Former Hipster CEO unveils The Little Book Club, a book subscription service that grows with your child

Former Hipster founder and CEO Doug Ludlow and his wife Sara have two children and found that there was something magical about their family’s nightly storytime. As years go by, finding time to spend together can be increasingly difficult and having the right book to support their child’s development wasn’t always in supply. The Ludlows decided to change this: today, it is announcing the launch of The Little Book Club, a children’s book subscription service that grows as your offspring does.

With The Little Book Club, subscribers will receive at least three books in the mail each month: a hardcover book, paperback, and an activity book. Some months may vary and contain a different combination of books, and every month will follow a different theme, such as “Dinosaur Month”, “Colors Month”, etc.

Ludlow says that the company’s goal is to “change the world, one kid at a time.”

Books sent to each child are well-suited for them based on their development level. Before getting started, the company compiled a list of the best books for children from various child education expert organizations like the National Education Association, the American Library Association, the New York Public Library, the New York Times, and Caldecott Medal awarded books.

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All book titles are sorted by age group to ensure that a one year old will not receive a book written for a five year old. This criteria is determined by both the publisher’s recommendation and The Little Book Club’s editorial team.

Ludlow says that at launch, children up to age six are the focus of its business and it currently has about 100 subscribers, although he says the company is “growing at a good pace.”

The Little Book Club is entering the market as more businesses are targeting children. Last month, Sproutkins, another children’s book service launched with a similar model to help take the guessing out of the book selection game. Additionally, Amazon has announced plans to implement a similar subscription service on its Kindle Fire tablet device. We also can’t forget other services like Bobbledy Books and Bookboard.

Amid all the activity of its competitors, The Little Book Club says that it sees itself as a partner in a parent’s quest to educate and entertain their children. It believes that through its heavily curated and themed shipments, families will have an enjoyable experience — thereby separating itself from the rest.

The cost to use The Little Book Club is $24.95 per month and shipping is free, but as a special for our readers, the company has provided a code for $10 off the first month. When you sign up, use the code TheNextWeb.

Ludlow says that the company is boostrapped and follows just months after he sold his photo-sharing app company to AOL.

Photo credit: Sean Gallup/Getty Images