Discovery Box magazine

The Discovery Box magazines, aimed at 9 - 12 year olds, focus on the central themes of history, science, the world and animals. Using an exciting mix of photos, drawings and texts, which maintain the reader's interest from cover to cover, they deliver a wide range of interesting facts, even for the grown ups !

In the issues that Sophie read, the main topics were - in the first magazine - South Africa, King Arthur, bones and the birth of a dolphin, and - in the second magazine - the exploration of the moon, Cambodia, hamsters and basketball ! There is something to interest everyone and the themes are quirky enough to bring up different information that the children have probably never come across before. As I mentioned before, even I learnt some interesting facts that I was unaware of and I picked up the magazine for a sneaky read after Sophie had finished with it !

It is in-depth enough to offer a lot of information but concise enough not to be too long and boring to young children, who often have a limited attention span. The short texts are also simple enough for slightly unconfident readers.

The front cover promises that it is "more than a book" and that is certainly true - Sophie loved the giant fold-out section full of facts at the beginning and also the special hands-on projects to illustrate the themes. I loved the numerous "Guess what Mum" moments that led to Sophie teaching me a thing or two and gaining in confidence due to this unexpected role reversal with her being the one imparting the knowledge !

star rating : 4,5/5

For more information and to subscribe, go to www.bayard-magazines.co.uk