae...
, Miro the French mushroom, and Spider the spider, who the magazine is named after. The bugs are involved in their own story line throughout each issue, but they also comment on the articles or stories above them. Each insect also has their own personality and specific interest, which dictates their specific section in the magazine; for example, Miro loves food so he can be found in the kitchen or the recipe section of each issue.
Also found in each issue:
- Spider's Mailbox is the opening section of the magazine, where reader's letters, comments, questions, and artwork are displayed.
- Doodlebug & Dandelion is an ongoing short story written by Pamela Dell, where each issue has a new storyline.
- Spider's Corner is a portion of the magazine that includes art, story writing, photo and poetry contests for kids to enter, either by writing to the magazine or online.
- Scream at Spider is a section where there's a surveyStatistical surveySurvey methodology is the field that studies surveys, that is, the sample of individuals from a population with a view towards making statistical inferences about the population using the sample. Polls about public opinion, such as political beliefs, are reported in the news media in democracies....
or quiz for kids to participate in about topics such as "are you a cat or dog lover" and "will you eat pickles on ThanksgivingThanksgivingThanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. In Canada, Thanksgiving falls on the same day as Columbus Day in the...
?" - Ophelia's Last Word is on the last page of every issue, where Ophelia gives out a piece of wisdom, an idea, an activity or introduces the themes for the next issue of the magazine.
- There's also a four page spread of take-out pages that include an activity for kids to do.
As with all the other magazines published by The Cricket Magazine Group, Spider accepts absolutely no advertising
Advertising
Advertising is a form of communication used to persuade an audience to take some action with respect to products, ideas, or services. Most commonly, the desired result is to drive consumer behavior with respect to a commercial offering, although political and ideological advertising is also common...
.
Internet
In June 2008, Cricket, Spider, and Ladybug magazines launched new web sites for their children readers and families. The three new websites reflect the individual style of the magazine and are built around the signature characters that appear in the margins of every issue. The focus of the website is to increase interaction in a different way, with moderated forums, question pools, contests and opportunities to comment on what is being read. There are also interactive games, stories, and more.The websites are also free of advertising, just like the magazines and a subscription is not required to view the website.
Awards
The magazine was a 2007 and 2008 winner of a Gold Parents' Choice AwardParents' Choice Award
The Parents' Choice Award is an award presented by the non-profit Parents' Choice Foundation to recognize "the very best products for children of different ages and backgrounds, and of varied skill and interest levels." It is considered a "prestigious" award among children's products, and has been...
for excellence in children's publishing. Collectively, the 14 magazines under the Cricket Magazine Group have won every award in North America, including the Association of Educational Publishers Golden Lamp Award and the Parent's Guide to Children's Media Award.
Other editions
Cricket Magazine Group was started over 35 years ago and currently publishes 8 children's literary magazines. Including Spider, there's Babybug, Ladybug, and CricketCricket (magazine)
Cricket is an illustrated literary magazine for children published in the United States, founded in September 1973 by Marianne Carus, whose intent was to create "The New Yorker for children." Marianne Carus still serves as the magazine's editor-in-chief.Each issue of Cricket is 64 pages...
. The last four magazines are a line of non-fiction collections devoted to the sciences, arts and humanities: Cicada, Click, Ask, and Muse
Muse (magazine)
Muse is a children's magazine published by the Smithsonian Institution and Carus Publishing, the publishers of Cricket. Launched in October 1996, it is published in Chicago, Illinois, and has readers throughout the United States and around the world. Recommended for ages ten and above, it features...
.
- Babybug is an illustrated magazine for children ages 6 months to 3 years old. Each issue presents nursery rhymes such as Mother GooseMother GooseThe familiar figure of Mother Goose is an imaginary author of a collection of fairy tales and nursery rhymes which are often published as Mother Goose Rhymes. As a character, she appears in one "nursery rhyme". A Christmas pantomime called Mother Goose is often performed in the United Kingdom...
, basic concepts, and simple stories about a baby's world. Each issue is made of 24 cardboard pages, with rounded corners, non-toxic glue and ink, and no staples. - Ladybug is for children ages 2 to 6 years of age. It features original stories, poems, non-fiction articles on the naturals and cultural world, songs, games and activities—all of which introduce children to language and reading.
- Cricket is for kids ages 9 to 14 years old. The magazine publishes stories, poems, folk tales, articles and illustrations by well-known authors and illustrators, including Lloyd AlexanderLloyd AlexanderLloyd Chudley Alexander was a widely influential American author of more than forty books, mostly fantasy novels for children and adolescents, as well as several adult books...
and Wallace TrippWallace TrippWallace Whitney Tripp is an American illustrator, anthologist and author. He is known for creating anthropomorphic animal characters of emotional complexity and for his great visual and verbal humor. He is one of several illustrators of the Amelia Bedelia series of children's stories...
. - Cicada is a magazine for teenagers, who are more experienced with reading. The issues are usually 48 pages long, filled with stories and poems that are more thought-provoking than the younger editions.
- Click magazine is for children, who are interested in learning more about science and exploration. It explains such topics as how the world works? what is an insect? how do planes work? etc.
- Ask is a children's magazine that discusses science, history and more. It dives into topics such as dinosaurs, stars and important monuments throughout the world.
- Muse magazine is similar to Ask. However, it's for kids from 9 to 14 years old and includes stories and articles about art, anthropology, zoology, and more.