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
The Legend of the Spirit Serpent by Adaiah Sanford - Retail Value $8.95
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The story is about a girl named Natari who lives in a small island village that is protected by the magical Spirit Serpent. The magical reptile lives in a special cave that only the leaders of the village can visit. "Why can't I be a leader?" asks the persistent and proud girl on her way to the cave. She has proven herself to the village before. So her curiosity leads to the cave, where a large snake greets her and asks what she wants. She asks to be its friend. Then the serpent magically turns into a young boy who says he's never had a human friend before. They spend the night talking to fish, walking on water, and seeing distant lands through a magic window.
My daughter and I enjoyed this book thoroughly. There were little stories in the overall story that she gravitated to. The ending was very much like an old Disney movie, which she seemed less interested in. But overall, it was very well written and illustrated.
From Reycraft Books:
This modern retelling of a traditional Kalinago legend from the Caribbean island of Dominica recounts the story of a huge serpent who once guarded the indigenous people. This book is the winner of the 1st Annual Caribbean Writer’s Contest sponsored by Reycraft Books and the Ducreay Foundation.
Note: The link for this book is for the hardback version, which costs more.
Thanking the Moon by Grace Lin - Retail Value $8.99
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Thanking the Moon: Celebrating the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival is a very simple, short story of a family that goes out into a field to thank the moon with a traditional picnic and festivities. A young girl says what each person in the family is doing, but the story itself never really gets into why. Each spread basically has only one sentence on it. There is beauty in simplicity, but even my daughter was saying, "That's it?" when I was done reading. The author goes into great detail in the back of the book. I enjoyed that part, but it was a wall of text to my daughter. The only time she perked up was at the name of one of the girls: Mei Mei, which is the name of the girl in Turning Red. My girl also liked the drawing at the beginning and ending of the book.
From The Author's Website:
The family from Dim Sum for Everyone and Bringing in the New Year are now celebrating the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival. This simple, young, and satisfying story follows a Chinese American family as they celebrate the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival.
Each member of the family lends a hand as they prepare a moonlit picnic with mooncakes, pomelos, cups of tea, and colorful lanterns. And everyone sends thanks and a secret wish up to the moon.
Includes an informative author’s note with further details on the customs and traditions of the Moon Festival for parents and teachers. The Moon Festival is one of the most important holidays of the year along with the Lunar New Year, so this book makes an excellent companion to Bringing In the New Year.
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 asks your little one to color and decorate a moon lantern. My daughter loves to color things and have something to show for it. So this was a great activity for us. There were also some stickers for your kiddo to collect as they read. There is a piece of paper to "collect" them as you read stories that pertain to Little Feminist themes likes "Anti-Racist," "LGBTQ+ Inclusive," and "Every Body is Beautiful." If your kid is anything like mine, they will immediately peel all the stickers and place them on the nearest surface.
The Verdict
We liked getting two books in this installment of Little Feminist Book Club. I don't mind the paperback versions at all, especially if it means getting two stories for the price of one. These two were on different ends of the spectrum in terms of words. The serpent story was very wordy, while the moon book barely said a thing. Neither one is a bad thing. It just stuck out to my daughter and me. We thought these were both worthwhile books, even if one was a little sparse. And stickers are always a hit for my kids, even if she doesn't fully grasp what they say. Overall, a great installment.
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). These books retail for about $18. That is a $7 difference in value. That's pretty good for these sub.
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? You have to 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.
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