Children's Book Subscriptions to Gift This Christmas

By Holly Allwright, Emma Rogers and Ekta Rajagopalan

“Winter is the time for comfort, for good food and warmth, for the touch of a friendly hand and for a talk beside the fire: it is the time for home” (Dame Edith Sitwell).

If you’re at a loss for what to give your children, nieces or nephews this year, we have the perfect idea for you! From sustainable boxes to subscriptions for bilingual households, we have rounded up our favourite subscription boxes for children.

Tea Time Bookshop

With four different age groups to choose from, including 1–3 years, 4–7 years, 8–11 years and a young adult box, Tea Time’s subscriptions offer something for everyone. What makes these boxes special is their focus on reading as a whole instead of just the books. Along with the selection of both pre-loved and new books, children also receive biscuits, hot chocolate, a bookmark and a postcard – all wrapped in fully recyclable packaging. As far as book subscriptions go, these boxes are low in price and high in both quality and sustainability, making them a perfect gift for any budding reader this holiday season.

One Third Stories

One Third Stories provides a unique subscription service for bilingual households. Focusing on the acquisition of two languages simultaneously, each Story Box contains two physical books (one in in each language), an audiobook to help with listening and pronunciation skills and games and activities related to the stories that aim to foster writing and speaking skills. The company was founded by two best friends – one with a passion for stories and a distaste for the traditional methods of language acquisition, and the other a bilingual individual on his way to learning his fifth language. One Third Stories aims to make language learning more accessible for both parents and children, as well as to make it a more enjoyable experience than it can be made to seem in education!

Hand Me Down Book Club

Hand Me Down Book Club is the monthly book subscription that helps to save trees. The company prevents books from being sent to landfill sites and instead redistributes thousands of pre-loved books in subscription boxes. So, not only are you bringing Christmas joy, you’ll also be helping the environment! You can choose between a children’s book for children aged 5–8 years or 9–12 years, or the young adult box which allows you to choose either two, four or six books a month. Books are wrapped in plastic-free, sustainably sourced, recyclable packaging, which is a great way to teach children about the importance of reusing and recycling.

ZaZa’s Storybox

Recommended on ITV’s This Morning, ZaZa’s Storybox is for babies and toddlers who are beginning their reading journey. Research has proven that reading can give little ones the best start in life, with benefits such as developing their language and listening skills, stimulating their imagination and creating childhood memories. Starting from £19.99 a month, they offer boxes for children aged 0–24 months, 2–3 years and 3+ years. Not only will you receive two books, but they also offer stickers, a toy or a postcard to match the theme of the books. The Snowman Gift Set is the perfect box to buy for your little ones this Christmas!

Wee Bookworms

Wee Bookworms is a specialist children’s bookshop in Northern Ireland that has their own subscription service. They offer six boxes for various age ranges, from babies to teenagers. What’s more, they also have an adult subscription option for adults who are a fan of classic children’s tales and young adult stories. Each month’s box includes one or two beautifully wrapped books. The first month’s box includes a surprise gift, a bookmark and a Trainee Bookworm certificate to make it official that your child/you are a wee bookworm. The first month’s box is a perfect gift for your wee one this Christmas.

The Willoughby Book Club

The Willoughby Book Club has a box for all types of bookworms, including a selection of page-turning kid’s subscription boxes. Young readers can join either the Baby, Toddler, Children’s or Young Adults book subscription each month and will receive a beautifully wrapped book as well as a Willoughby bookmark. The best bit, you ask? Each book is customised for the recipient based on the preferences they provide upon purchase. What’s more, each subscription sale sees a book donated to Book Aid International! After all, isn’t giving back what the holidays are about?

Parrot Street Book Club

The award-winning Parrot Street Book Club box is perfect for more confident readers. You can choose between the Parakeets box for kids aged 5–8 years, the Cockatoos box for 8–12 years or the Macaws box for 12–14 years. The Parrot Street Book Club goes a step further in their boxes by including book club-style questions, word puzzles, jokes, activity sheets, a recipe, fun facts and links to videos and useful websites. One of our favourite things about Parrot Street is that they actively seek out hidden gems from smaller, independent publishers that you might not otherwise have come across. We love a book club that supports independent publishers!