special report

Appleseeds

Readership: 8+ (especially grades 3 and 4)

SUBMISSION SPECIFICS:

SUBMISSION SPECIFICS from their guidelines:

APPLESEEDS is "looking for articles that are lively, age-appropriate, and exhibit an original approach to the theme. Scientific and historical accuracy is extremely important…. Your article must stimulate the curiosity of a child." All material must relate to the theme of a specific upcoming issue in order to be considered.

WHAT THEY WANT:

Fun Stuff (games or activities relating to the theme, 2 pages -- 150 to 300 words)
Reading Corner (literature piece, 2-4 pages, 300 to 600 words)
By the Numbers (math activities relating to the theme, up to 150 words)
Where in the World (map activities, 2 pages)
Your Turn (theme-related opportunities for children to take action, up to 150 words, 1 page)
Experts in Action (short profile of professional in field related to theme, about 150 words, 1 page)
The Artist's Eye (fine or folk art relating to theme, about 150 words, 1 page)
From the Source (age-appropriate primary source material, 1-2 pages, 150 - 300 words)

Pays on Publication. Buys all rights. Tries to respond within 12 weeks.

Queries may be submitted at any time, but queries sent well in advance of deadline MAY NOT BE ANSWERED FOR SEVERAL MONTHS. Go-aheads requesting material proposed in queries are usually sent five months prior to publication date. Unused queries will be returned approximately three to four months prior to publication date. Prefers email queries to swbuc@aol.com. Or mail queries to:

Susan Buckley, Editor
APPLESEEDS Magazine
140 E 83rd Street
New York, NY 10028

Note: Queries should include a brief description of your idea, including a list of sources you plan to use, your intended word length, and any unique angle or hook you think will make your piece irresistible to its intended audience (8 - 10-year-olds and their teachers and parents). Queries may be submitted at any time before the deadline, but queries sent well in advance of deadline MAY NOT BE ANSWERED FOR SEVERAL MONTHS.
Assignments are made approximately one month before manuscripts are due. If you wish to check on the status of your query, please e-mail Associate Editor Annabel Wildrick no earlier than one month after the query due date.

ANALYSIS OF SPECIFIC ISSUE

Contents:
APPLESEEDS
January 2004
Theme: Growing Up in the Industrial Revolution

Samuel Slater's Big Secret [M.E. Reilly-McGreen] Article about Samuel Slater who brought the technology of English mills to America. Touches on the part mills played in the Industrial Revolution. And the bad and good of being a child mill worker. Three pages.

A Day in the Life [Kathiann M. Kowalski] A day-long timeline showing how a young female mill worker's day compared with a young male breaker boy (who worked for a coal mining company). One Page

Spinning Ideas to Weave a New World [Richelle Putnam] The change from cottage labor of spinning and weaving to industrial spinning and weaving. Focuses on how a few inventions could create huge change. Two pages.

The Mill Girls [Julie Doyle Durway] The mill girls of Lowell, Mass, described the work, the conditions, the schedule, how one advanced on the job, and their struggle for better conditions. Three pages.

Life in a Boarding House [Gail Skroback Hennessey] Historical Fiction. First-person account of life as a mill girl and what a day was like. One page.

A Tour of Lowell [Diane L. Brooks] Two-page photo essay with photos from the Lowell National Historical Park.

From the Source: Lowell Offering [Kathiann M. Kowalski]. A piece of an essay by a mill girl from the Lowell Offering, a magazine written and published by the mill girls in 1840-1845. One page has text, facing page has graphic of the cover of one issue of the Lowell Offering.

The Breaker [Jerry Miller] Two pages about the Breakers, buildings where coal was smashed into bits and the Breaker Boys who sorted the slate from the coal.

Be A Numbers Detective [Louise Greene] A kind of puzzle where the reader fills in numbers for a chart -- the numbers are found in article in the magazine. 2 pages.

Children at Work [Ann Jordan] Child Labor and the gradual changes made by reformers. 3 pages.

James Watt and the Bubbling Kettle [Gail Skroback Hennessey] How the power of steam fascinated James Watt, even as a boy -- a fascination that lead to Watt's creation of improvements to steam engines. One page.

The Photos of Lewis Hine [Bob Jacobson] The role photographer Lewis Hine played in the reformation of the child labor laws. 2 pages.

A Trip Back in Time [Christine Graf] Story invites reader to imagine life before the industrial revolution. Inventions created during the revolution are highlighted. 2 pages.

The Industrial Revolution Continues [Gail Skroback Hennessey] A one-page reminder of all the recent technological changes we've seen with a focus on David Goldman, a man who created software that changes scanned pictures into embroidery stitch patterns.

Make a Simple Spindle [Ben Wildrick] Very simple craft (basically just assemble pieces -- a dowel, a cd, a small cup hook, and a 2-foot length of yarn) with a link to a site that shows readers how to spin with a simple spindle. One page.

Touch the Sky [Lorrie Ann Patterson Rader] The first Ferris wheel created for the Chicago World's Fair. 2 pages.

Branching Out [Sheila Wilensky] Annotated list of books on the Industrial Revolution and child labor. 2 pages.

This page last updated on 01 January 2005