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
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
The theme of the month is fruit, and we were sent two hardback picture books with anthropomorphic fruits that have humorous takes on their various subjects. This card introduces the books, and on the back are 3 activity ideas in the realms of rhyming, imaginative play, and acting, that relate to the theme. They also included a sticker sheet so kids can turn a duo of cherries into silly beings.
Avocado Asks by Momoko Abe — Retail Value $18.99
In this book, we're taken along on an adventure with an avocado who has an identity crisis when a young grocery store shopper asks if he's a fruit or a vegetable. It's the classic debate, but in the form of this avocado's journey through the store, asking other foods for answers and coming up short. In the end he encounters a tomato—another ambiguous fruit—and finds a satisfying resolution. I love the midcentury modern style of illustrations in this book, and the fact that the avocado's pit is used as his nose. My kids had so much fun with this story and chose it for bedtime for a week straight.
Counting to Bananas by Carrie Tillotson (Author) and Estrela Lourenço (Illustrator) — Retail Value $18.99
Found on sale here for $14.29
In a slightly more unhinged take on a fruit's personal crisis, this is a counting book wherein a banana makes known his expectation to be the star of the book early on, and expresses outrage with each page that doesn't feature bananas. The book starts by counting 1-10 using fruits (and some animals), and then goes on to count by higher groupings. There has been a lot of laughter coming from my kids as they get a load of the shenanigans the banana gets into!
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, with shipping included. May included two picture books that add up to $37.98 using full retail prices, or $33.28 using Amazon sale prices. This is an awesome value, and the best I've seen yet from this (or any) children's book subscription!
Key Takeaways
These two fruit books were a hit for my family, taking two different approaches to the questioning and grappling that humans might imagine fruits to experience. Both are playful and educational, and great for a smile or a laugh.
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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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