Little Feminist Book Club is a monthly book subscription box for kids ages newborn to 9 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 children's book subscription sends books that highlight lesser-represented characters and teaches important life lessons with beauty and nuance.
This review is of the Book Club for ages 2-4 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.)
My Subscription Addiction pays for this subscription. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes).
Opening The Box
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Little Feminist sends their books in an envelope-style box that I realized last month could be colored by your kid. Of course, I was excited about the idea, but my daughter wasn't as interested. I love the minimal & easily recyclable packaging of this subscription.
Here's What's Inside
Welcome Note & Activity
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Each month comes with a welcome note explaining the theme and some insights into why that month's book was selected. For September, the theme is creative problem-solving. Modeled in both of the books selected for this month, the main characters show kindness and care in the solutions to their problems. Another thing these books have in common is the use of non-English languages throughout. (In Little Thief! Chota Chor! we are introduced to some Hindi, and in Lia & Luís we're taught some Portuguese.)
On the flip side of this note is this month's activity. It's an illustration of a sack with a funny monkey inspired by Little Thief! Chota Chor! next to it. The instructions tell us to go on a scavenger hunt around the house to look for things the monkey might have taken. If it's shiny like the objects he stole, the child is supposed to draw a picture of it in the sack. The question of which object is the shiniest is posed for the adult to ask to the child. I appreciate that this activity has multiple steps to it, as sometimes Little Feminist activities are rather simple and something I felt I could've thought up on my own.
Little Thief! Chota Chor! by Vijaya Bodach (Author) & Nayantara Surendranath (Illustrator) — Retail Value $7.95
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This book is about a young girl in India who wakes up in the middle of the night to find some of her and her mother's prized possessions are missing. She walks around her house to explore what has been taken and finds that the thief has stolen their shiniest things. As she looks around, we're given such a beautiful peek into her culture through small details, such as lighting a diya to see her way around and dipping a cup into a large earthenware pot filled with water to drink from. These details are shared naturally and don't feel forced. It's such a wonderful way for readers (myself included) to learn about how a girl from another part of the world lives.
Another aspect of this book that I absolutely love is how, as she wonders to herself why the thief would have stolen things that seem to be only to be of value to herself and her mother, she shows compassion to whoever it is. It occurs to her that maybe the individual who has taken their things is another little girl, and she declares, "If she has no family, she can be my sister. Oh, she must be frightened." I practically tear up every time I read that line to my daughter and am so glad to have a book on our shelf now that sets such a beautiful example of empathy.
Finally, the fact that the thief is a monkey (which is teased in the Amazon synopsis, but is a surprise to the child hearing the book for the first time) is really fun and funny to Lorelai. I think she relives the big reveal each time we read it and has a lot of fun with it.
Lia & Luís: Who Has More? by Ana Crespo (Author) & Giovana Medeiros (Illustrator) — Retail Value $6.95
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We're just as enthusiastic about this book as the first. Just as the welcome note tells, there are similar themes of positivity, compassion, and multicultural teachings. I'll break down what I like about each topic:
Positivity & compassion: the premise of the book is siblings engaging in some friendly competition over who has "more" between their different types of snacks. As they banter, there is no harshness or rudeness, and for my child who is newly a big sister, I'm really grateful for this example. Of course, her little sister is a baby, but hopefully in some small way through this book, she can internalize what healthy debating looks like with your sibling. And in the end, the sibling who is determined to have more shares some of her snacks so that they're equal. So sweet!
Multicultural teachings: In addition to the regular text of the book, there are word bubbles with dialogue, and sometimes they're in Portuguese. Each of the phrases (including the names of the Brazilian snacks the children choose) is translated in the back of the book. My initial thought was that having the translations in the front of the book would've been helpful, but I've since changed my tune; it's nice to give my child a chance to use context clues before reviewing what each phrase means.
Lastly for this book, it's a math book! The storyline takes us through the interactions of the twins figuring out who has more in a way that is true to real life. Introducing my three-year-old to math concepts through story feels very age-appropriate.
Discussion Questions
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This month, we were given two discussion question bookmarks—one for each book. For Little Thief! Chota Chor! they implore kids to think about collections (in the book, the young girl has her collection of rocks stolen), how the child would feel if their favorite treasure went missing, and more. For Lia & Luís they're asked to think about their favorite snack, and a time when they had to solve a problem.
Value - Was This Box Worth It?
The Cost: $22.95 per month + $2.95 US shipping. Save with longer subscriptions.
Value Breakdown: This month we were sent two paperback picture books. They cost $7.95 and $6.95, which only adds up to $14.90. The hardback versions of these books cost $17.95 and $15.99 ($33.94 total), which would've exceeded the cost of the box, but I must say I'm learning that I prefer the experience of reading paperback books to my kid because the corners aren't as jabby. Considering the contents of the books are the same in paperback form as they would be in hardback, I am content using my imagination and telling myself that the value is higher than it is. Quite honestly, I would pay more for the paperback versions than their retail value. I do think the activity and discussion questions add value, as well.
Key Takeaways
September's Little Feminist age 2-4 was a great success for my family, which was a welcome change from last month. Both books are exactly the types of children's books we want on our shelves: they are diverse and inclusive, they expose us to other languages, they show examples of compassion in their storylines, and they're just plain cute. That's a list of wins for us!
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Other Things You Should Know
Can I still get this box if I sign up today? No. Little Feminist is currently shipping October boxes.
What did you think of the September Little Feminist Book Club pick for the 2-4 age group?? Click below to write a review!
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