Boomerang! Magazine

Pros: Inexpensive! Children are presenting very complicated issues in a simple way. Funny, moving, creative!
Cons: My daughter: "Everything on the tapes is fun, there are no cons."

The other day I asked my 8 year old daughter to name something beautiful in this world. Her response was immediate: Boomerang! Magazine. I asked her why, she mentioned the stories on these tapes or cd's. (We have the cassette tapes.) Then she told me ...

Pros: Made by kids for kids. Covers a variety of current topics.
Cons: Sound quality is poor. Kid-perspective isn't always desirable.

I actually dread the arrival of our Boomerang subscription. My 10-yr old son, however, loves to listen to it.

The concept is unique and has great potential. The magazine comes on a cassette tape, and is narrated primarily by children. There...

Pros: Kid-to-kid rapport, educational content, and heartfelt stories.
Cons: The humor is definitely not for adults.

I have been listening to these tapes for the past 3 years and find they achieve that rare combination of "fun" and "education." By having the kids do the talking on the tape, it is easier for the children listening to not feel they are in a classroom situation which most kids resist. I like the insertion of an historical piece in each issue and feel the personal stories each issue offer something that kids are often missing in other media today, a heart-connection with what we all experience as people.

Pros: Intelligent, wide-ranging, and creative.
Cons: You might find yourself singing about numbers.

Boomerang is amazing. Our kids have been listening to it in cassette form since they were 6 or 7 and they have only grown to like it more and more. It's great for long trips and it gives them not only entertainment but information and ideas. How rare to find a product for kids that isn't condescending or violent or pushing some agenda.

Essentially it's like a cross of Time magazine and Sesame Street. Some of the articles on the tape are light-hearted and fluffy, and some are heavy and topical, but it's always fun. Good songs, too.

Intelligent, wide-ranging and truly made for kids by kids. And it feels authentic instead of some fake and syrupy mental pacifier.

And it's catchy. Watch out. You might find yourself humming one of the songs on your way to an important meeting some day.

Pros: Great Historical Facts, Engaging Stories Kids (and adults) Can Relate To, Wonderful Sense Of Humor
Cons: Umm...Some of the jokes aren't as funny as I remembered them to be

Throughout my childhood from pre-school and all the way up until the end of grade school I had a subscription to Boomerang.

I would listen to it in the car, on airplanes, whenever I could.

The historical figure interviews taught me all sorts of things I never got in school, and the kids perspective always connected with me.

The weird words, and joke sections were things I looked forward to every month.

Now I'm a freshman at New York University, and sometimes, when I stumble upon a tape I'll sit down and listen to it and I enjoy it almost as much as I did when I was a kid.

I think Boomerang can be a positive influence on any kid, and I used to give out the tapes as presents to the kids I babysat for.

Pros: smart, informative, funny, touching. Speaks directly to kids without talking down to them.
Cons: sometimes a little too sentimental but in this world, maybe that's ok.

My kids grew up with Boomerang. We all listened on car trips, over walkmans on airplanes and in our living room. We all learned from it and benefited from the simple yet intelligent way things were explained.

When my kids first opened a bank account, we listened to the bank segment and they were fascinated to learn that the money they deposit is different than the money they withdraw. Therefore the silver dollars stayed in a piggy bank at home.

Every year we listen to the story on Rosa Parks in my preschool because it explains the story in a simple yet very touching and moving way. There are so many informative segments on history, science and commerce, but our favorite is always the Dave Shmave story which is like Garrison Keillor for children. My children still check to see if I am crying when we listen together!

This is our favorite gift for birthdays and we hear from families for months on how much their children look forward to the tapes and enjoy listening over and over.

Pros: A variety of different topics are covered one each monthly CD.
Cons: CDs are 75 minutes. May have to be listened during separate sittings.

I was amused by another reviewers remarks. The mother didn't like it but the 10 year old couldnt get enough of it. Perhaps that's because of the incredible array of knowledge presented through various storytelling devices on this monthly CD empowers kids. I have an 8 year old and a 13 year old. We all listen in the car and the older one listens every night. There are historical interviews with artist Georgia O'Keeffe, Theodore Roosevelt,
The Wright Brothers... current event pieces on the New China and global warming. (The mysteries and jokes are pretty good too.
If you don't want your child spouting out "inappropriate" facts about America's withdrawl from the Kyoto treaty, "Highlights" might be a better magazine choice. But if you want your children to be proactive and informed, I can't think of a better source of info. (Washington Post, The American Library Association and Utne Reader all give it their highest marks. You can even sample some segments on their website (boomkids.com) and decide for yourself.