In this post: An honest review of Sol Book Box, a Spanish book subscription box for kids 0-8 and families raising bilingual children.
A huge part of raising bilingual children is raising biliterate children. The two go hand-in-hand.
I am a huge literacy advocate and believe biliteracy starts from an early age with the simple yet beautiful act of reading aloud to your kids.
But one struggle that I have experienced over the years is finding authentic and high quality Spanish titles that are not just translations of well-known English titles.
One service that I can trust to provide highly curated and beautiful Spanish children’s books is Sol Book Box.
Today I am sharing a deep dive review of their Spanish book subscription service and a peek inside a box! ¡Qué emoción!
Table of Contents
About Sol Book Box
I have been raving about Sol Book Box for a few years now. We got our hands on our very first Sol Book Box back in 2019! A lot has changed since then (and not just the fact that my kids have outgrown my lap, and we survived a pandemic!)
Sol Book Box has had an amazing brand redesign recently, but one thing that has remained steadfast is the highly curated selection of Spanish books provided.
Authentic and Affordable Spanish Books
Firstly, they provide authentic and high quality Spanish board books and picture books at an affordable price. That is so hard to come by here in the USA.
Over the 6 years that I have been raising bilingual children, I have spent hours and hours scrolling through Amazon reviews, rummaging through the depleted Spanish language shelf in our library, and walking out of Barnes and Noble having had to ‘settle’ for translations of English books. Or, spending a fortune to get them shipped in from abroad!
It astonishes me that, even today, there is a lack of access to authentic Spanish original titles in the USA.
The beauty of Sol Book Box is that they provide a solution.
They do the hard work of reviewing hundreds of titles every year and sourcing the most authentic and engaging Spanish titles to support families like mine raising biliterate children.
Supporting Latin American and Spanish Authors
A few years ago, I interviewed Sol Book Box’s Latina founder Vanessa Nielsen, who is still very involved today with the book selections. She shared that her inspiration for the books often came from the Feria Internacional del Libro each year.
There she would spend days just reading dozens of Spanish original titles, and getting first peek insides to soon to be launched titles~ a true bibliophile’s dream and Hispanic literacy feast!
Over the years Sol Book Box has grown to include and support a range of publishers and authors, many of which are from Latin America and Spain. They have SO much experience choosing the best books and it shows in every single box.
Highly Curated for your Kids
Sol Book Box also takes the time to get to know your children! Before you even process your first order, they ask you to complete a short questionnaire to get to know your kids: their ages, interests and whether you prefer Spanish only or bilingual.
This makes it the perfect book box for both native speakers and Spanish beginners alike.
What to Expect in a Sol Book Box
OK, I am sure you just want to dive in and see inside a box!
Sol Book Box provides 3 main subscription box options:
- Board Book Box: Great for our littlest linguists aged 0-3. It includes two board books.
- Book of the Month Box: Ideal for ages 4-8. It includes the featured picture Book of the Month!
- Familia Book Box: Best for families with siblings in both age groups. It combines options 1 & 2 into a box perfect for the whole family!
Since my children are currently ages 4 and 6, I requested a Familia box. My youngest (4 years old) still loves board books. Plus I find they are also a really great resource for my eldest who is still learning to read. But we still get to experience a picture book too for our family read aloud time!
(The Familia book box is also more cost effective than buying the Board Book box and Book of the Month box separately).
Looking to provide a one-time gift to a loved one? Sol Book Box has you covered with their Gift Boxes!
These include FIVE beautiful Spanish books, and again, you can pick from a Board book set, picture book set or a combo of both!
I couldn’t think of a more perfect birthday or Christmas gift for a bilingual bookworm!
Peek Inside: Sol Book Box Unboxing
Here’s a peek inside our most recent box that included a combination of board books and picture books.
I was truly blown away by the presentation of this rebranded box. From the vibrant colors in the packaging and gift wrapping paper, to the little notes that come with each book to share a synopsis of the story and its author and illustrator, ~ it makes for a really joyful unboxing experience!
Since we received this box in December, I really appreciated that two of the books were seasonal titles about winter: Copito and La marmota Pancha y el zorro.
I do rotate my children’s Montessori bookshelf every season or holiday and so these two titles were immediately added into our rotation. Totally perfect!
Related Post: Winter Spanish Books for Kids
We also received a rhyming board book called La Jirafa Rafa with QR code that links to a song! Plus, another picture book about a very unique neighborhood called Gracias. Historia de un vecindario, that made us giggle a lot!
I think all mamas will relate to poor Señora Camila here as she pours más café with tired eyes!
Bilingual Parenting Tips from Vanessa
I couldn’t end this review post without talking about the impact Sol Book Box, and in particular founder Vanessa Nielsen, has had on my journey raising bilingual children.
Vanessa and I connected years ago and she has taught me 3 powerful lessons I will never forget:
1. The #3before3 parenting hack: This is a simple yet genius strategy for reading aloud to your children. That’s 3 books before 3pm. This worked so well when they were little. Of course we still read at bedtime, but they seemed to absorb and engage much better before 3pm, and it kept us consistent with input!
2. Make learning Spanish joyful. Vanessa once told me “Happiness is a great motivator, so find a way to tie Spanish to something that brings joy.”
One of her best examples is to host regular ‘fiestas de lectura’. Grab your favorite Spanish picture book, a delicious treat (usually banana bread for my family) and make it fun with a tea set! This probably appeals to me most because I’m a Brit, but seriously- do it! It’s beautiful and we have been having weekly reading tea parties for years with our Sol Book Box titles.
3. The magic of picture books: Picture books are meant to be read aloud by adults because they often have much more advanced vocabulary than the early-leveled-readers kids might read to themselves, and therefore can be read at much wider age ranges.
Sol Book Box has taught me that there is so much magic in a picture book. Their highly curated books provide a much richer vocabulary experience~ which is what language acquisition is all about after all! We read them over and over again.
Shop Sol Book Box
Ready to start building an authentic bilingual bookshelf? Or maybe you want to gift a subscription to a bilingual family?
>> You can choose your Sol Book Box subscription here.
After completing a short questionnaire so they can get to know your readers better, you will set up an account and join the club!
If the thought of ‘surprise’ books each month in the mail isn’t for you, Sol Book Box also offers an extensive online bookshop with beautiful books you can purchase ‘A la carte’. Just click the ones you want and check out!
You can even filter by age, Spanish only or bilingual and book type!
Finally, I also highly recommend their ‘Inspiration’ page which is filled with educational articles and tips for raising bilingual bookworms!
This is a sponsored post. Rest assured, all opinions are my own and I only share about the products that have been tried and tested by mi familia and that I believe will also support you in raising bilingual kids.
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Founder of the Llamitas Spanish® Curriculum and former Spanish teacher. Corrie holds two Master Degrees in Spanish and Education. She lives in San Diego, California with her husband and two bilingual children.