Jack and Jill (magazine)
 | |
| Categories | Children's magazine |
|---|---|
| Frequency | Bimonthly |
| First issue | 1938 |
| Company | Saturday Evening Post Society |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Website |
www |
| ISSN | 0021-3829 |
Jack and Jill is an American bimonthly magazine for children 7 to 12 years old that takes its title from the nursery rhyme of the same name. It features stories and educational activities.
The magazine features nonfiction articles, short stories, poems, games, comics, recipes, crafts, and more. Having been continuously produced for nearly 75 years, it is one of the oldest American magazines for kids.
Mission
As part of the Children’s Better Health Institute—a division of the Saturday Evening Post Society Inc., a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization—Jack and Jill’s mission is to promote the healthy physical, educational, creative, social, and emotional growth of children in a format that is engaging, stimulating, and entertaining for children ages 7 to 12.[1]
History
Jack and Jill magazine was launched by Curtis Publishing Company in 1938. It was the first addition to the Curtis line of magazines since it purchased Country Gentleman in 1911. The first editor of Jack and Jill was Ada Campbell Rose daughter-in-law of Philip Sheridan Rose, the editor of Country Gentleman.[2] The magazine's circulation grew to half a million before newsstand sales (but not subscriptions) were suspended during World War II due to paper shortages. Newsstand sales returned in 1948.[3] Ada Campbell Rose continued as editor until 1959.[4] The magazine began to accept outside advertising in 1962.[5] Today the magazine is one of three children's magazines published by the U.S. Kids unit of Saturday Evening Post Society. In 2009, Jack and Jill merged with Children's Digest, another kids magazine from the same publisher.
Today, Corey Michael Dalton edits Jack and Jill under the direction of Steven Slon. Jack and Jill is one of three children’s publications in the U.S. Kids family of magazines, which are published by the Children’s Better Health Institute, a division of the nonprofit The Saturday Evening Post Society. Its two sister publications under the U.S. Kids banner are Humpty Dumpty Magazine (for children ages 5 to 7) and Turtle Magazine for Preschool Kids.
Features
- U.S. Kids Cover Contest: Jack and Jill holds an annual themed cover contest in which readers submit their artwork.[6] One submission is then chosen by a panel of professional illustrators to be used as the cover of the magazine. Each first-, second-, and third-place winner receives prizes and up to $1,500 for his or her school’s art program.[7] School art programs have been awarded more than $25,000 from the contest so far.
- Reader-Created Content: Jack and Jill’s editors strive to include as much kid-created content as possible. One reader-written poem or short story is chosen to be professionally illustrated and published in each issue of the magazine as the “Pen in Hand” feature. Readers can also contribute nonfiction stories and articles as a “U.S. Kids Reporter” or jokes and riddles for the “Giggles & Snickers” section. Selected entries from the cover contest are also printed in each issue of the magazine as the “Art by You” column. In addition, kid-submitted letters, photos, short poems, and artwork are included in the “From Our Talented Readers” section.
- Nonfiction: Most of the nonfiction articles in Jack and Jill feature regular kids or groups of kids who are engaged in unusual, challenging, or interesting activities and serve as inspiration for readers.
- Fiction: The fiction stories that appear in Jack and Jill are fun, engaging, and filled with humor. They provide kids with positive messages, such as self-reliance, being kind to others, and appreciating other cultures through modern characters.
- Comics: Each issue includes a four-page comic detailing the exploits of Jack and Jill and their pals. The kids have adventures around the globe, learning lessons about friendship, kindness, and acceptance along the way.
- Recipes: Each issue of the magazine includes a healthy, easy-to make recipe that kids can prepare themselves. The recipes promote healthy eating by incorporating fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and muscle-building proteins.
- Crafts: Each issue offers a new and unique age-appropriate craft that promotes the development of creativity.
- Games/Puzzles: Jack and Jill magazine offers several pages of challenging puzzles and games in each issue, which promote problem-solving and independent thinking.
Notable contributors
American author Pearl S. Buck, winner of the 1932 Pulitzer Prize and the 1938 Nobel Prize in Literature for her novel The Good Earth, contributed “One Bright Day,” a two-part story that appeared in the August and September 1950 issues.
Cartoonist Ted Key contributed the two-page feature Diz and Liz from 1961 to 1972.
Charles Ghigna (“Father Goose”), renowned poet and children’s book author of 100 award-winning books and a Pulitzer Prize nominee for Returning to Earth, sits on Jack and Jill’s editorial advisory board and has had his work published in the magazine.
Dr. Howard J. Bennett, author of several children’s health books and a column for The Washington Post, writes “Life Is Gross,” a recurring feature in Jack and Jill that presents strange science facts in a true/false format.
Renowned comic book writer Justin Gray contributed scripts for Jack and Jill’s comics pages for several years.
Acclaimed children’s author David A. Adler has written a new Cam Jansen short story specifically for Jack and Jill, which will appear in the Sep/Oct 2012 issue.
New York Times bestselling author Ben H. Winters, author of The Secret Life of Ms. Finkleman, The Mystery of the Missing Everything, and Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, has written an original short story for Jack and Jill, which will be published in the Nov/Dec 2012 issue.
Awards
- Parents’ Choice Award Approved Winner, 2011
- iParenting Media Awards Best Product Winner, 2009
References
- ↑ U.S. Kids Magazines Official Website
- ↑ "Jack and Jill". Time. Oct. 24, 1938.
- ↑ "Up the hill". Time, November 8, 1948. U.S. copyright renewals: 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945.
- ↑ "Ada Campbell Rose, Began Jack and Jill Magazine in '38", The New York Times, February 14, 1976, p. 28.
- ↑ Peter Bart, "Advertising: Jack and Jill to Sell With Zeal", The New York Times, November 28, 1962, p. 61.
- ↑ U.S. Kids Art Contest Official Website
- ↑ U.S. Kids Magazines Now Accepting Entries for 12th Annual Cover Contest Press Release, March 7, 2012.
