Wildly Entertaining!

Our subscription to Wild Animal Baby began when my son was a year old. I have a sister-in-law who is very environmentally conscience and a major animal lover to boot. Knowing that we own just about every toy one can think of, she often buys our three children subscriptions to magazines for gifts. She bought the subscription to Wild Animal Baby in honor of my son’s first birthday.

Wild Animal Baby is a monthly publication at a cost of $19.95 for a 10- month subscription. Wild Animal Baby is published by the National Wildlife Federation and the proceeds benefit them. This is not a typical magazine because the recommended age for readership is 12-36 months old. For this reason, the magazine is more of a 6x6-board book. This way it can stand the abuse of the toddlers and preschoolers it hopes to reach. The pages are durable even during rough play and excessive drooling in our experience. The publication is predictable every month, which is important to wee folks.

Out and About with Duffy

This monthly feature is always first in the magazine and is especially dear to our family since Duffy is a Westie, just like our family dog. Out and About with Duffy is an ongoing tale of this little Westie terrier named Duffy and his family. Duffy’s adventures are always outdoors and take place during the relevant season. Some of his adventures have included following tracks in the snow, finding a fox in the woods and watching squirrels gather nuts in preparation for the winter months. These tales are truly fiction because any terrier owner knows there is not one alive who would passively sit by and watch squirrels gather anything. The pictures are darling and the story lines are short enough to hold your child’s attention.

Animal Crackers

Animal Crackers is a clever game where your child is presented with a picture of an animal cracker. On the opposite page is a grid with four pictures of real animals. Your child’s job is to find the real animal that looks like the cookies. Simple, yet fun.

Alphabet or Numbers

In this monthly feature, a letter of the alphabet is shown or a number. There is then a corresponding picture to go with the letter or number. For instance, W for whale and then there is a sentence about the whale that usually has several other W words included.

Finger Plays

This section is not titled as a monthly feature, but there is always a finger play included. The finger plays have included: Big Brown Walrus, A Little Squirrel and Snowflakes, Snowflakes. The plays include pictures to help the grown up know what to do. Finger plays are very popular at my house and I love to learn new ones.

I Can

I Can is a feature that shows animals in the wild doing various activities like penguins walking or polar bears hugging. The opposite page then shows a child imitating the animal. It’s fun to see if your child(ren) “can” too.

Wild Alphabet

On the back cover is a cartoon type drawing of a letter of the alphabet, an animal whose name starts with said letter and a child. The face of the child is real and is one of many that are sent in each month in hopes that they will be chosen for the back cover picture. A cute idea, and I’m sure their response each month is tremendous.

I have no complaints with this publication. It is educational and interesting to both children and adults. If you are interested in finding out more about either Wild Animal Baby or the National Wildlife Federation their website address is www.nwf.org.