ILLUSTORIA SUBSCRIPTION

Looking to get caught up? Get 10% off your subscription when you purchase it alongside our latest catch-up bundle.

Listed as a best gift for nine-year-olds by Wirecutter.

Illustoria is an art and storytelling print magazine for all ages, suitable for readers as young as six years. Packed with stories, comics, DIY projects, and interviews orbiting a central theme—this magazine aims to incite curiosity and ignite creative response.

Here’s what readers will receive first:

Illustoria #27: Bugs
Our bugs issue is devoted to these tiniest of heroes that keep our planet humming. Join along as we take a curious gaze and a magnifying lens to examine this miniature universe! Inside these pages (featuring a stunning cover by artist Jesús Cisneros) young readers will find: a comic about Dora the Cat becoming a beekeeper in an ongoing creative job series by YUK FUN, an interview with artist Peter Kuper–conducted by Illustoria’s youth advisors–on the making of his book Insectopolis, a tour of an ant farm by beloved comic artist Fuzzytown, and so much more.

Learn how to make delicious peanut butter snails with our in-house DogChef. Wow your friends by discovering how to draw a peacock jumping spider. Check out drawings of bugs as superheroes drawn by young artists from Montenegro, Romania, Budapest, and beyond. Read two fictional stories by eleven-year-old writers (from Minnesota & the Netherlands) about a scientific mishap that caused an insect to grow to an outrageous size. Create a buggy face mask out of found objects. Have your mind blown by numerous insect factoids curated by acclaimed illustrator Lauren Tamaki.

Find all this plus bug-themed brain teasers; book, music, and art supply recommendations; bug avatars; puzzles; comics; and more! Keep your creative brain buzzing with this surprisingly epic volume.

Illustoria is the official publication of the International Alliance of Youth Writing Centers, publishing writing and art by young people alongside accomplished professionals.

For Issues 1-8, and to keep up on the latest news and blog updates, visit Illustoria.com.

Praise for Illustoria magazine

Best Gifts for Nine-Year-Olds—Wirecutter

“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

Get the next three issues of Illustoria AND the next four issues of McSweeney’s Quarterly for one unbeatable price with the Illustoria-McSweeney’s Combo Subscription.

IMPORTANT LOGISTICAL INFORMATION: Subscriptions placed by August 31, 2025, will begin with Issue #27. All subscriptions to Illustoria magazine automatically renew after three issues. In the event of any future rate changes, we will notify you via email. If you’d like to cancel your subscription at any time prior to its auto-renewal, you can log in to your account and adjust your subscription settings. Or send an email to custservice@mcsweeneys.net with the subject line “End Illustoria Autorenew.” Refunds will be accepted only up until the first issue of your renewal is shipped. Any subscription purchased with the “gift” option marked at checkout will not be enrolled in autorenew.

Canadian shipping costs for a three-issue subscription: $24
International shipping costs for a three-issue subscription: $36

Giving this subscription as a gift? Click here to download an official printable PDF gift notice.