As a parent, I’ve grown to love children’s books, thanks to my eager kids who always looked forward to listen to my storytelling. And my kids have grown to love not only listening to stories but reading by themselves too. My daughter spends a really long time focusing on every book she gets a hold of, and my son is starting to do the same. They love books more than toys!
Imagine what happens when my kids and I get ourselves inside a bookstore. I’m ecstatic, I’m in book heaven. So many titles to drool over, yet my time and budget wouldn’t allow me to just buy every book I fancy for my kids. And choosing just a few is just as hard because we simply want them all! Well, we’re able to choose only one or two but only after a long time of ‘judging’ each candidate. We really spend a lot of time in the bookstore, and sometimes it pains me to leave.
This isn’t really a problem for us, except that I wish I always knew exactly which books to pick up among a sea of tempting titles. Good thing, there’s a subscription box for children’s books! Marmalade Books does the awesome job of picking the right titles for different age groups, and pick for my 8-year-old and 3-year old it did! Here are the two awesome boxes we got a month ago:
Picture Books Box (ages 4-7, $29.95) – we got two book titles plus a note from author Ross Collins, and some cute stationery items!
- The Black Rabbit by Philippa Leathers – based on the cover of the book, it’s obviously a story about a rabbit and his shadow. It’s a great way to teach kids about self-discovery and courage.
- There’s a Bear on My Chair by Ross Collins – a very brilliantly written book! My kids love hearing rhymes, and this one is our latest favourite rhyme book because it’s full of humour! I’m not surprised that it won the Inaugural Amnesty CILIP Honour award.
Middle Grade Novels Box (ages 8-12, $29.95) – we got two book titles plus a note from author Joshua Khan, and some cute stationery pieces as well.
- Journey to the River Sea by Eva Ibbotson – My daughter and I read together at least one to two chapters of this adventure per day, and let me tell you it was so hard to put down! My daughter became fond of Maia’s talent and bravery. This book was an awardee for the Nestlé Smarties Book Prize for reader ages 9–11.
- Shadow Magic by Joshua Khan – If you’re one of those who enjoyed reading Harry Potter when you were younger, I’m sure you’ll love Shadow Magic! My daughter and I look forward to a film version of this magical fiction with some thrilling humor thrown in.
We were very happy with the book titles we got, because it seemed Marmalade Books knew what to pick for me and my kids! Each box had gave us a balance of themes. The picture books box was for September was a mix of inspiration and silly humor, while the middle grade novels box brought us endearing adventure and heart-stopping fantasy. These books definitely tickled our imagination.