Highlights for Children
Encyclopedia
Highlights for Children (referred as simply Highlights) is an American children's magazine. It began publication in June 1946, started by Garry Cleveland Myers
and his wife Caroline Clark Myers in Honesdale, Pennsylvania
(the present location of its editorial office). They both worked for another children's magazine, Children's Activities, for 12 years before leaving to start Highlights. The company is presently based in Columbus, Ohio
, and owns book publishers Zaner-Bloser
, Stenhouse Publishers, and Boyds Mills Press. Highlights has surpassed one billion copies in print.
before WWI, providing a basis for the teaching he would do the rest of his life. He and Mrs. Myers taught illiterate soldiers for the US Army, with Mrs. Myers becoming the first ever female teacher employed by the Army. This rich experience led to their pioneering of elementary education. They taught educators and parents for a time at Case Western Reserve University
in Cleveland, Ohio
, during which Dr. Myers wrote a nationally syndicated column entitled Parent Problems and authored, along with Mrs. Myers, several books.
They had become national stalwarts in education and wished to share their knowledge so they began to work for Children's Activities. Lecturing across the nation, they not only informed, they discovered and refined what they knew. Certain business endeavors kept them from publishing what they thought was ideal for a children's magazine. Their travels also led to long discussions on what would be appropriate for children, and after finishing with Children's Activities instead of retiring they decided to start their own magazine. Their experience, knowledge and uncompromising methods led to a success for Highlights. Later, they would buy Children's Activities and incorporate it in Highlights.
or Ask Ann Landers
. Its articles depict real-life experiences. It appears in every edition.
. Originally drawn in black and white, Goofus and Gallant changed to colored pencils in 1994 and later changed to colored computer graphics in December 2005.
and currently by Ron Zalme.
is always included as a part of this feature.
Garry Cleveland Myers
Garry Cleveland Myers was a significant U.S. psychologist. He was the founder of the children's magazine Highlights for Children. He and his wife Caroline Elizabeth Clark Myers, spent World War I teaching illiterate soldiers to read and write....
and his wife Caroline Clark Myers in Honesdale, Pennsylvania
Honesdale, Pennsylvania
Honesdale is a borough in and the county seat of Wayne County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located northeast of Scranton. The population was 4,874 at the 2000 census....
(the present location of its editorial office). They both worked for another children's magazine, Children's Activities, for 12 years before leaving to start Highlights. The company is presently based in Columbus, Ohio
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
, and owns book publishers Zaner-Bloser
Zaner-Bloser
Zaner-Bloser, Inc., headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, publishes research-based handwriting, reading, writing, spelling, and vocabulary programs.- Company history :Zanerian College of Penmanship...
, Stenhouse Publishers, and Boyds Mills Press. Highlights has surpassed one billion copies in print.
Before Highlights
Myers had earned a PhD in psychology from Columbia UniversityColumbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
before WWI, providing a basis for the teaching he would do the rest of his life. He and Mrs. Myers taught illiterate soldiers for the US Army, with Mrs. Myers becoming the first ever female teacher employed by the Army. This rich experience led to their pioneering of elementary education. They taught educators and parents for a time at Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University
Case Western Reserve University is a private research university located in Cleveland, Ohio, USA...
in Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
, during which Dr. Myers wrote a nationally syndicated column entitled Parent Problems and authored, along with Mrs. Myers, several books.
They had become national stalwarts in education and wished to share their knowledge so they began to work for Children's Activities. Lecturing across the nation, they not only informed, they discovered and refined what they knew. Certain business endeavors kept them from publishing what they thought was ideal for a children's magazine. Their travels also led to long discussions on what would be appropriate for children, and after finishing with Children's Activities instead of retiring they decided to start their own magazine. Their experience, knowledge and uncompromising methods led to a success for Highlights. Later, they would buy Children's Activities and incorporate it in Highlights.
Highlights High Five
Highlights High Five is a younger kids' counterpart of Highlights, first published with the January 2007 issue. It is for ages 2–6.Ask Arizona
First appearing in 2005, Ask Arizona is a column that centers around a girl named Arizona who writes advice for children, similar to Dear AbbyDear Abby
Dear Abby is the name of the advice column founded in 1956 by Pauline Phillips under the pen name Abigail Van Buren and carried on today by her daughter, Jeanne Phillips, who now owns the legal rights to the pen name....
or Ask Ann Landers
Ask Ann Landers
Ann Landers was a pen name created by Chicago Sun-Times advice columnist Ruth Crowley in 1943 and taken over by Eppie Lederer in 1955. For 56 years, the Ask Ann Landers syndicated advice column was a regular feature in many newspapers across North America...
. Its articles depict real-life experiences. It appears in every edition.
Hidden Pictures
Hidden Pictures first appeared in the June 1946 issue of Highlights and have appeared on page 14 in every issue since. Children find the smaller hidden pictures within the larger picture.Goofus & Gallant
First appearing in Highlights in 1948, Goofus & Gallant is a cartoon feature created by Garry Cleveland Myers and drawn by Anni Matsick. The strip features two contrasting boys, Goofus and Gallant. In each cartoon, it is shown how each boy would respond to the same situation. Goofus chooses an irresponsible path, while Gallant is kinder. Goofus and Gallant's primary function is to teach children basic social skillsSocial skills
A social skill is any skill facilitating interaction and communication with others. Social rules and relations are created, communicated, and changed in verbal and nonverbal ways. The process of learning such skills is called socialization...
. Originally drawn in black and white, Goofus and Gallant changed to colored pencils in 1994 and later changed to colored computer graphics in December 2005.
The Timbertoes
Created for a 1932 book of the same name (published by The Harter Publishing Company) by writers Edna M. Aldredge and Jessie F. McKee along with illustrator John Gee, The Timbertoes has appeared in Highlights magazine for over 30 years. The first Highlights incarnation was a full-page black and white comic strip featuring line-drawn characters, later switching to digital color in 2003. The Timbertoes family consists of parents Ma and Pa and their children Tommy and Mabel. The characters, including their dog Spot, cat Splinter, goat Butter, and horse Troy are depicted as being constructed from wood. Upon Gee's death, Highlights Senior Editor Marileta Robinson took over writing the strip, with illustrations done by Judith HuntJudith Hunt
Judith A. Hunt, originally from Washington State, is an illustrator/painter/cartoonist/designer who has produced a diverse array of artwork for books, magazines, television, comics, videos, and toys. She has worked as an art director and staff illustrator/designer for magazine companies...
and currently by Ron Zalme.
The Bear Family
Appearing in Highlights from the very beginning until 1989, this cartoon featured a family of bears which included the mother, father and three children named Poozy, Woozy, and Piddy. It reappeared in 1998.Jokes
Appearing in every issue is a series of 10 jokes of various kinds. A knock-knock jokeKnock-knock joke
The knock-knock joke is a type of joke, probably the best-known format of the pun, and is a time-honored "call and answer" exercise.It is a role-play exercise, with a punster and a recipient of wit.The standard format has five lines:...
is always included as a part of this feature.
Your Own Pages
"Your Own Pages" is a feature that has drawings, poems, and stories from kids that are sent to Highlights. They are shown in every issue that is made, and a few are selected to appear in the magazine.What's Wrong?
Featured on the back cover, "What's Wrong?" is a large drawing of a typical scene of children playing, but unusual objects take the place of normal things throughout the picture. The page instructs the reader to find the various objects that are wrong.Crafts
This is a section where kids can make different crafts, such as puzzles, puppets and cards.Aloysius
The Aloysius stories were written by Sydney K. Davis. They centralized on an anthropomorphic wolf named Aloysius, who would get into a situation and have to be rescued by the other characters in the story, a male named Samuel Samuel and a female named Wanda. These appeared until the early 1990s.External links
- Official site
- Highlights for Children 1 Billion Strong. Business First of Columbus, June 12, 2006.