We're a book-loving family. Always have been. It started with Tim reading Sandra Boynton's "The Belly Button Book" to my stomach when I was pregnant with Owen. We started reading to them early and both of our boys love books. It is not uncommon to find them sitting in their playroom surrounded by books instead of toys (well, to be honest, there are toys all over the place too, but they're mostly flipping through books). Yesterday, I walked upstairs from doing laundry to find Owen reading "Secret Pizza Party" from memory to his younger brother. Our bedtime routine is not complete without a few stories. The library is our favorite place to go. So suffice it to say, when I had the option of trying out a new subscription box for children's books, I jumped at the chance.
As you can see, the branding and packaging for the subscription is very cute and personalized with a hand-written note on the inside of the box. The books come neatly wrapped in coordinating wrapping paper and tied with string. This subscription would make a great gift as well because you could add a birthday card and you're also set to go to a kid's birthday party.
I subbed to both subscription plans so I could check out the board books and picture books. Graham's box was the first to arrive.
Graham immediately began flipping through his board books.
We received these books:
"The Crayon Box that Talked" by Shane DeRoll ($5.89): Yellow hates Red, so does Green, and no one likes Orange! Can these crayons quit arguing and learn to cooperate? Shane DeRolf's deceptively simple poem celebrates the creation of harmony through diversity. In combination with Michael Letzig's vibrant illustrations, young readers will understand that when we all work together, the results are much more colorful and interesting.
"Let's Count! A First Book of Numbers" from Sassy ($6.15): Babies 3 months or older can practice counting to 10 with this adorable board book featuring bright illustrations, simple text, and a flap to lift on each page. "Hernando Fandango The Great Dancing Dog!" by Rachel Swirles ($4.95): It's time for the Big Ballroom Dance Competition-but who will win? Join Hernando Fandango and his very best friend, a shy little girl called Adelaide, as they waltz, jive, and rumba their way through this toe-tappingly terrific ballroom dancing extravaganza! A beautiful board book about following your dreams, with help from your best friend, and a little bit of rhythm.
All together, the board books have a retail price of $20.97 so they are worth more than the cost of the subscription. As with most things, you can find these three books for cheaper than that on Amazon. At the time of this review, all three would cost $16.99. But then you miss out on the specially curated surprise of receiving new books in the mail each month.
Owen's picture book subscription plan arrived a few days later. Again, his box was personalized with a message and his books were wrapped beautifully in coordinating paper.
We received these two books:
"Pirate Nap: A Book of Colors" by Danna Smith ($12.33): What better place for naptime than a grand pirate ship on the high seas? Two boys use their imaginations to turn everyday objects, from a white bandanna to yellow coins to a red blanket, into colorful pirate treasure as they prepare for naptime. With a bouncy rhymed text and fun illustrations, this charming book teaches little ones their colors while making a great read-aloud. Even the youngest readers and listeners will want to be a part of the fun as they get ready to sail off to sleep!
"Hugless Douglas and the Big Sleepover" by David Melling ($10.24): Douglas is excited to go to Rabbit's sleepover. On his way he runs into Little Sheep and invites him along too. But Douglas brings along more guests than he realizes! With too many animals and not enough space, how will anyone ever get to sleep?
Overall, I was impressed with this subscription service. We have received books for two months now and I am completely shocked that in receiving 10 books at this point, we have not received a single book that we already own. I also loved the variety in reading difficulty, illustrations, messages, and styles of all the books. Some focused on story-telling to encourage inner qualities and good behaviors like getting along with others and bravery while others taught colors, numbers and letters. And best of all, my kids loved them and have read them over and over. You can always tell when Owen loves a book because we read it enough that he then memorizes it and can "read" it to himself.
In addition to providing great books each month, Bookroo is also offering a coupon code for readers of this blog. Click HERE to receive $4 off your first box! Your first box will be $15.99 (coupon code shows up on the last page of checkout). Let me know if you have any issues!
These boxes were received at a discounted price in exchange for an honest review.
