These 12 children’s book subscription boxes are gifts that keep on giving

Brave Light Library is a non-profit organization offering books from BIPOC authors about topics such as race, justice, identity, disability, skin color and the immigration experience. Founded by two moms committed to having open conversations about race and identity with their children, their goal is to provide parents and caregivers with the tools to talk about these topics with their kids. A subscription includes one book per month for five months along with discussion and activity guides for kids and adults. 

They have three pricing tiers: Accessible at $60 ($12/month), Standard at $100 ($20/month) and Supporter at $150 ($30/month). You receive the same content no matter what subscription you choose, but the higher-priced tier (Supporter) allows Brave Light Library to subsidize book subscriptions for families at the Accessible rate, which furthers their mission of equality and inclusion.

Children need to see themselves represented in the world to feel heard and valued—and books that offer truly diverse characters are a key component to making this happen. Every month your kiddo will receive a box with three inclusive stories featuring underrepresented characters including LGBTQ+, BIPOC and disabled. You’ll also get family discussion cards. Choose from board books for babies and toddlers or picture books for kids ages 3 to 7. For every book sold, they donate a book to underserved children.

The Hullabaloo Book Company, a carefully curated children’s virtual bookshop that launched just a little over two years ago, is now offering a book subscription service for kids zero to tween. Each month your kiddo will receive one book box themed around attributes such as kindness, intelligence, curiosity, bravery, creativity and emotional awareness, plus bonus activity packs. Request up to four additional packs for siblings and upgrade your box to include a board book for the littlest reader in your house.

Offering racially and ethnically diverse, LGBTQ+, disabled, feminist and other traditionally underrepresented characters in literature, OurShelves knows that the more demand there is for books that showcase diversity the more publishers will create these books. Curated by an expert team of parents, educators and librarians, all of whom have lived experience of being underrepresented in kids’ books, you can get a one-time box or try a subscription. 

Their subscription model is a little different: Sign up for boxes four times a year and you can select from one, three or five books per box. Select books based on your children’s ages. They also offer a way for you to combine multiple age groups into one box.

When it comes to top subscription boxes for parents and kids, Literati is a leader. This lit subscription box service proves you are never too young (or too old) for books. They offer children’s book subscriptions tailored to ages starting at newborn all the way up to teen. (They offer a grown-up subscription box, too). There are five books per box, but don’t expect to see classics and bestsellers: Literati is known for highly curated book boxes featuring unusual books, hidden gems and vibrant art. 

Aimed at filling the gap in children’s publishing for bilingual and Spanish books, Booklandia is a subscription box for readers from birth to middle school. All titles are hand-selected from Latin America, Spain and independent publishers in the United States. Choose board books, picture books or chapter books that are either bilingual or in Spanish. You can get books monthly or every other month.

OwlCrate Jr. offers a middle-grade hardcover novel per month for readers ages 8 to 12—but there’s more! Each box also includes an exclusive letter and signed bookplate from the author, collectible stickers and other cool swag including toys, activities, stationary and more.

For children ages 18 months to 8 years, Little Shu Box provides curated children’s books on East Asian and Asian American culture, along with a related craft activity and supplies. Themes include folktales, Asian American artists, Lunar New Year, history and more. Choose from the Toddler Book Box (one board book and two picture books) or the Kid Book Box (one early chapter book and two picture books) or the combined Sibling Book Box which includes a board book, a picture book and a chapter book.

Get that indie bookstore vibe right on your doorstep with The Book Droplet’s picture books geared toward readers ages 3 to 7. You’ll get a hand-wrapped hardcover book, a name plate and a surprise gift each month. They also offer subscriptions for Early Readers (5 to 8) as well as Middle Grade (ages 9 to 12). All books come from independent bookstores.

If board books are your game, the Elephant Books box is for you. Geared towards little readers ages 0 to 6, you can get recently published board books and picture books hand-selected by parents, teachers, authors and kids.

BookRoo offers four different book club options for kids: board books, picture books, junior chapter books and middle-grade chapter books. All boxes come with two books (or three board books!) and tips to foster discussions about the book, encouraging children from first readers up to tween to have lively literary discussions.

If you are looking to diversify your children’s bookshelf, look no further than the Little Feminist! They offer “diverse books for raising conscious kids” from birth onward. The contents are tailored to ages, but every box includes at least one book, discussion cards and activity sheets aimed at fostering healthy, age-appropriate discussions that focus on diversity, inclusion, representation, emotions and change.