| Product: |
Junior |
| Date: |
09/07/07 (89 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Lots of articles, full of information, gorgeous photography
Disadvantages: Expensive
I have always seen this magazine in WH Smith whenever I go to pick up the other parenting magazines I buy every month, but to be honest I have never paid that much attention to it. I saw an advert on a website I belong to which said to ring a number and you get a free issue of Junior and then a further 3 issues for just £1. I couldn't resist and then the next month, my first ever issue of Junior dropped onto my doormat.
The first thing I noticed was the quality of the magazine itself. The cover is lovely and glossy, and all of the pages inside are very thick and have that expensive look to them, you can tell this is a magazine aimed more towards the upper class reader (I'm not being a snob, just my opinion!). The cover has the work JUNIOR across the top in bright colours (This varies according to the colour scheme of the issue) and around 5 or 6 articles which are inside the magazine. Along the bottom, there are 4 words which are meant to describe the rough content idea of the magazine, and these are FASHION * HEALTH * LIFESTYLE * EDUCATION. I will go into more detail about these as I progress with the review.
The format of each issue is basically the same, just the content varies issue to issue. The first couple of pages are usually advertisements, and it then moves onto the contents page which tells you the name of articles throughout the magazine and a sentence about them, useful if you only want to read a few things that would appeal to you. There is also a letters page.
The "Junior Life" section of the magazine is 4 or 5 pages dedicated to little snippets of information, news, entertainment, shopping and events which are happening in the month of the magazine. There is quite a lot of reading over these pages and I usually find the content very interesting. It is dotted with bright, colourful pictures which accentuate the quality and appearance of the pages.
After this section, the magazine progresses into a large section of articles. Each article is typically between 3 and 6 pages long, and there is a lot of text to each article, so they can take you up to about 15 minutes to read, which is great for anyone who enjoys reading. All the articles are superbly written, very articulate, and well presented. Again pictures are dispersed throughout the article, and really add an extra something to the article.
A large difference I noted straight away about this magazine compared to the other parenting magazines such as Mother & Baby and Prima Baby is that this magazine is NOT a parenting manual as such. There are no articles comparing nappies, or telling you how to breastfeed, or birth stories. It is purely articles about things related to parenting and children. The articles in the issue I am referring to for this review come from the August 2007 edition. The following articles are in this issue: Astronaut or Accountant; How Toys Can Predict Your Child's Future Career, Rebel Toddlers; Learn to Love Their Fesity Ways, Long Live The Picture Book and Could You Save Your Child's Life? I find them very interesting and it makes a change to the other magazines I buy.
Another big difference between the magazines is the price. An issue of Junior costs £3.50 in the shops, yet M&B costs just £2.35. However, for the extra £1.15 you get a lot more adult and intellectual reading, which is relevant to mums of children of all ages, not just newborns. The magazine is aimed at parents of children from 0-8 and I think they easily tick all the boxes for each age group.
Possibly the favourite part of this magazine for me is towards the back of it, entitled Junior Resources. The section has a grey border around its pages, so you can easily find it in the magazine, which is handy if you need to quickly look up something. Within this segment are the following sub-sections; Health, Development, Natural Parenting, Education and Books. Each has a double page spread dedicated to it, and has Need To Know information, little facts and a page of Q&A to an expert in that field. I particularly enjoy the books section, as they exhibit all the latest books in different age groups i.e. Baby and Toddler, Picture Books and Early Readers. Each book has a paragraph about it too, so you know what the story is about. It also has a Personal Top 5 Favourites from a famous author. This particular issue it is by Michael Morpurgo, previous Children's Laureate.
The shopping section of the magazine is called the Children's Emporium, and is a directory of shops and internet shops which sell clothing for children. However, a lot of these places are boutiques and therefore expensive. I have also noted that the clothes printed throughout the magazine are way out of my price range, i.e. skirts from £50 and trousers at £75!! It is nice to see how the other half live though lol!
In my opinion, this magazine is fantastic. It is not patronising, it is full of intellectualy articles, fascinating information and plenty of reference points too. The photography through the magazine is fantastic, and the clothes modelled by children are gorgeous. Yes, the magazine is much more expensive than others on the market, but I do believe you get a full month's reading for that money. I read an article every few days, and then go through all the other information in the magazine. It definitely is plenty of reading for a busy mum! However, I would say tht this magazine is just as applicable to dads as well, as it is more literary based than other parenting magazines.
The heading right at the top of the magazine says the Junior is "The World's Finest Parenting Magazine". I would agree with this, and would recommend it to anyone who wants an information filled magazine which appeals to a broad children's age range, and enjoy an informative intellectual read. You can subscribe to the magazine through special offers in the magazine, and online. I would recommend subscribing as it is cheaper than buying each issue in the shops. Try it, you may be pleasantly surprised.
For more information see the magazine's website:
www.juniormagazine.co.uk
Junior also produces Junior Pregnancy and Birth magazine which is aimed at pregnancy, I presume this magazine would be the one to switch once you are a parent!
Thank you for reading.
Summary: Great parenting magazine with lots of reading inside
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