Little Heirloom Books: Building Connections with Children Through Reading

“Read good books. Raise good humans. Relish the things that last.” These are the words Little Heirloom Books has fashioned their business around. Co-founders, Camille Close and Meredith Church shared a love for children’s literature and a belief that a high quality book is not always the easiest to find, especially for busy families. They set out to create a monthly book club with handpicked stories, beautiful illustrations and uplifting messages.

Little Heirloom books
Photo credit: Little Heirloom Books

The result of their collaboration was Little Heirloom Books; a book club for modern families with minimalist ideals. Choose from one of three subscription types – The Storyteller, The Adventurer or The Enthusiast. Each level adds more curated, quality goods that coordinate with the box’s value-based themes.

However, for Little Heirloom Books, it wasn’t just about the delightful books and objects that went inside the box. Presentation and first impressions mattered to them. We dug deeper into how this special company started, what their design process was and how they select top quality literature.

What inspired you to create a business around children’s books?

Being moms and lifelong readers ourselves, books of all kinds (especially children’s literature) have been a centerpiece of our homes and lives. There’s something about an excellent book that is so powerful: it opens doors to adventure, empathy, trust, courage, and so much more. We’ve been reading to our babies since they were born to share the love!”

“We found that among the books published every year, not all had the quality – both visually and textually – that we wanted to nurse our kids on. Care and deliberation went into choosing children’s books for our own families. We set out to build a box that would align with our values.

Child reading a book
Photo credit: Little Heirloom Books

C. S. Lewis said, “No book is really worth reading at the age of ten, which is not equally – and often far more – worth reading at the age of fifty and beyond.” And we felt to extend that to include picture books. A good book is a good book for all ages!

Talk about the design process and inspiration for your packaging.

We wanted to reflect our name and company values with our packaging.  Little Heirloom Books connotes a product for children that is high quality and will stand the test of time.  So we wanted our box to have a little bit of whimsy, a little bit of imperfection, and a handcrafted feeling.

We also wanted the design to be timeless. We picked a cheerful but grounded color and kept the palette minimal for simplicity. On the back of the box, we made it easy for people to find us online and included the logo of Page 158, our partner indie bookstore.

Little Heirloom in custom packaging
Photo credit: Little Heirloom Books

How do you choose which books make it into your box each month?

Every box includes a book published within the previous ninety days.  To find the best ones, we sort through hundreds of upcoming titles and to be considered for the box, it has to meet all three of the following criteria: 

1. The illustrations must be beautiful.  We look for enthralling, detailed art with a lovely color palette that draws in readers of all ages.  Children read stories through the pictures first, so the illustrations are fundamental.
2. The story has to be just as stellar as the illustrations.  The text needs to flow well, be engaging, and draw readers of all ages along.  It has to be a story that children will want to read again and again – AND mom and dad won’t mind a bit.
3. It needs to have an uplifting, positive message.  The media children consume (including books) shapes who they become. Let’s bring our children up with words that empower and encourage them!  Books are also an excellent tool for opening up critical parent-child conversations.  We always include discussion prompts for getting the ball rolling.

Why did you decide to use custom packaging for Little Heirloom Books?

It’s essential to us that our customers feel treated when they receive a box.  Not just any box would do. We needed packaging that would reflect our brand: high quality with a clean design. Plus, it needed to stand out from their ordinary mail and packages so they would know at first sight that something exceptional had arrived.  Presentation and first impressions matter a great deal, and custom packaging made an excellent first impression possible for us.

What tips would you give someone hoping to start their own e-commerce business?  

For us, it goes back to the community again.  We have been so impressed with the generosity and kindness of people both on and off the internet!  Every time we have reached out to others, we have received helpful, eager, and friendly replies. We love working with the people we have met through this online business!  So our tip is to reach out and don’t be shy! People helping people is what it’s all about.

kids reading a book
Photo credit: Little Heirloom Books

How does your tagline influence your brand decisions? “Read good books.  Raise good humans. Relish the things that last.”

Everything that goes into our box focuses on that tagline. We seek out the best books with the most meaningful messages and pair them with the highest quality of children’s goods. Parents get inundated with tips, tricks, standards and expectations about how to be the best for our kids. At the same time, our children are trying to sort through expectations thrown at them. It can be a lot!

We believe that simplifying and stepping into peaceful moments reading with our kids can truly make a difference. It’s in the quiet moments that we make powerful connections between parents and children, between people and ideas, between our hearts and minds.

By giving our children the best of best – in messages, in time, in being fully present and open with one another – we make a difference. We build connections with our children that will last. We raise children who are strong, brave, and kind. We create a better world. Those are the things that matter most, and what Little Heirloom Books is all about.

Thank you to Little Heirloom Books for taking the time to talk with us. If you’re looking for uplifting literature for little ones, check out their subscription book club options.

Interested in creating unique packaging that reflects your brand? We’ve got designers who can help, or create your own with our online designer.


How can we help?

We’re all ears. Drop us a line and we’ll get in touch!

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