Review: Tidy Books bookcase

If you have spent any time with small children you will know that they love books, and my eldest 3 are no exception. Gemma and Jacob have a stash of their favourite books now – Gemma is a Harry Potter fan and Jacob loves anything to do with Skylanders and Avengers. Max is still at that lovely age where he just likes books – the topic doesn’t really matter to him at the moment. He just likes to cuddle up on your lap and listen to you read to him while he points out things in the pictures.

When we were offered a personalised Tidy Books bookcase I knew straight away it should be for Max. There are 2 reasons for this – Gemma and Jacob already have their own bookcases, and Max is at the perfect age for a Tidy Books display. 

Tidy Books bookcase

Tidy Books bookcase

First impressions were perfect. The Tidy Books bookcase is easy to put together, and looks beautiful. The white finish makes the brightly coloured letters stand out, and Max has been tracing the M, A and X with his fingers and repeating his name when you sound it out for him. 

Tidy Books bookcase

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Tidy Books bookcase

So what makes a Tidy Books bookcase different? Well, you will probably notice how it is laid out in a different way to your standard bookcase. Instead of looking at a row of spines, you are looking at the covers themselves. Now imagine yourself as a toddler – would a row of book spines mean anything to you? You can’t read the titles, and you can’t see the pictures which tell you what the book is about. So you may choose not to read a book, and instead wander off to find something else to play with. However, if you can see the books, see the pictures on the cover, you can choose the books that interest you. You can make an independent choice, you can access the books yourself without assistance, and you can learn to love reading. 

Tidy Books bookcase

Tidy Books bookcase

Max adores the bookcase, and that’s no exaggeration. Since it arrived he has spent time every day looking at books. He selects a good range of books now, whereas before he would tend to stick to the same stories – I believe this is because he knew their location in the bookcase and so they were easy to pick – he didn’t know which other books to choose because he couldn’t see them properly. As well as allowing him a better view, the Tidy Books bookcase limits the amount of books you store – and this isn’t a negative thing. If you have too many option on display a child will just become overwhelmed. This way you can display a few at a time, and rotate them regularly. Max loves this, and gets excited when I have changed the books and he sees new stories to read. 

Reading is such an important skill, and you wouldn’t think a bookcase could play such an important role in teaching children to love books. But it really does. If children can see and access the books they want to read, they are more likely to do so. They are more likely to share them with you and enjoy them independently. A love of reading is to be encouraged, and a Tidy Books bookcase will help you to do that – it puts books at your childs fingertips.

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33 Comments

  1. June 30, 2015 / 11:28 am

    I love this, I don’t use a normal bookcase for my toddlers books as they aren’t so accessible but having the pictures facing you is so much more appealing. definitely going to look into getting one #triedtested
    Ali @ Mum in a Nutshell recently posted…An Insanely Awesome Batman Baby CarrierMy Profile

  2. June 30, 2015 / 11:44 am

    I love the look of this, i need a bookcase for my toddler as she loves books and at the moment they are scattered all over the place. I like how this shows the book covers instead of the spines xx

  3. June 30, 2015 / 11:54 am

    This is lovely ! We have four bookcases in the house. My dad made one for each of the children and each has a personal message on the back #TriedTested
    Mummy Fever recently posted…Dealing with stubborn stainsMy Profile

  4. June 30, 2015 / 8:47 pm

    This is such a lovely bookcase. I have wondered about these before and do love the idea of them! We love books in our house but they end up all over the floor and sofa! Xx
    Caroline (Becoming a SAHM) recently posted…LM’s hairstyles at 8 mthsMy Profile

  5. June 30, 2015 / 11:20 pm

    I love this bookcase – I always think they are a lot better when you can actually see the front covers, especially for children.

    My daughter (14 months) is starting to grow quite a collection of books so I will have to bear this in mind. xx
    Jenna recently posted…Me & Mine {A Family Portrait Project} June 2015My Profile

  6. July 3, 2015 / 9:11 am

    That’s so lovely! I almost can’t wait for Toby to go into his big boy room so that I can make him a reading corner!xx #TriedTested

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