ILLUSTORIA #26: BLUE

This is a preorder, Illustoria #26: Blue will be released March, 2025. Issues will ship prior to release. All Illustoria subscriptions purchased before June 1, 2025, will include this issue.

Welcome to the blue Issue! Explore the many hues and moods of this fascinating color, with cover art by Isabelle Arsenault—made with a cyanotype print process using sunlight to create turquoise tints.

Learn how to make blue ink from copper pennies and a slurp-tastic blue Slime Drink with Dog Chef (Illustoria’s in-house celebrity cook). Try a blue-themed fill-in-the-blank writing game, and capture wild ideas in your own story-planning diagram. Learn about dangerous blue creatures like the popevine swallowtail butterfly and the blue dragon sea slug. Read myths about how the sky became blue, written by young authors around the globe. Check out interviews with our cover artist and an ink-maker from Toronto.

Find all this plus ponder how blue feels with our guest poet; revel in all the shades of blue: azure, indigo, cobalt, and ultramarine; find blue-hued music, book, and art supply recommendations from Illustoria’s staff and contributing artists; and that’s just the tip of the (blue) iceberg!

Illustoria is a print magazine for creative kids and their grownups. We celebrate visual storytelling, makers, and DIY culture through stories, art, comics, interviews, crafts, and activities. Our high-quality triannual publication is geared toward readers ages 6–12 and the young at heart. Illustoria is the official publication of the International Alliance of Youth Writing Centers, publishing writing and art by young people alongside accomplished professionals.

Looking to bring a set of Illustoria magazine into your classroom? Use the code “illustorialibrary” for 15% off orders of ten copies or more while supplies last.

Praise for Illustoria magazine

“With a focus on storytelling through art and literature created by children and adults, each tri-annual issue of Illustoria will delight the young reader on your list.”
—The New York Times

“The best kids art & storytelling magazine out there.”
—Wendy MacNaughton, Draw Together

“[A] beautifully produced print magazine that invites young readers to revisit arresting pages again and again … Illustoria is a visual feast, with a focus on storytelling through art and literature. In addition to crafts and art projects, Illustoria presents stories through comics, and profiles illustrators, artists, and makers … [with] messages of compassion and inclusivity … bursting with creative ideas and inspiration.”
—“Our Favorite Gifts for 6- to 10-year-olds,” Wirecutter, The New York Times

“Each stunning issue is something you’ll proudly want to display on your bookshelf.”
— “20+ of the Coolest Magazines for Kids, from Toddlers to Tweens,” Mother

“This is the kind of magazine you keep on your bookshelves with your favorite books.”
—Cece Bell, author of El Deafo

“It’s a rewarding offering that I hope sticks around for many years down the line.”
—Julie Danielson, Kirkus Reviews, blogger of Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast

“[A] visually exciting magazine with a DIY attitude … offer[s] plentiful opportunities for engagement, while the quality artwork and inventive layouts are sure to inspire imaginative responses.”
—School Library Journal

“Cover to cover, its content and aesthetics are smart, modern and engaging. Illustoria is a magazine I would’ve loved to have growing up.”
—Michelle Sterling, Avery & Augustine

For back issues of Illustoria magazine, visit Illustoria.com.