My First Reading Club is a monthly subscription box that delivers three age-appropriate books specifically for you and your child!
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
This is a review of the Just Starting Out, $9.99 a month, box for kids under 2 years old.
The Subscription Box: My First Reading Club
The Cost: $9.99/month for pay-per-month subscription, $9.33/month for 3 months, $8.33/month for 6 months, or $7.92/month for a 12 month subscription. Shipping is a flat rate of $5 for the U.S. and $10 for Canada.
ACTIVE DEAL: Save $5 off your first box!
CODE: NEWREADERS
The Products: Three age-appropriate books curated specifically for you and your child. Sometimes, a free surprise is also included in addition to the book.
Ships to: Contiguous U.S. and Canada
Check out all of our My First Reading Club reviews and the Baby + Parent Subscription Box Reviews!
Keep Track of Your Subscriptions: Add this box to your subscription list or wishlist!
No information cards were included, but I did receive this note featuring a wonderful quote from Maya Angelou:
Onto the books!
Disney Tails, Dumbo and Mama - Retail Value $6.14
This 10-page hardcover book has a 'touch and feel' feature on each spread. From clouds to hay, to bubbles, your child is able to develop their tactile senses through the help of various textures. The illustrations are beautiful, and you can't go wrong with a story about an adorable elephant for a kid under 1! I also love the sweet story about the connection between a mother and child. The book ends with mama putting Dumbo to bed, so this makes for perfect sleepy time reading material.
Blaze and the Monster Machines, Feel the Power - Retail Value $12.99 (found on sale here for $11.96)
Another 'touch and feel' book (definitely an ongoing theme this month), this book is almost twice the size of the first. It's also a little heavier on the text making it better suited for a slightly older child in comparison, in my opinion. The touch and feel portions are a little more... dramatic than the Dumbo book as well. There is a section of ' race track' that is quite rough and a 'glue spill' that is extremely sticky to touch. Pretty cool. The message of this story is all about playing fairly, so, even though the whole monster truck thing isn't so much my jam, the takeaway is really valuable.
Henry Hugglemonster Daddo in Charge - Retail Value $7.19
This book is really cute. I wasn't familiar with the Hugglemonsters before receiving this box, but I can say that I'm a fan now. The illustrations of these monster critters are just so darn smile-inducing. The story here centers around Daddo Hugglemonster taking over for Momma Hugglemonster when she steps out for the day. This'll be a great book for my husband to read to our son (especially during times when it's just the two of them).
Ecru Bath Salts, 0.75 oz. - Retail Value $0.27
If you've read a few of my My First Reading Club reviews, you'll know that I'm a little thrown off by these 'mom gift' product samples that are included in each shipment. While I think that it's very cool that My First Reading Club includes moms in their assortment, the juxtaposition of bath salts to children's books just really makes me scratch my head. It is a lovely sentiment, I suppose.
Verdict: This is my third box from My First Reading Club, and this month included three books to last month's four. Granted, they were all interactive-style board books, so they were a bit more costly than last month's variety. Each of the stories was super cute. The illustrations were also really impressive and worked well with the 'touch and feel' features of each page! My only criticism is that it would be nice if My First Reading Club sent the occasional book that wasn't affiliated with Disney or Nickelodeon. It's becoming apparent that this subscription has a partnership of sorts with a certain set of publishers that really narrows the selection (most books are associated with movies).
The value of this box comes in at $26.59. With a subscription cost of $9.99 + $5 shipping, I'd say that this box is a pretty terrific value for avid young readers that want to build their library on a monthly basis.
To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? No, but get January's box here (ships on 12/28).
Coupon –Use code MSAREADS to save $5 off your first box!
Value Breakdown: At $14.99 for this box, here’s what you are paying approximately per item:
- Disney Tails, Dumbo and Mama: $3.46
- Blaze and the Monster Machines, Feel the Power: $7.32
- Henry Hugglemonster Daddo in Charge: $4.05
- Ecru Bath Salts: $0.16
Which My First Reading Club book was your favorite this month?
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