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 selected to help diversify your bookshelf for $22.95 per month + $2.95 flat rate shipping. 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 4-7 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.)
First Impressions
Just as I thought last month, my daughter was very excited to receive another installment of Little Feminist Book Club. She instantly knew the box was for her and started to open it. I had to stop her so I could get my camera.
What's Inside The Box
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In addition to the book(s), Little Feminist includes an introduction to the book (which has an activity on the reverse side. See below) and a bookmark with thought-provoking questions.
Laxmi's Mooch by Shelly Anand - Retail Value $17.99
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The story revolves around an Indian girl named Laxmi who is teased about her "mooch," which is Hindi for "mustache." Initially self-conscious, with help from her parents she learns everyone has hair and it's not just for heads. She embraces her body hair and asks to be a tiger the next time the school children play animals. Laxmi also shows the children that most of them are starting to get hair on their lips, arms, and legs and that's it's nothing to be ashamed of. Even the children that don't yet have hair ask to have it drawn on them to be part of the group.
My daughter is still young enough that she just likes almost everyone and if she doesn't it's not because they look different. It usually comes down to attention, sharing, or telling her "no." (Does that ever really go away?) But she's almost in Kindergarten and I think she's in for a shock as she gets older that there are many more kids outside her preschool, they will not all want to be friends, and sometimes it will be for petty reasons. (Does that ever really go away?) I hope she is a strong enough person not to let words get her down. But even more, I hope that she is a strong enough person not to bring other people down with words. I supposed that is on me and my wife, too.
I enjoyed the book's message of body positivity, acceptance of others, and understanding that words carry weight. I also liked the inclusion of a few Hindi words that we could learn together.
From Penguin Random House:
A joyful, body-positive picture book about a young Indian American girl’s journey to accept her body hair and celebrate her heritage after being teased about her mustache.
Laxmi never paid much attention to the tiny hairs above her lip. But one day while playing farm animals at recess, her friends point out that her whiskers would make her the perfect cat. She starts to notice body hair all over–on her arms, legs, and even between her eyebrows.
With her parents’ help, Laxmi learns that hair isn’t just for heads, but that it grows everywhere, regardless of gender. Featuring affirming text by Shelly Anand and exuberant, endearing illustrations by Nabi H. Ali, Laxmi’s Mooch is a celebration of our bodies and our body hair, in whichever way they grow.
What Do You Think Card
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Each book comes with a 'What Do You Think' card that provides questions that you can ask your little reader about the book. I find it's nice to have a little help sometimes when explaining things to my daughter or trying to get her to tell me about her day. Unfortunately, this time she was in a bit of a goofy mood before bed and answered all the questions by blowing raspberries.
Little Feminist In Action: Feel Better Strategies
This month's Little Feminist In Action page asks your child to draw a self-portrait and then write or say words that describe them. I was really pleased that she drew herself with a smile and also included me in the piece. She didn't come up with her own words, so we went down the list Little Feminist provided. My daughter said she was all the words, except for curious, which in and of itself was very curious to me. I was going to upload her drawing, but she scribbled all over it. I really liked this exercise and seems like a playful way to get interesting results for any age. I could see doing this every once and a while to see how my kids are feeling about themselves.
Verdict
This was our second Little Feminist Book Club installment and I am enjoying these books with an age-appropriate message. If I'm being honest, this one was just the tiniest bit awkward talking about a young girl's mustache and body hair. Even my girl was giving me some weird looks at times. However, I guess some lessons are awkward or difficult to talk about and those will be worthwhile. Overall, I appreciate the message of self-love and acceptance. I liked learning the Hindi words. If I could do one thing differently moving forward is reading the book before doing the drawing exercise. My daughter was distracted with drawing and not paying much attention to the story and its message as much as she should have been. Hopefully next time the exercise will be an incentive to listen.
Value - Was This Box Worth It?
Subscribers – current or future – will have to be understanding of the fact that Little Feminist Book Club is not a subscription that saves you money. The cost of the sub will always be a little more than the book itself. This subscription's true value is the quality of the books and the complementary paperwork, which is carefully chosen and sent to your front door. If you are focused on dollar amounts, this subscription may not be for you. Last month, the retail price of the book was drastically undercut by Amazon and it felt like, in terms of dollars, the subscription wasn't quite worth it. This month, Amazon is only selling this book for a few dollars less at $14.99. The monthly subscription costs $26 (with shipping). Even if the book was full price at $18, you're still talking about an $8 difference in value. That amount could dissuade customers from wanting to subscribe.
One thing of note: Little Feminist offers four ways to purchase: monthly, three months, six months, and 12 months. They cost $22.95, $21.95, $19.95, and $18.95, respectively. Shipping is always $2.95. So if you were certain you'd like this subscription for a year, it would be $4 cheaper per month and much closer to the book's retail value.
To Wrap Up
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? Yes, order before the 25th to receive that month’s selection. 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.
Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist.
Do you subscribe to Little Feminist Book Club Box? Comment below with what you thought.
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