Little Feminist Book Club is a monthly book subscription box for kids ages newborn to nine years old. Each month you will receive one to two books to help diversify your bookshelf. Plus, you will also receive hands-on activities and tools to help your book come to life. Subscriptions are offered for ages 0-2, 2-4, 4-7, and 7-9. From Little Feminist:
Only 31% of children's books feature a female character, and only 13% feature a person of color.
This review is of the Book Club for ages 0-2 years.
This box was sent to us at no cost to review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
About Little Feminist Book Club
The Subscription Box: Little Feminist Book Club
The Cost: $23.75 a month + free shipping. Save with longer subscriptions.
The Products: At least one book (sometimes more) and hands-on activities and tools to help your book come to life.
Ships to: The U.S. for free and worldwide for varying rates.
Little Feminist Book Club Ages 0-2 November 2020 Review
I received this welcome sheet introducing this month's books. They go over a few details about the books and how you can share your thoughts with them after reading the book with your little ones! This month's books address emotions and moods.
On the back of the welcome page is this month's activity which is "Emotion Volcano". They illustrated a volcano and categorized similar emotions together at different levels of the volcano, and things to do when feeling them. For example, when you feel angry or scared, take 3 deep breaths. When you feel worried or sad, take time in your quiet place, and when you're happy and content, sing and dance!
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Rain! by Linda Ashman - Retail value $7.99
Oh, I love this book! First, the art is really sweet. Second, the wording is minimal and the whole story can be picked up just by looking at the illustrations which is excellent for my kids to "read" on their own. Third, the story is precious and reminds me so much about how our moods and emotions can "set the tone" around us and the impact of pessimism.
It follows a grumpy old man and an exuberant little boy on a rainy day. The grumpy old man curses the "dang puddles" and frowns his way to a cafe. The little boy and his mom happily make their way to the cafe, hopping in puddles like a frog. In every illustration, you can see the effect that the man's mood and the boy's mood has on the people around them. For example, the man buys a newspaper and barks at the newsstand attendant that it's all just bad news anyway, and you see the attendant's face and those that are nearby frown, too. The little boy's happiness is contagious to the people who see him hopping along in his raincoat or sharing cookies with others. The two meet in the cafe, and you get to see how each affects the other.
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Pele Finds a Home by Gabriel Ahulii - Retail value $7.95
This is a lovely book. I enjoy how it introduces kids to Hawaii's culture and storytelling. It tells the story of Pele, who was fiery and had a temper that seemed to set fire and burn around her. She finds many beautiful places but none are a safe place for her to be her fiery self. She eventually makes her own safe space for herself and her emotions, creating a volcano, and because of the lava, new land is formed and things can grow. Little Feminists chose this book because it does not present anger and tempers as "bad" or things to be fixed – they are presented as strong and powerful feelings that require a safe space, and that can be a catalyst for new, good things if managed appropriately. The info card says "In movements for social justice, we see that anger is a powerful force of destruction and creation. How do we react to anger?" It's a very interesting perspective, one that's different than most books out there for children, and one that inspires me.
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Discussion Question Cards
Each book comes with a discussion question card that gives you questions you can ask your little reader about the books. These cards are excellent because they promote discussions about lessons we learned in the books or things we have seen in the stories. It also allows your little one to really think and for you to learn a bit more about what they might be thinking at the time. This month's questions ask things like, "The boy and the man wake up to the same rainy day. What's different about their days?" and "Imagine what could be making the man feel grumpy. What makes you feel grumpy?" (I love this one because it promotes empathy and understanding, instead of just writing the old man off and invalidating his feelings!) for the Rain! book. For the Pele book, questions include "Pele is looking for a home where she can be her fiery self. Where do you feel free to be yourself?" and "Pele's lava burns land and makes new land. How is anger like lava? How can it hurt? How can it help?"
Verdict: This is my fourth shipment from Little Feminist Book Club! So far I think it's a very exciting book subscription. This month, especially, really inspired me and touched on a facet of parenting (and, honestly, just life) that I feel compelled to do better with. Talking about emotions and having patience and perspective surrounding them (both mine and my children's) is not something that comes as naturally to me as some other things might. I also appreciate that Little Feminist focuses on showing diversity and highlighting people who don't all look like my family that my kids might not see or meet regularly (especially, unfortunately, at this isolated point in time). I think that the price might seem a bit high for two board books, but I personally see value in giving my kids a special literary treat each month, and also in having Little Feminist do the work to source diverse and empowering books for us.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? If you order today, your first box will be the December box. From Little Feminist:
Once you purchase a book subscription your first box will be shipped within a week. From then on, your book box will be sent the first week of every month.
Check out all of our Little Feminist reviews and our list of the best book clubs for kids!
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