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 our editorial guidelines to learn more about how we review boxes.)
First Impressions
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Little Feminist Book Club items come in a distinctive cardboard holder with drawings on it. 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.
What's Inside The Box
Granny's Kitchen by Sadé Smith - Retail Value $18.99
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The story revolves around a girl and her granny in Jamaica. Everything granny cooks is amazing, but when the girl tries for herself, it's never as good. "I can't cook," she says every time the dish doesn't come out like granny's. It's not explicitly said, but it seems granny lets her fail so she can learn from her mistakes. By the end of the book, the girl cooks all four dishes well enough to be proud and they both chow down.
The message of the book is the quintessential "if at first you don't succeed, try, try again." This is something I see happen all the time with my daughter. She's easily frustrated, afraid to try something new, and still figuring out how things work. At the same time, I see her succeed and the joy it brings her. Be it a dance move, a lyric, or something sporty, she eventually gets it. It's just hard for her – and anyone – to understand that failing is OK and part of learning.
The best part of the book – in my opinion, of course – was that the author included the aforementioned recipes in the back of the book, with a few facts of Jamaica to boot. I'm not sure if we'll make them, but what a great idea.
From Macmillan Publishers:
Accompanied by Ken Daley's vibrant, sun-soaked artwork, Sadé Smith's debut picture book Granny's Kitchen is the perfect readaloud for budding chefs everywhere.
Shelly-Ann lives with her Granny on the beautiful island of Jamaica. When Shelly-Ann becomes hungry, she asks her Granny for something to eat. Granny tells her “Gyal, you betta can cook!” and teaches Shelly-Ann how to get in touch with her Jamaican roots through the process of cooking.As Shelly-Ann tries each recipe, everything goes wrong. But when Granny is too tired to cook one morning, Shelly-Ann will have to find the courage to try one more time and prepare the perfect Jamaican breakfast.
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. They are nice in the way they help you ask direct questions– something that might actually get a real answer rather than "It was good" or "I liked it."
Little Feminist In Action
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This month's activity is a recipe card with a side of coloring. My daughter eatings a lot (A LOT) of peanut butter sandwiches. She's just about the pickiest eater I know. So we did a PB sandwich for our recipe card, which was funny, because there were more instructions than ingredients. (She's also picky about how her sandwich is prepared.) In retrospect, it may have been a better idea to scan the card and made more, but I guess recipe cards are pretty easy to come by. This was a good idea and perfect companion to the book.
Verdict
I enjoyed this book from Little Feminist Book Club. The subject wasn't as heavy or big as some other installments, but I liked the message and I was pretty pumped about the recipes being included. My daughter on the other hand wasn't too interested. The recipes didn't appeal to her and that was enough for her not to pay attention to the message. I will say it made her interested in helping in a kitchen a little. She does enjoy cracking eggs and things like that. So this book made her ask me if I could cook something she could help with. Even if she won't help eat it. That's enough for me to think this was a worth while installment. I'm just glad she's excited to see what the next book is every month. Even if she doesn't ultimately enjoy it, she's always excited. That's worth it to me.
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. The monthly subscription costs $26 (with shipping). This book retails for $18.99. That is a $7 difference in value, which is actually less than usual. The content is always good, but I would understand if some parents were dissuaded by the cost difference some months. Especially after several installments.
One thing to 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? No. You have to order before the 25th to receive that month’s selection. So at this point, you will get next month's. 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.
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