Bookroo Review
Bookroo is a monthly subscription box club featuring unique children's books.
I‘ve long been intrigued by the idea of subscription boxes–no great surprise, as there are so many great subscription options right now. I’ve watched with low-key envy as friends share photos of their latest OwlCrate box on Facebook, and I’ve headed toward the check-out pages of Try the World and Beautiful Madness on more than one occasion, although I’ve always stopped short of subscribing.
The one similar subscription service we are currently a part of is Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library–because it’s free. If you haven’t heard of it, check it out. Each month, your child (from birth until they begin school) receives a book in the mail, and this service has given me an even deeper appreciation for Dolly Parton than “Jolene” already had. Sadly, I don’t think there is an Imagination Library program in the Tulsa area; Joss is signed up through the Wichita program, so his books come to my mom’s house, which has been a wonderful way for “Grandma Dana” to be even more connected with him, although we live out of state.
All this to say, when I received an email offering to send me a Bookroo sample box in exchange for writing an article about it, I jumped at the chance! Bookroo is a children’s book subscription service that features two options (with a third option for older children coming soon): a Picture Book Box, which contains two books perfect for children ages 2-6, and a Board Book Box, which contains three books targeted toward children ages 0-2. Not only do the books come packaged in an adorable box, each individual book is wrapped in brightly colored paper, so it really could be like getting a birthday gift every month!
The other two sides of the box say “If you want them to be even MORE INTELLIGENT, read them MORE FAIRYTALES.” As someone who plans to write a post someday about my favorite fairy tale adaptations, I wholeheartedly agree!
According to the website, Bookroo’s mission is “to enable and empower parents to build their children’s book collections in an affordable and exciting way through curated monthly book deliveries. We believe in the power and impact of the written word in the life of a child, and believe it’s never too early to start reading to children!”
Given the first half of this mission statement, it makes sense when you learn that Bookroo was started after co-founder Tiffany realized that building up a good library for her son was surprisingly difficult. “There weren’t as many bookstores as she’d expected within easy walking distance, nor was a trip to a bookstore with a munchkin in tow always as idyllic as anticipated.” If you read my “Best of 2017” post, where I briefly shared my horror story of taking Joss to Magic City Books, you’ll understand why I laughed/groaned out loud at this sentence. It is so true. *sob*
As far as “affordable” goes, if you’re planning on investing in your child’s library anyway, I’d say Bookroo is definitely affordable. A single box costs $17.99, plus $5 shipping and handling. If you sign up for 12 months at a time, the price goes down to $15.99/month, with 3-month and 6-month subscription prices being somewhere in between. Of the two books I received, each was valued at just a few cents under $17, so that’s a pretty great deal.
As far as the books themselves, Bookroo’s goal, according to its website, is “to send the hidden gems that you don’t already own and are not easy to find in stores.” Each book undergoes “an extensive review process” before being selected. Find examples of past books here.
So, let’s open a Bookroo box! Although I kind of wanted to do it myself, I generously let Joss open his new books.
We don’t have any overhead light in our apartment. Can you tell?!
Shark!
Ooooh, aaaaah….
The books we received were indeed lovely; I’m sure Joss will especially enjoy reading “Land Shark,” about a boy who wants a pet for his birthday but forgets to tell his parents that he specifically wants a shark. Receiving a puppy instead, the boy is disappointed until he realizes that a puppy can be just as destructive and “bite-ful” as the coveted shark. “Land Shark” is full of fun plays-on-words and, I didn’t realize until later, is written by the author of “Stick and Stone,” which has been one of our favorite books since Joss was probably less than a year old (judging by the wear and tear and miles of tape holding the book together). The illustrations by Ben Mantle are fantastic. So much to see and so much color!
“Rock-a-Bye Room” by Susan Meyers is also charming. We haven’t had a chance to add this to our nighttime repertoire yet (which currently consists of “A Christmas Wish for Corduroy,” “Ralph,” the story of Noah’s Ark from “The Jesus Storybook Bible” and any other book that happens to catch Joss’s eye as I’m trying to get him settled down), as we just opened the box, but it definitely looks like a soothing book perfect for bedtime. I kind of want to be the mom in the book–singing her child to sleep with a pink electric guitar!! Maybe someday…
Have any of you subscribed to Bookroo or any other child-focused subscription service? Let us know about your experience and what subscriptions your family has enjoyed!
