The TL;DR version: It’s SO good
It’s just refreshing to have a magazine I can hand to my girls and not have to worry about theology, sexism, or beauty images.
Let’s start with the cover, which looks fun and appealing. Great fonts, a drawing of a girl (no pictures to compare yourself to) doing something adventurous like surfing, and lots of different topics that are inside: stuff for artists, engineers, games, drawing, boat building, coloring, comics, and more!
The website says the target age is 5-10, but I think that even tween girls would find a lot of it interesting. My 15 year old read it and liked it; it was more that it only took her a few minutes to read through it all.
Now, to just some of the inside:
There’s a secret code page, but with a twist – an empowering quote from Eleanor Roosevelt.
The maze page includes advice from Diana Nyad encouraging girls to dream big, even if it ends in failure.
A cartoon by Alison Bechdel.
A coloring page Mickalene Thomas.
Astronomy and an interview with a female chosmochemist.
Over and over the magazine enforces the idea that girls are strong, smart, and courageous.
There’s a section about a Mexican chef, with a recipe.
Garden crafts.
There’s information about sand, the ocean, and a section about Olympians.
A map your emotions flowchart! That ends with a huge ‘you are ok’ no matter what you’re feeling. I thought this was just so fantastic. It has you identify your emotions, and then gives you tips on how you might feel better – write or draw a picture about how you’re feeling. Take some deep breaths. Ask for a hug. And they say “Your feelings, no matter what they are, are valuable’.
There’s a nice article about Paris and prompts for you to write your own story.
A poster page to cut out that says ‘She who is brave is free’.
On the last page, which is a subscription page, it says this magazine inspires girls to be:
Strong
Smart
Fierce
and, above all,
True To Themselves
What’s not to love?
And can we just talk about the title? Kazoo – a magazine for girls who aren’t afraid to make some noise. Hello! Encouraging our girls to use their voices? Sign me up!
You can subscribe at Kazoo Magazine, or buy a single issue. And, the best part for that is the shipping is free, and the price of a single issue is the same price as it would be if you bought it as part of the subscription. They don’t have higher prices for a single issue. The first issue is sold out and the second issue ships out in October, so order your copy soon!
And if you want to read more, here are a few interviews with the creator of the magazine, Erin Bried.
A Magazine for Little Girls Who Want to Grow Up to Be President
Finally there’s a feminist magazine, Kazoo, for girls who love science and climbing trees
MEET ERIN BRIED, CREATOR OF KAZOO MAGAZINE, REQUIRED READING FOR ALL SMART GIRLS