Download Word Document

Contact: Patricia M. Mikelson
Highlights Corporate Communications
pmmikelson@highlights-corp.com or 614-324-7003

A LOOK INSIDE HIGHLIGHTS HIGH FIVE™

Monthly Magazine from Highlights for Children Celebrates Early Childhood for Children Ages Two to Six Years Old

"These early years when learning and fun go hand in hand are so important. We hope that our monthly mix of read-aloud stories and poems, and age-appropriate puzzles and activities in Highlights High Five will help young children to become lifelong learners and readers."
– Christine French Clark, editor, Highlights High Five

HONESDALE, PA, October 30, 2006 – Highlights High Five™ focuses on the joy of early childhood and the many "Fun with a Purpose" moments to be shared between young children and a parent, older sibling, or caregiver. Like its older sibling, Highlights magazine, Highlights High Five helps young children become curious, creative, caring, and confident individuals who love to read and learn.

In each issue, Highlights High Five engages little ones with activities that promote discovery, thinking and reasoning, and creativity—all in a bright, colorful format that will capture preschoolers' attention.

"Highlights High Five was created to help parents and caregivers stimulate young children's development—and to have fun together at the same time," said Christine French Clark, editor of Highlights High Five. "At Highlights, we believe that young children have an enormous capacity to think and reason, be creative, and express ideas. High Five is designed to help put young children on the path to becoming their best selves."

In Each Issue

Every issue of Highlights High Five will include features that help stimulate a young child's social and emotional growth, cognitive development, language acquisition, and physical development.

Younger versions of a few favorite features found in Highlights magazine and a new feature that introduces simple, useful Spanish phrases will appear along with poems, nonfiction, age-appropriate crafts and cooking activities, puzzles, finger plays, and action rhymes.

"The entire magazine is a tool for parents, educators, and other caregivers who want to nurture young children by encouraging their natural sense of wonder about the world; promoting reasoning, problem solving, and creative self-expression; fostering a love of language and a rich vocabulary; and inspiring children to be kind, to get along with others, and to grow in self confidence," said Clark.

Younger Versions of Old Favorites

"The Adventures of Spot" is a brightly illustrated panel story that follows Spot the puppy as he explores his world. Spot is the dog from "The Timbertoes," a regular feature in Highlights magazine since 1951. "My First Hidden Pictures," a puzzle in which children find small illustrations hiding in a bigger picture, is a simpler version of the much-loved and well-known "Hidden Pictures," a staple in Highlights magazine since its inaugural issue in 1946. "What's Wrong?"—another favorite of Highlights readers—asks young children how many silly things they can find in the picture.

Each month, the magazine's material is organized on the contents page under four main categories:

1. Let's Read Aloud Together!

From simple prose to poems and rhyming stories, the Read Aloud Together features are perfect for pre- or emergent readers. Specifically, the premiere issue includes

• a poem, "Said the Butterfly," which explores the miracle of metamorphosis;
• a humorous fiction story, "Goosey-Gog and Ducketty-Duck," which takes children on an adventure as a silly goose and duck get "stucketty-stuck";
• "Animal Talk," a read-aloud story that will have children making animal sounds as they have fun with a barnyard full of animals;
• "The Jumping Hat," a delightful story with a surprise ending;
• "Crayons," a rhyme that introduces children to colors,
• and a fiction story that incorporates basic Spanish phrases presented in a meaningful context—a feature that will be included monthly. In the premiere issue, "Tiana's New Pet" takes the reader on a visit with Mama to a pet store.

2. Let's Puzzle It Out!

In each issue, "Put On Your Thinking Cap" encourages readers to think and reason in a variety of ways or practice using some recently acquired skills related to basic concepts. Special to the premiere issue, "Who Am I?" is a guessing game that prompts children to use what they know about community helpers. And, of course, "My First Hidden Pictures" will appear in this line-up monthly.

3. Let's Make Something!

A healthful recipe with plenty of kid appeal, simple enough to prepare so young children need only a little adult supervision, appears in each issue. "Turkey-Veggie Pinwheels" are on the menu in the premiere issue. Also included are developmentally appropriate crafts that encourage kids to use small motor skills and practice decision making, putting the emphasis on the creative process rather than the finished project. Each issue will also have a special foldout back cover that tears off and contains a consumable activity with added play value.

4. Let's Move!

Young children are energetic, with developing muscles that demand movement. The "Let's Move!" features offers ideas for parents who want to add physical activity to their interactions.

In the premiere issue, children learn how to "dive and flip" into a jacket in "You Can Do It!" "Build It" is a regular feature that gives kids and parents ideas of different ways to play with blocks—a classic and important early-childhood toy—while "Silly Statue" is an action rhyme that gets children moving to the rhythm of words read aloud.

For More Information

For more information on Highlights High Five, or to order a subscription, visit www.Highlights.com or call 800-472-7038. A one-year, 12-issue subscription is $2.47 per issue.

# # #

Highlights for Children, Inc. (www.Highlights.com) has focused on helping children become their best selves for generations. Highlights magazine celebrated the printing and delivery of the one-billionth copy of the magazine and its 60th anniversary through summer 2006. Highlights High Five™, devoted to pre- and emerging readers (ages two to six) will publish in January 2007. On the Web, www.HighlightsKids.com offers children interactive content related to each issue of the magazine, as well as independent activities such as "Click-and-Play Hidden Pictures®," e-cards, games, craft activities, "Mystery Messages," jokes, and riddles. Devoted to "Fun with a Purpose®," Highlights for Children also offers children, parents, grandparents, and educators a broad range of products including the Highlights for Children Book Clubs (Puzzlemania®, Mathmania®, Which Way USA?®, Top Secret Adventures™, and Hidden Pictures Playground®). Highlights Toy Catalog (www.Highlights.com) selects quality toys, games, craft activities, puzzles, and other products that children will love and parents can trust. Corporate offices are in Columbus, Ohio, and the editorial offices are in Honesdale, Pennsylvania.

For more information or to arrange an interview with a Highlights for Children spokesperson, please contact Patricia M. Mikelson, Highlights Corporate Communications at pmmikelson@highlights-corp.com or 614-324-7003.