Whirligig is a Brigham Young University faculty and graduate student-run children’s magazine that seeks to publish high-quality, creative content for children ages 7-11.
The magazine is open to submissions from anyone, including BYU students, alumni, established authors and especially children.
Whirligig contains a variety of genres, including fiction, nonfiction, poetry, comics, crafts, recipes and puzzles.
“We really wanted to focus on play and wonder,” said Ann Dee Ellis, a faculty advisor in the English department who helps run Whirligig. ”We want … it to be a really hands-on experience for kids.”
Whirligig was inspired by other children's magazines — like Saint Nicholas in the 1800s and New York Times Kids — to encourage literacy, creativity and art among children. However, the team wanted kids to do more than just read.
“We wanted to stand out from those and say that my kids should be able to write and draw and do all of this stuff along with reading,” Christie Seamons, a managing director for Whirligig, said. “It also just gives kids a reason to be creative and to dream big, because if they see their name, their story or a piece of art in this magazine, then it can encourage them to do anything.”
Whirligig aims to cultivate a love for reading and writing while helping children recognize their own ability to create.
”Kids are funnier than adults,” Ellis said. “Adults are more crafted, and they’re beautiful too, but kids are just hilarious. And so that’s when we talk about play and whimsy, kids are that.”
The project began in fall 2024, with its first issue released in August 2025. The first year of its creation focused on building the magazine, which included figuring out printing prices, defining its purpose and opening submissions to make the magazine coherent.
“Hopefully one day it can be a magazine you can subscribe to, and it’ll be huge and big,” Alison Hart, a managing director for Whirligig, said. “But we just have to remind ourselves, baby steps, right? Like, it takes time.”
There was also discussion about the name of the magazine. After narrowing a list that had around 100 options, the team accepted Whirligig — a sculpture or toy that spins in the wind.
”We just ended up on Whirligig because it’s fun to write,” Ellis said. “It’s playful and it spins in the wind, kind of like kids. I think playful, surprising, are also what we love about the stories and poems and nonfiction that we get. Those are the things we’re looking for.”
With a new magazine, the team has worked to get Whirligig into the hands of children by connecting with teachers at schools and exploring partnerships like the Central Utah Writing Project, a program that tries to get kids and teenagers writing.
They also host workshops that teach children to write stories and create illustrations, including events at The Boys and Girls Club, visits to the Provo City Library and other community outreach opportunities.
”The workshops are emphasizing how cool and funny kids are and how they deserve to have content that’s really high quality just for them,” Ellis said. “We want everyone to feel like they can read and they can write and then they can make beautiful things.”
These workshops also help the staff better understand what children want to read.
One common misconception that Whirligig faces is the belief that children’s literature is easy to write.
Ellis says there is a simplicity in writing children’s literature, but simple does not mean lower quality of information.
“You have to really think like a kid, and you have to let go of a lot of things you think you should be writing and be more playful,” Ellis said.
Seamons and Hart said this misconception often comes from people believing they know what children want because they were once children. These thought processes can lead people to talk down to children or avoid heavier topics.
”You should trust your audience as children,” Hart said. “They can handle a lot more than adults often give them credit for.”
Seamons agreed, saying it influences the type of content published at Whirligig.
“They aren’t just magically saved from all these hard things. They are able to read about it and process it,” Seamons said. “We want lighthearted stuff, but also things that deal with challenges and stuff that kids actually go through.”
While Whirligig accepts all submissions by children, the team is more selective with students and others to ensure it fits the audience.
”We really want high-caliber literature because we respect kids and we want them to have the best of the best,” Ellis said.
The Whirligig team includes members from a range of disciplines, including illustration assistant professor Melissa Crowton, who helps students create artwork that enhances stories.
Because of the wide range of skills involved, Whirligig encourages anyone interested to submit work or get involved.
Whirligig hopes to allow students to publish their work and introduce kids to authors by fulfilling its mission statement, which is to help families instill lifelong love and reading, as well as a sense of wonder all around them.
“Their stories have meaning, their stories matter and the things they want to tell and express matter. Kids matter,” Ellis said.