| Frequency | Monthly |
|---|---|
| First issue | June 1946 |
| Company | Highlights for Children, Inc. |
| Country | United States |
| Based in | Columbus, Ohio |
| Language | English |
| Website | www.highlights.com |
| ISSN | 0018-165X |
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.
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Myers had earned a PhD in psychology from Columbia University 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.
Highlights High Five is a younger kids' counterpart of Highlights, first published with the January 2007 issue. It is for ages 2–6.
First appearing in 2005, Ask Arizona is a column that centers around a girl named Arizona who writes advice for children, similar to Dear Abby or Ask Ann Landers. Its articles depict real-life experiences. It appears in every edition.
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.
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 skills. 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.
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 Hunt and currently by Ron Zalme.
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.
Appearing in every issue is a series of 10 jokes of various kinds. A knock-knock joke is always included as a part of this feature.
A series of 10 riddles. The punchlines appear upside-down at the bottom of the column.
"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.
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.
This is a section where kids can make different crafts, such as puzzles, puppets and cards.
This section comprises a list of several simple questions for children.
The Aloysius stories were written by Sydney K. Davis.[1] 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.