ECR4Kids 5-Shelf Wooden Book Display, Single-Sided Bookshelf, Natural

Love ECR4Kids for preschool/ECE furnishings and learning materials. Like other items I've purchased from the company, this single-sided book browser is built to last and withstand serious child's play. PROS * Super durable, solid birch wood (even the thin backings are solid birch plywood) * Holds a great many books for the floor space * Although made for picture books, shelves are deep enough to accommodate chapter & board books * Attractive, neutral, simple design (I much prefer the simplicity over the gaudy colorful canvas book slings this replaced) * Nicely child-proofed, with sunken screws, rounded edges, thorough sanding * Easy & quick to assemble; one line in the instructions indicated "2 adults required" but I was able to assemble by myself with my two children "helping"; no tools or special strength required CONS * Honestly can't think of any! unless it's that the consistent quality of the ECR4Kids label is making me pass on furnishings by other brands :) [ETA: After reading other reviews, I'd like to point out three things: 1. Some here have commented that the thinness of the boards makes them flimsier. But in my experience, the thinness or thickness of a given material matters less than the material itself. That is, you can have a thin board but if it's a hardwood, as this is, it will still be strong. As it happens, birch is an excellent choice for children's furnishings because it is a strong, fine-grained hardwood that -- importantly!! -- can be cut relatively thin. Thinness is actually a good thing here, because it means that the furnishing can be better scaled to children's small bodies... The fact is, if you tried to make this product with thicker boards, you'd end up with thicker shelves, which would mean fewer shelves, and/or shelves that are less accessible to children. Most makers of children's furnishings select birch (or sometimes maple) for this reason. (But maple is much costlier, way out of the price range for many families and preschools/schools.) 2. Others have commented that their displays fell apart soon after construction. With due respect, I wonder if they followed the instructions to use the provided hex tool or another hand tool (rather than a power screwdriver) and to avoid overtightening the hex screws. If you overtighten them, you strip the holes, the screws come loose, and the boards start to fall apart. But as long as you tighten gently, this browser should hold together for many years' use. Pro tip: Don't be afraid to *undertighten* if you're not sure! You can always tighten a screw more later. You cannot, however, undo damage to a stripped screw fitting. 3. A couple of reviews mentioned that this doesn't fit very many books. Although I was able to pack in about 30 books, in my (ECE) view this is PLENTY because the purpose of a browser is to offer a LIMITED selection of books to children from which they can choose without feeling overwhelmed. What a book browser is NOT meant to be is a substitute for a conventional bookcase that stores books with their spines out. So, if you're looking for a solution to your book storage, consider incorporating BOTH a browser and a bookcase: Use the browser to hold a small number of books based on a given theme or your child's interests at the moment (bugs? dinosaurs? fairies? space?), store the rest in the bookcase, and ROTATE the books to keep things fresh. :) Hope these comments help other caregivers! <3 ]

After researching many different types of bookshelves for kids I settled on this one, and I'm very glad I did. Not to state the obvious, but this is a "display-type" bookcase in which the books face forward. My 18-month-old daughter has a far easier time selecting a book when she can see the front covers than when she can only see the spines -- and from conversations I've had with other parents, it sounds like a lot of kids are the same way. Most bookshelves of this type are either wooden, cardboard, or a wooden frame with fabric slings for shelves. If you want a sturdy bookshelf, wood is the way to go! Here's what I love about this bookshelf: 1) Did I mention that it's 100% wood? From my experience, cardboard display shelves tend to be pretty flimsy, and the wooden ones with fabric slings tend to cause the books to lean way forward and sometimes even fall out. 2) The shelves have a good depth to them (about 1 3/4"). This is especially important with board books, which tend to be pretty thick. As you can see from one of my photos, you can actually fit two average-thickness board books one behind the other. There are other wooden display shelves out there that are actually too thick for board books! 3) Enormous capacity: Despite this unit not being very tall, it actually has FIVE shelves (most others have only three or four). This means it can hold a huge number of books in a relatively small footprint. 4) The wood is a decent quality; no, it's not mahogany, but it's not pine or balsa either. It is strong enough to withstand a little abuse without being too heavy to move around if needed. It also has smooth edges and slightly rounded corners, making it toddler-safe. 5) Assembly is easy and requires NO additional tools. You simply use the included Allen wrench to install the 18 or so identical screws. Everything fit together nicely and I had no problem lining up the screw holes. My daughter was so excited about this bookshelf that she actually squealed when she first saw it. And I'm pretty excited not to have her books all over the floor anymore! (I did not squeal, however.) My only SMALL complaint is a purely aesthetic one: there are screw heads visible on the fronts of all of the shelves. They are all recessed so there's no safety concern, but they are a bit of an eyesore in an otherwise attractive piece of furniture. Overall I couldn't be happier with this bookshelf and I would buy it again in a heartbeat. Could you spend less money and get a cardboard unit or a wooden one with fabric slings? Certainly, but with this shelf you definitely get what you pay for.

Perfect! Exactly what I wanted! Everything went together so well!! It definitely helped that we had two people working cooperatively to assemble the product. All of the pieces were present and clearly labeled. The instructions are very clear and well thought out. I absolutely would buy this same product again and will recommend it to all my friends. The size is absolutely perfect for preschoolers. I love the natural birch wood color! Perfect! Durable! Should outlive several human generations!

I’ve used this for the past two years in a first grade classroom. It’s durable, light weight and easy for kids to use. It still looks brand new. I love it!

Fits a ton of books! We got about 71 on it- granted some are very very thin paperbacks. I wish the screws weren’t visible but more than that it doesn’t come with wall anchors for safety so we will have to install some

High quality. Would recommend. Very solid, doesn't feel cheap at all.

Great for class room. Very steady. Space saver

This book shelf is exactly what I needed for my waiting area!

Good quality, very sturdy, and looks so nice! Holds all the favourite titles and gives a good overview for our little reader. Bookcase arrived securely wrapped. Easy to assemble, we used an electric drill so was finished in a jiffy.

looks great easy to put together and holds alot of books kids love it

Igual a la imagen, viene muy bien empacado y las instrucciones de armado son sencillas. Caben muchos libros y queda a la altura de los niños por lo que sacar los libros es sencillo para ellos.

Love this book shelf. It holds a lot of books and you can see the titles! Great purchase for my home daycare!!

Great product. Fitted it together on my own which was a little tricky. Would be easier with another person. Strong and looks great in the kids room.