Getting an Amazon Prime subscription could also mean getting your kids to develop good reading habits from a young age. Starting today, the online retailer is rolling out Prime Book Box –a subscription service that delivers curated hardback copies of children’s books — to all Amazon Prime subscribers in the U.S.
For $23 a box, Amazon will send your children either four board books for tots who are 2 and younger, or two picture books or novels for slightly more advanced readers. The $23 price tag, Amazon says, is about 35 percent less than the total list price of the books, so you’re saving money by ordering in bulk, as is generally the case when it comes to Amazon.
Books can either come every month, every other month, or once a quarter, depending on how voracious of a reader your young one may be. As it stands, the collections of books are categorized by age groups: newborns to age 2, 3 to 5, 6 to 8, and 9 to 12.
“These books include classics that have stood the test of time, as well as hidden gems that our editors couldn’t put down — stories that your reader can enjoy again and again,” writes Amazon in an FAQ about the new service. And because Amazon is smart, it won’t send you titles that you already have at home; at least not if you purchased those titles through Amazon. The online retailer says it will “use your recent purchase history to avoid including a book” you’ve previously bought. You can also tailor your boxes before they ship out each cycle by selecting alternate books from a curated list of approved titles.
“As a mom who’s spent over 20 years reading and reviewing children’s books, the best part of my job is sharing a love of reading with kids and their families,” said Seira Wilson, senior editor for Amazon Books. “Over the past few months, it’s been both exciting and rewarding to hear that Prime Book Box is encouraging kids to spend more time reading. Now that Prime Book Box is available to all U.S. Prime members, I hope we can inspire even more children to discover a love of reading that will last a lifetime.”
This is the first time that Amazon will be offering physical books as part of its Prime membership. While the company already offers Kindle ebooks as part of its Prime Reading program, as well as certain digital magazines and travel guides, it has previously steered clear of sending out actual paper and ink.
Updated August 28, 2018: Added news that Prime Book Box is now available to all Amazon Prime subscribers in the U.S.
