Young Rider

Young Rider. I-5 Publishing, LLC, Irvine, CA. May/June 2014.

Editor: Lesley Ward

ISSN: 1098-2442

Young Rider is a magazine for kids who love horses. While many children’s magazines include a great deal of filler or use extremely simplified text, to the point of being unappealing. Young Rider is the only children’s magazine about horses for children, and it fills this gap admirably. Each article serves a purpose. Most articles are practical, describing how to do things involved in training, horse care, or giving advice on how to deal with horse-related problems. There are also articles that encourage reader involvement, such as horse and rider spotlights and contests.

Practical articles are truly informative and applicable. Some examples from the May/June 2014 issue include “Scoop the Poop! Find out what parasites are lurking inside your horse’s intestines by doing a fecal egg count” and “Turn n Burn: Ten tips to help you run faster barrels!” Readers can send questions for horse trainer Clinton Anderson in the “Ask Clinton” column; the question for this issue is about how to stop a horse from kicking. There are also stories about interesting or famous equestrians or types of riding. For example, “Galloping Under the Big Top: Meet a teenage acrobat who travels the world with an equestrian show!” And “Dan from Down Under: Meet Trainer Dan James!”

There are plenty of giveaways of riding and horse care equipment; readers can enter some by sending in a postcard, and others through contests including picture submissions. In this issue, “YR Tack Trunk” included reviews of helmets, and the “Breed Spotlight” featured the Pony of the Americas, including brief bios of three rider-POA pairs. Book reviews, horse posters, and reader photos are other regular features.

This magazine is an excellent resource for children who are interested in horses, especially those who take riding lessons and/or own their own horse. While articles are fun and accessible, they are in no way patronizing or “dumbed down.” YR always shows riders in appropriate safety equipment in practical articles, giving readers a good example for their own riding habits.

Songs for Little Pickers

Watosn, Doc. Songs for Little Pickers. Alacazam!. 2000.

On Songs for Little Pickers, Doc Watson performs traditional folk songs that will appeal not only to children but to anyone else who finds themselves listening along with them. Watson’s legendary guitar playing and mellow voice combine to make a truly enjoyable listening experience. None of the grating elements such as absurd lyrics, very high-pitched voices, or annoying tunes that so often are features of children’s albums are present here.

There are some silly children’s favorites such as “And the Green Grass Grew All Around,” but also popular traditional folk songs such as “Shady Grove” that form crucial elements of the American musical tradition. As so many of these, such as “Froggy Went A Courtin” lend themselves so well to a child audience that it seems it was only a matter of time before the master of the genre recorded an album for children.

Listening to Doc Watson perform Songs for Little Pickers, children are not only entertained, but are also building a strong basis for their musical education.