StoryCaptain is a children's book subscription that focuses on fostering empathy, understanding, and connection through literacy. Each box comes with 2-3 books, an activity guide, and a fun little freebie. The book selection is under the care of children's literature experts to ensure that every book in your box is both developmentally appropriate and will spark joy. There are two subscription options: one for kids ages 0-3 (board books), and one for ages 4-7 (picture books).
The Cost: $24.95 per month + $4.95 shipping to the US. Save with longer subscriptions.
ACTIVE DEAL: Get 50% off your first box with code MSA50!
CODE: MSA50
This review is of the subscription for ages 4-7.
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the editorial guidelines to learn more about how we review boxes.)
Opening The Box
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Subscribers can look forward to a colorful unboxing experience, with their easy-to-spot bright red shipping materials and neatly tissue-paper-wrapped contents.
Here's What's Inside
Welcome Note & Activity
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To introduce the books of the month is this welcome card. It reveals the theme of the month, which for August is Game On, and gets us ready for the books enclosed. On the flip side are three activities with varying difficulty levels indicated. Two are ideas for games you could setup to play with your child either indoors or outdoors, and one is a craft. This month's sheet of stickers is a bunch of photorealistic sports balls!
Ninja Red Riding Hood by Corey Rosen Schwartz (Author), Dan Santat (Illustrator) — Retail Value $17.99
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New. Favorite. Book. We haven't spent a ton of time on the Little Red Riding Hood story with our almost-five-year-old, because she's easily spooked and it seemed like a haunting fairytale for her. But this ninja version is not only clever and hilarious, it also features multiple epic moments of girl power, and a ton of challenging vocabulary words. It's a high-energy read and has been on repeat in our house. We decided it's going to be the book we buy for birthday gifts for every kid we know this season.
Max Explains Everything: Soccer Expert by Stacy McAnulty (Author), Deborah Hocking (Illustrator) — Retail Value $17.99
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This book is fun for different reasons—it's a slower pace and a less fantastical storyline. It follows a little boy named Max as he goes to soccer practice and gives the lowdown on the sport, but it's adorably told through the lens of a very distractable Max. Throughout the pages you can see the rest of the team following instruction and playing the game properly, while Max misses opportunities to partake in play left and right, because he's doing the "very important" work of silly stretches and finding bugs and more. Our daughter is about to start her first foray into soccer this weekend, so the arrival of this book was very timely for us. I'll say that after reading this book to her a few times, the jokes don't seem to land with her, but she still enjoys it. I'll be curious to see how that might change after she's actually experienced soccer practice!
Value - Was This Box Worth It?
The Cost: $24.95 per month + $4.95 shipping to the US. Save with longer subscriptions.
ACTIVE DEAL: Get 50% off your first box with code MSA50!
CODE: MSA50
Value Breakdown: This subscription costs $29.90 including shipping. The two books that we were sent in the 4-7 age range for August added up to $35.98. By subscribing you're saving almost 17% on the books alone, plus you get the benefit of the book curation, the bonus on-theme activity suggestions, and the fun sticker sheet.
Key Takeaways
My family is having a ton of fun with the books sent in StoryCaptain this month. We can't get enough of the ninja version of Little Red Riding Hood, and we were delighted by how relevant the silly soccer book is to this season for us. Both books are super age-appropriate with room for deeper understanding as our kid matures.
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To Wrap Up:
Can you still get this box if you sign up today? Yes, as of this review's publication, this box is still available. After placing your order, your first box will be shipped within 3 business days. For subsequent boxes, they will be shipped either at the beginning or the middle of each future month.
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