Time capsule unearthed: The Weekly Reader

I don’t recall what I was looking for when I stumbled across a unique find on eBay last week, but it didn’t take long to hit the “buy now” button. A quick dip into the PayPal account and a few shipping days later, a used copy of “Weekly Reader: 60 Years of News for Kids 1928-1988” is now mine.

For those who don’t immediately recognize the name, the “Weekly Reader” was a children’s newspaper used by schools to engage students in current events and familiarize them with the value of non-fiction periodicals. Issues were printed in classic newspaper format with a bold masthead, splashy headlines, and attention-grabbing photos.

The publication was founded as “My Weekly Reader” in 1928 by educator Elanore Johnson and continued under a succession of owners, including Wesleyan University, Xerox, Reader’s Digest, and RJ “Joe Camel” Reynolds. In 2012, it was acquired by the Scholastic Corporation (of book fair fame), and it continues today as a digital publication under the name “Scholastic News.”

Then-current events drove the content, and thumbing through my newly acquired anthology is a stroll through history in simple, declarative sentences. Stories covered include the construction of the Empire State Building in 1931, MacArthur’s return to the Philippines in 1944, the coronation of Queen Elizabeth in 1953, the Moon Landing in 1969, and the Jarvik heart in 1982. More controversial issues associated with wars, assassinations, and racial tensions were also included but handled with age-appropriate delicacy.

McCook residents will be pleased to know that one of the stories covered was the construction of the Norris Dam in 1934. The article doesn’t mention McCook, Nebraska, or even George’s Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) but tells students that the electricity generated by the dam will be sold to farmers “very cheap” and that farmers will use it “in their barns and in their homes.” The article adds, “Electricity will help the farm women with their hard work. It will make the farmers’ homes more pleasant, for it will run radios, give bright lights, and many other pleasant things.”

It’s nice to be reminded that the work of our noteworthy neighbor was the subject of national headlines. The fact that it was on the radar of third-graders throughout the country bears testament to the importance and reach of his works. Being selected as one of the publication’s “greatest hits” says even more.

My personal experience with the publication was during the 1960s when I was exposed to it in various schools throughout my nomadic, Air Force-brat childhood. One distinct memory stands out as what might have been my first exposure to politics.

In the fall of 1968, the Reader featured a story about the upcoming presidential race. That was the year that Lyndon Johnson had famously announced that he would not seek (or accept) a nomination for a second term. Unlike our current coronated primary elections, Johnson’s departure from the race resulted in spirited competition on both sides of the aisle.

The Republican and Democratic conventions produced Richard Nixon and Hubert Humphry, respectively, but the melee amongst the Democrats produced a third-party candidate, segregationist George Wallace. We took turns reading the article and discussed the candidates, then after a short conversation, our teacher had us “vote” by raising our hands. Richard Nixon won, Humphry was second, and Wallace was third, reflecting the later national vote.

I have since learned that the vote had not been taken at the teacher's whim but that we had participated in the "Weekly Reader Student Presidential Election Poll," which was reported to the publisher and tabulated nationally from 1956 through 1992. The poll is said to have accurately predicted elections 13 out of 14 times.

Ultimately, the publication was challenged by increasing overhead, declining classroom budgets, and the digital age, but there have also been controversies regarding content. As recently as October of 2023, Scholastic faced scrutiny regarding the treatment of LGBT and racial issues at their popular book fairs–and perhaps that is nothing new for the publication. When I located the article that first interested me in politics, I found the Weekly Reader poll didn’t include the pro-bussing, segregationist Wallace, who ultimately pulled 13.53% of the popular vote. Wallace was apparently introduced to our class discussion by my Southern elementary school teacher, not the editors of the Reader.

Whether reading about George Norris or not reading about George Wallace, the publication played an essential role in fostering an awareness of current events and the importance of newspapers in many generations of Americans. Whatever the technology or specific publication, I hope our schools can continue to provide the same valuable and memorable exposure as our Weekly Reader.