Cricket Media produces literary magazines for children of various ages – Babybug (for ages 6 months to 3 years), Ladybug (ages 3 to 6), Spider (ages 6 to 9), and Cricket (ages 9 to 14). The magazines have several themes coming up. They publish fiction, nonfiction, poetry, puzzles, crafts, and recipes.
So Silly – They are looking for “your silliest stories, poems, action rhymes, and fingerplays. We welcome pieces about funny games and goofy situations as well as nonsense rhymes and wordplay that elicits little ones’ laughter. We’re looking for rhythmic writing that babies and toddlers will want to hear again and again.”
All Aboard – For Ladybug: They want “short stories, retellings of folk and fairy tales, rebus stories, poems, action rhymes, nonfiction, and songs about travel. For a young child, a walk to the park, a trip by boat or airplane, or a game of make believe might all seem like voyages. We like playful stories with childlike points of view; they need to be short, too (under 800 words). Most of our readers live in the United States, and sensitive explorations of different cultures are welcome.”
Hey, Neighbor! – For Spider: They want “stories, nonfiction, poems, and short plays about neighbors and neighborhoods: urban or suburban, rural or fantastical. What unique relationships blossom between people (and animals) who live near one another? Who would be neighbors on a space station or in a magical kingdom? How can kids, real or fictional, make an impact in their neighborhoods? Inter-cultural and inter-generational relationships welcome. Humor always encouraged.”
Art and Music – For Spider: They are looking for “stories, nonfiction, poems, short plays, and activities for the theme Arts and Music. We want pieces that capture the magic, creativity, frustration, and many hours of practice that come with learning an instrument or new art skill. We’re looking for all kinds of stories about kids and their creative outlets, as well as true stories about unusual instruments, strange stories about familiar instruments, odes to artistic practice, and activities to inspire young artists.”
Encountering Nature – For Cricket: They are interested in “fiction, nonfiction, and poetry on the theme of an encounter with nature. You might write about a record-setting blizzard or the joy of the first day of spring; conquering Everest or exploring a local cave; meeting a mountain lion while hiking, a squirrel in the backyard, an itsy-bitsy spider in the shower; or about a young nature lover who helps an injured animal or strives to preserve something of wild and natural beauty.”
A New Beginning – For Cricket: They are looking for “fiction, nonfiction, and poetry on the theme of making a new beginning. Stories might focus on the immigrant experience; on a middle schooler facing up to responsibilities or changes in the family; the end of one friendship and the start of another; try-trying again after a setback; or taking on a new hobby, sport—even a whole new persona.”
Deadline: 1 July 2019
Length: Varies
Pay: Up to $0.25/word for fiction, $3/line for poetry
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excerpted from the free, online newsletter of, Authors Publish Magazine -- recommended.
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It happened at a church summer camp so it must be true, right? ;)
OF WAR, AND PEACE, AND MARY BETH: my contest winner, honest
For Whom the Good Tolls an 'RR' and it's short, no kidding[/url]
OF WAR, AND PEACE, AND MARY BETH: my contest winner, honest
For Whom the Good Tolls an 'RR' and it's short, no kidding[/url]