Wolf 1
Baker University
Student: Linda Wolf
Course: Barbie, Elvis, and A Big Mac: Popular Culture and Its Impact On Society
Instructor: Anne Daugherty
Assignment: Critical Paper – Magazines for Children
Date: February 23, 2004
Popular Children’s Magazines: What are kids reading?
A Content Analysis
Public schools provide a variety of reading materials for children. Children are given
opportunities to borrow a variety of books, videos, magazines, and audio books. What are
children reading? The purpose of this paper is to find out the contents of the most popular
children’s magazines accessible to children at Kennedy Elementary School.
To determine the most popular magazines, the librarian and I looked at the check out
log for the school. We noticed there were four magazines frequently checked out by students
on a regular basis. The four magazines were Nintendo Power, Nickelodeon, Sports Illustrated
Kids and National Geographic Kids. There are several other magazines available to students,
I will focus only on the four most popular magazines for a content analysis. I selected issues
according to most popular title, not according to month or year.
Nintendo Power is written for individuals who have a great interest in electronic
games and Nintendo products. The content categories are Game Strategies, Special Features
and Departments. Game Strategies include articles about different strategies used to advance
to different levels of a particular game. Special Features contain articles about new games
and letters to the editor. Departments consist of articles about up-coming games and game
ratings. There is an overall theme of power and violence in order to overcome obstacles
within the various games. The advertisements are strictly for different Nintendo games.
Nickelodeon is written for individuals who have a great interest in the TV show,
Nickelodeon characters, Nickelodeon cartoons and Nickelodeon products. The content
categories are Underground Specials, The Regulars, Ooze News, Games and Sports, and Send
Wolf 2
It In. Underground Specials include articles about Questions and Answers, Room
Improvements, Reality Shows, Celebrity Stories and World Phenomena. The Underground
articles appear to be generated by kids, but obviously written by adults. The Regulars contain
articles about Movies, Celebrities, Month Trivia Calendar, Creative Contests and Quizzes.
These articles are included in every monthly issue. Ooze News consist of articles about new
TV Shows, How to Draw Animated Characters and Favorite Books. Games and Sports
incorporate articles about how to play electronic games or sports, how to change scenarios of
electronic games and quizzes. Finally, Send It In embraces Contests for kids to enter and
Letters to the Editor. Comprised in the advertisements are Crayola, Physical Activities,
Cartoon Shows, Movies and Videos, Electronic Games, TV shows, Comics, Breakfast
Cereals, Books, and Campbell’s Soups.
Sports Illustrated Kids is written for individuals who are interested in all kinds of
sports. The content categories are Athletes in Different Sports, Departments and Letters to
the Editor. Athletes in Different Sports include articles about a specific skiing athlete, a
specific motocross athlete, a specific basketball athlete, a specific football athlete, and a
specific hockey athlete. Departments contain articles about Talk Back/Masthead, Freeze
Frame, Warmup, Art Gallery, Funny Photos, Calendar, Comic Cards, Sports Gamer, End
Zone and Buzz Beamer. Letters to the Editor incorporate Readers’ Poll results about favorite
athletes, sports and readers’ opinions. The advertisements are comprised of Spalding, Juicy
Fruit, Cartoon Shows, Video Games, Electronic Games, Campbell’s Soups, Physical
Activities, Magazines, Athletic Shoes, Trading Cards, Breakfast Cereals, Movies and Videos,
and Comics.
National Geographic Kids is written for individuals who are interested in many
different subjects, especially animals or world wonders. The content categories are Just
Joking, World News, Amazing Animals, Kids Did It, Fun Stuff, What In The World, and
Wolf 3
Letters to the Editor. Just Joking includes a variety of jokes and funny trivia about all kinds
of topics. World News contains articles about Volcanoes, Celebrities and various Birthdays
around the world. Amazing Animals consist of articles about Animal Hotels, Animals on
Location, and Relationships between various kinds of animals. Kids Did It incorporates
articles about various Behind the Scenes of current Movies; stories about Incredible Animals;
Archaeology stories; an assortment of hero articles; and interesting optical illusions. Fun
Stuff includes articles about animal trivia. The content category of What In The World
contains a variety of puzzles and quizzes. Letters to the Editor include kids’ art and kids’
opinions about various articles or questions.
Due to this study, I have found that students are reading an assortment of narrative and
expository text. At the same time, readers are exposed to a variety of advertisements,
products and role models. Learning about what children are reading gives me a better idea of
their interest level and possible influences. To further this study, I would like to look at how
Children’s Magazines influence children’s fashions, attitudes, and activities.
Wolf 4
Works Cited
Ed. Aabye G. Francis. Nickelodeon Mar. 2004: 1-57.
Ed. Melina G. Bellows. National Geographic Kids Nov. 2002: 1-39.
Ed. Neil Cohen. Sports Illustrated Kids Mar. 2004: 1-65.
Ed. Yoshio Tsuboike. Nintendo Power Apr. 2003: 1-147.