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 Ocean Calls by Tina Cho - Retail Value $18.99
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The story is about a ten year old girl named Dayeon and her grandmother, who is a haenyeo – a free diver. Dayeon wants to be like her grandmother, but grapples with the fears that come with the ocean: waves, sharks, etc. With her grandmother's help, she overcomes her fears and joins the haenyeos to gather gifts from the sea. She feels the ocean call to her.
This book arrived a the perfect time for my daughter. She already loves the water and swimming. We've been watching Moana a lot recently. Plus we just got home from a beach vacation. So she is all watered up. She liked the idea of searching underwater for animals, but was worried about sharks. Most of all, she was blown away at the idea of holding her breath for two minutes, like the free divers in the book. She tried and tried. Maybe it will inspire her to practice more, because she already can hold it for a long time.
From Penguin Random House:
A breathtaking picture book featuring a Korean girl and her haenyeo (free diving) grandmother about intergenerational bonds, finding courage in the face of fear, and connecting with our natural world.
Dayeon wants to be a haenyeo just like Grandma. The haenyeo dive off the coast of Jeju Island to pluck treasures from the sea–generations of Korean women have done so for centuries. To Dayeon, the haenyeo are as strong and graceful as mermaids. To give her strength, Dayeon eats Grandma’s abalone porridge. She practices holding her breath while they do the dishes. And when Grandma suits up for her next dive, Dayeon grabs her suit, flippers, and goggles. A scary memory of the sea keeps Dayeon clinging to the shore, but with Grandma’s guidance, Dayeon comes to appreciate the ocean’s many gifts.
Tina Cho’s The Ocean Calls, with luminous illustrations by muralist Jess X. Snow, is a classic in the making.
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
This month's activity asks you and your little one to color/design mermaid tails. A cute idea, but once we did our's, my daughter literally said, "Now what?"
The Verdict
My daughter and I got a good laugh from this well-timed book from Little Feminist Book Club. We just got home from the beach to find it on our doorstep. We enjoyed the book. However, to be honest, instead of being one that we will reread, it was the kind of book that sends you to the Internet to find out more about an interesting subject. Nothing wrong with that; that's how we learn about new and exciting things. The book also had a lot of information about haenyeos in its back pages. This is to say we didn't find the story enthralling, but the subject matter was very interesting. Just today, my daughter was collecting toys off the bottom of our pool and she said it was just like the book we read. That's a win in my book.
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 about $19. That is a $7 difference in value and in line for what we see from this 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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