OurShelves
- Books that ignite imagination, wonder and the giggles too
- Books that proudly feature feminist, racially and ethnically diverse, and LGBTQ+ characters and families, among other under-represented identities in children's books
- Curation Team that chooses books includes expertise from librarians, teachers, academics, psychologists and parents, as well as those with lived expertise in raising children who are under-represented in children's books
- Free shipping and increased discounts for annual prepay subscriptions.
- The pride in knowing you're exercising your consumer power to be counted in support of diverse children's books -- OurShelves advocates for the many diverse books needed in part by proving the significant, yet largely untapped, audience for such books
Sneak Peek
Spring Box
This box illustrates the fun and joy you'll have with OurShelves books, all the while affirming the beautiful diversity of the world around us. The books shown here feature LGBTQ+, racially and ethnically diverse, and feminist characters and families, among other under-represented identities in children's books. Enjoy!
Order by April 29th to get this box!
Questions
Q: For the 5-8 year old box. Is it a one time fee of $50 for 3 books over 3 months? Or is it $50 per month for 3 months to get 3 books each month?Asked by Molly J., March 2020
Q: How much is shipping for these boxes? Looking into doing the box with 3 books and I assumed shipping was included but there's a line item in checkout. Asked by Erin M., February 2020
Hi there, thanks for raising this issue! Yes, we offer free shipping so you should not pay any additional costs for shipping. Please reach out so we can solve this issue immediately. (This platform doesn't allow us to include our email address, but you'll find it on our web site.) Thanks for your interest and your commitment to ensuring ALL kids and ALL families have a place on OurShelves!
OurShelves reviewsReviews
Write a Review5
Average Subscriber RatingOurShelves
2 days ago
Larissa F.
OurShelves is AMAZING! I love that they are really making more diverse books available for kiddos. My son and I are SO excited whenever the package comes in the mail. The books they chose will really open his eyes to the world and influence his learning. The books are also really entertaining! He LOVES reading them and always requests them:). Keep up the FABULOUS work and we can't wait for our next arrival!
Verified Purchase
Favorite Books!
Mar 10, 2020
Cedar B.
I love OurShelves! The books they send have fun, creative, loving, and inclusive stories. I appreciate the how strong and diverse the characters are. I believe these books will play a vital role in helping my child to feel fully free and loved in being herself - whomever that may turn out to be, and to support others in doing the same.
Verified Purchase
Thank you so much for these kind words and being such a special part of our OurShelves community committed to ensuring ALL kids and ALL families have a place on OurShelves!
Doing Good For Our World
Nov 20, 2019
Katy A.
We love OurShelves because we think it does good in the world.
The OurShelves team consistently asks for subscriber feedback; so if there are families or kids you are not seeing enough of in the boxes you receive, you have a direct line to the company-and they actually listen!
OurShelves is good for people who want to see themselves and their children reflected in the books they read and it is good for those who want to ensure their children are exposed to the many different ways human beings and families live and love.
Verified Purchase
Normalizing diversity with high quality
Nov 18, 2019
Kathryn M.
Our white, christian boys, are growing up with a Mom and Dad in an affluent suburb of San Francisco. They NEED to be exposed to a wide variety of people and families through books. They need to see people who don't look like them, or pray like them, as positive role models. Different ways of life need to be normalized for them. Our boys love these books, and we love that OurShelves is making it so easy for us to build a high quality library of diversity for them.
Verified Purchase
Kathryn, thank you so much for sharing about why OurShelves matters to your family! We are so glad that we have the opportunity to support you in building a wonderful library that reflects your family's inclusive values. Thank you so much for your commitment to ensuring ALL kids and ALL families have a place on OurShelves!
Love it - just renewed our subscription!
Nov 06, 2019
Jordan D.
This is such a fun subscription! My 3 and 6 year old are always excited to open the box and check out their new books. The stories and images are beautiful and inclusive. In the last week, we've had multiple bedtime story requests for ROCKET SAYS LOOK UP! and HARRIET GETS CARRIED AWAY, and my personal favorite is LITTLE NIGHT/NOCHECITA. I love the concept of kids being exposed to diversity through books - this is such a needed and appreciated service!
Verified Purchase
Jordan, we love hearing about kids requesting to read our stories again and again! We also love hearing the word, "fun," used to describe our books! Thank you for such kind words, and mostly for your commitment to ensuring ALL kids and ALL families have a place on OurShelves!
Such a great service!!
Oct 08, 2019
Krista S.
This service is so wonderful; we've been completely thrilled with our OurShelves subscription. We've received some beloved family favorites - we all LOVE to read and look at the beautiful art in Thank you Omu and have A Different Pond in heavy rotation for bedtime. I am not sure we would have found these treasures on our own - thank you to OurShelves for the wonderful service.
It is so much fun to have a box of surprise books on the porch and even better that they have diversified our shelves.
Verified Purchase
Krista, thank you so much for your kind words! We are so grateful to be able to help in connecting high-quality diverse children's books to you and your family. We're also glad to hear you use the word, "fun," as we really value including fun, relatable, engaging stories! Thank you again for your commitment to ensuring ALL children and ALL families have a place on OurShelves!
BEST kids subscription
Oct 07, 2019
Carrie B.
Living in a small town in Wyoming, our kids have limited exposure to lots of things. Given this, it's especially important to us that our kids experience the richness our diverse world and its people beyond what we see here at home. Since travel is expensive, we need great books! The books we receive through Our Shelves normalize and elevate people and life experiences that our kiddos might otherwise miss out on. The books are beautiful and fun. I also love knowing that our purchases are helping put positive pressure on the publishing industry to be more inclusive. All kids should see themselves and their stories represented in beautiful literature. Our Shelves helps make that a reality.
Carrie, thank you so much for this review. We are so proud to have members throughout the country who are so committed to ensuring their book shelves include ALL kids and ALL families! Thank you for supporting both parts of our mission -- both to connect high-quality diverse kids' books to those seeking them AND also to prove to the publishing industry the significant, yet largely untapped, market demand for these books. Together, we can advance the children's book industry from a trickle of diverse books each year to the abundant outpouring needed and warranted by the significant audience seeking such books! Thank you again, Carrie!
Broadening our family's perspective
Sep 25, 2019
Matt B.
We've been a member of OurShelves since the beginning of this year and I love the variety this adds to our library! Our boys are currently 5 and 3, and story time is an important part of our daily life. With so many children's books centering around animals or construction vehicles, the selections from OurShelves is a welcome change, introducing us to new cultures, people, traditions, and sharing stories of kids who are just like our boys even if they seem different in some ways.
Consider the words of Myron Thompson: "You need to define your community, and community is never about what separates you from each other - your race or your culture - it's about what binds you together." Sharing stories that include children from all walks of life is a great way to help your kids grow up with a broader perspective of family and community.
Verified Purchase
Matt, thank you for sharing what OurShelves means to your family. Thank you also for sharing this quote and vision about how "sharing stories that include children from all walks of life" can be an important way of broadening our children's notion of family and community. So grateful to have Founding Members like you! Thank you again for your commitment to ensuring ALL children and ALL families have a place on OurShelves!
Fabulous in Every Way
Jun 21, 2019
Jennifer B.
I'm so glad I found OurShelves, and been able to broaden my sons' horizons with these inclusive stories. Being white folks in a rural town in Maine, my sons don't get to experience a lot of diversity first-hand just yet. I'm so glad to have this small way to open their eyes to the greater world around them. It's opened up rich conversations in our house, and a number of these books have already become family favorites - and they are books we might never have found on our own.
The Founding Membership was well worth the cost, and has been the Christmas gift that keeps on giving... We love opening the new shipments and exploring all of the beautiful stories curated in OurShelves.
Verified Purchase
Jennifer, this feedback means so much to us! Thank you for your commitment to ensuring ALL children and ALL families have a place on OurShelves! Truly, we feel honored to do this work in partnership with members like you!
May 14, 2019
Ari M.
I love this subscription book service! Such beautiful children's books that illustrate the inclusive values that I want to teach my son.
Verified Purchase
Thank you so much for being an OurShelves Founding Member committed to the idea that ALL children and families deserve a place on OurShelves!
Past boxes from OurShelves…
Fall OurShelves Box
This box is full of fun -- and diverse characters and families! Here are three examples of the books you may receive with this fall box. These books center imagination, wonder, joy, and playfulness -- and LGBTQ+, racially and ethnically diverse, and feminist characters and families, among other under-represented identities in today's children's books. Enjoy!
Past OurShelves Box
This box illustrates the fun and joy you'll have with OurShelves books, all the while affirming the beautiful diversity of the world around us. The books shown here feature LGBTQ+, racially and ethnically diverse, and feminist characters and families, among other under-represented identities in children's books. Enjoy!
Winter OurShelves Box
This is a picture of Chance, one of our newest members, and the three board books he received with his winter Sunshine (ages 0-2) book box!
