We deliberated a great deal in trying to find a piece of furniture that would accomodate our hundred or so softcover books from our 18-month-old and 3.5 year old daughters' collection. So many of the softcover books just get lost in our hundreds of other books, and thus don't get much exposure.We chose this one after looking over everything from canvas sling-style shelves and multitudes of similar shelving units from companies like Steffy Wood and Guidecraft. We settled on this one because of the size and price and I have to say, I'm glad we did. Though the dimensions seem large enough on paper, this is a surprisingly small piece of furniture once you've gotten it together. This is fine, I suppose, considering the size of the kids, but I can't imagine how tiny some of these book displays are. This seems the perfect size, even for our 18-month-old.
Assembly took about 30 minutes by the way, and was fairly straightforward. Although the shelving unit looks like it's got a lot of wood to it, it's actually rather flimsy plywood pieces that are surprising sturdy once assembled (you almost forget entirely how thin the individual components are- it looks quite solid). You do have to be mindful of their flimsiness during the assembly as there is a potential for breaking them if you're not careful.
We are able to store/display about 10 - 15 softcover books per shelf. Which isn't our entire softcover collection, but at least a significant portion of it. They overlap so that you can see about one third of the cover - just enough to identify what book it is. They're actually quite attractive stored this way, and the kids seem to enjoy it. I imagine that with hardcover books this would be a difficult strategy to employ, and you might only be able to display 4 to 5 books per shelf, maximum. The shelves, at 1.5 inches are really quite shallow.
I'd still be curious to read a really good review or recieve comments in regards to other shelving units of this sort and how they compare in terms or storage and display. It's hard to get any idea what these units are like without being able to actually see them in person first. Most of the reviews I've read are lacking in details.
As for this shelf, we are pleased overall, but its one drawback is the price. Considering the cheap materials and the fact that it's made in China, I'm thinking this should cost about half what is being asked. However in comparison to what else is out there, it's probably a bargain.
Product Description
Keep all of your story time favorites neatly organized and easily accessible to the youngest child. Five easy-to-reach shelves display all sizes of books. Solid birch construction with smooth edges and durable finish to compliment any classroom. Ready-to-assemble. .30H x 15D x 36W
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