These days, I spend a lot of time with 2 year olds and 4 year olds – mostly mine. Last week I was sent a free personalised educational book for both of them from Beans & Sparks Club along with an offer. They’ll give you the first book for free, apart from the £1.99 delivery charge, so PMPers can try them for next to nothing!

I’m relieved to say the kids love them. Especially the fact they are the main character, with their name, and an uncanny resemblance thanks to their Wii-like avatar builder. You could say this is a gimmick but they claim that they help the child empathise and learn from the stories. Seems reasonable. Although I’m no expert!

More importantly, how are they educational? Apparently they cover all the “key learning skills for the early years age range. Created by a team of expert writers, teachers and educational psychologists, each story addresses a specific learning outcome in a fun and engaging way.” Having read them with my kids, I can confirm, to the best of my knowledge, that this isn’t just guff.

So after the freebie, how much does it cost. Well… This detail is hard to spot on their website. I actually gave up looking for it. But I am informed that they charge £12.99 (which includes delivery) per month. That might seem a bit much for a book, but then they are personalised. You are, of course, free to cancel the subscription any time, so as long as you can set a reminder it’s worth trying them out.