OurShelves
- The perfect gift to ignite imagination, wonder and the giggles too while affirming your values of inclusion, equity, social justice, love and fun!
- Books that proudly feature racially and ethnically diverse, LGBTQ+, feminist, and other traditionally under-represented identities 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
- Curation Team that chooses books includes experts from librarianship, teaching, early childhood development, psychology, racial and other identity bias, and parenting. All Curation Team members -- and their children -- share the experience of having aspects of their identities under-represented in children's books.
Sneak Peek
Winter 2021 Book Box Samples
Check out the fun and joy you'll have with OurShelves books, all the while affirming the beautiful diversity of the world around us. OurShelves books feature racially and ethnically diverse, LGBTQ+, and feminist characters and families, among other under-represented identities in children's books. Which books end up in your box depend on your child's age and available stock. Email info@OurShelve if you want to ensure one or more of these books come in your next box!
Order by January 30th to get this box!
Customer Questions (6)
Q: Do you get to keep the books that are sent or do you have to buy them?Asked by Aisha P., January 2021
Great question! The price you pay to subscribe includes the price of the books sent to you so you keep the books. In other words, they've been mindfully curated for your age group and when we send them to you, they're all yours! Please let us know if you have any other questions. Thanks for your wonderful support of diverse children's books and your consideration of OurShelves!
Q: If you are sent a book that you already have do you replace it or give a credit toward the next box? Thanks Asked by Sara E., December 2020
Sara Elizabeth, thanks for your support of diverse children's books and OurShelves! Would you be willing to reach out to us via the contact form on our web site so we can speak to you directly via email or phone about for which books you may have concern about overlap and then we can let you know some options to avoid book duplication? Thanks so much again for reaching out!
Q: Can I change the age? For the first order I want to order the 0-2, but for the next order I was 2-5. If I buy a subscription will I be able to change the age? Asked by Chandler H., December 2020
Chandler, thanks for your support of diverse children's books and interest in OurShelves! Of course we can help with this! You can definitely sign up for a Sunshine (ages 0-2) subscription now, and whenever you're ready to move to Rainbow (ages 2-5) boxes, just reach out to us via the contact form on our web site, and we can upgrade your membership. Please note that Rainbow boxes are priced higher than Sunshine boxes because picture books cost more than board books. So when you upgrade, we would adjust the pricing at that time. Please let us know if you have any other questions at all! Thanks so much again for your wonderful support, Alli and the OurShelves Team
Q: I am interested in receiving this subscription, but I live in Europe. Will this be a possibility in the future?Asked by Erin S., June 2020
Yes, this will be an option in the future! We are working on it as we type here. Stay tuned Thank you so much for your interest!
Reviews (82)
Diverse Literature for All!
Dec 16, 2020
Amber B.
Hello fellow Reviewers...I read ALL the reviews I can before I make a purchase, even innocuous ones, so I must pay it forward. You must subscribe to Ourshelves if you want your children to be exposed to literature you may not find in mainstream stores! So far my family has received 3 boxes and we are very satisfied. My 8 month old daughter has now been exposed to LGBTQIA, Native American, and Spanish language books. In addition to that, she is able to see herself in the characters in books we have received. We are Black and we are not often represented in books that fly off the shelf. Ourshelves makes my family and I feel mainstream. Do your family a favor and subscribe to this affordable book subscription service!!!!
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My granddaughter loves Our Shelves Books
Nov 17, 2021
Michael T.
Our granddaughter, who is now three years old, has been receiving OurShelves Diverse Kids Books for the past year and consistently looks forward to each delivery of new books. Her parents love the observations being made by their daughter from the storylines and illustrations in each book and the conversations and questions which the books' inspire. The books allow my granddaughter to be aware of a wide community of people from all walks of life ---- the art of not just good books, but the power of significant literature for young readers.
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Highly recommended!
Nov 15, 2021
Rhonda C.
The book selection is really lovely, always stuff I wouldn't have heard of otherwise, and I've recommended the subscription to a few other friends and they all love it, too. Quality products and first-rate customer service…I highly recommend.
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Gifts that keep on giving!
Nov 11, 2021
Kitty H.
Three generations of poets, authors, songwriters, and playwrights in my family have bestowed upon their descendants a love of reading, but they didn't write about the topics that my "special" children and grandchildren could identify with. Discovering Ourshelves has been a blessing, on many levels. For the past few years, shopping for birthday and Christmas gifts for my disabled, gay, feminist, and biracial loved ones has been a no-brainer! I enjoy reading the books first, then I inscribe them, wrap them up, send them on, and eagerly await the heartfelt thank-you notes.
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Kitty, thank you for being such an incredibly special member of our community! The words you share above mean the world to us! Thank you again to you, your children and grand-children for partnering with us to ensure all kids and all families have a place on OurShelves!
Wonderful inclusive subscription service
Nov 10, 2021
Kaylynn M.
I've subscribed for over a year now. We get three books every three months. My son is almost two years old and he loves when we get new books in the mail to read! One of his all time favorite books is Baby Goes to Market. We love introducing him to all types of people, cultures, languages, and family dynamics. This subscription has helped us do that. I believe when you sign up, you set age preferences and topics you are interested in, as well as frequency. We only receive board books, because paperback just wouldn't survive 😂
Ourshelves is overall a great service to help add diverse books to your library! Wonderful customer service as well!
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Perfectly Currated Subscription
Nov 09, 2021
Allison E.
My family absolutely loves this subscription! We've had it since our son was just 3 months old, and the books have been lovely. They're always age appropriate, and as he gets older (he's a toddler now), he still enjoys even the "little baby" books (it's fun to point out items and name them). A couple of these books have become bedtime requirements now, and we're so glad they are diverse and show our son how unique and wonderful we all are. "Love in the Wild" is our current favorite, and I love the art!
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Great books and so much more!
Nov 08, 2021
Mary B.
Reading has always been very important in our family, so, I was delighted to find OurShelves and get my grandkids hooked up with some diverse books that I didn’t even have to shop for! The kids were delighted to get packages in the mail, and also books, so it was a win/win for us all. Each quarter when the books arrive, the kids haul them to my house to be properly shown off. Some go home again, some stay here. There are so many wonderful books showing every kind of family, and the kids certainly love reading—which was the entire goal. If I had to pick one book out of them all, it would be “The Red Stroller.” It came in the very first package, and I practically know it by heart now. The kids still love to trace the stroller’s path in the lovely illustrations, and Gwen loves to point out to me that the story comes full circle. She can even read most of it herself now. Theo likes to pretend he can read it to me, and knows the story so well that he just about can.
There is so much competition for their time and energy, and these wonderful books have provided respite and quiet time at the end of many busy days, while also modeling inclusivity and diversity—without any preachiness. Thank you very much for providing this old lady with some “couch time” that enables me to spend time with the kids without killing myself.
Verified Purchase
Amazing quality & diverse representation
Nov 08, 2021
Jordan M.
Through OurShelves, my family has discovered some of the most beautiful, life-affirming books that represent kids and families of diverse backgrounds and values. When our book box arrives, I know that it will contain high-quality stories that emphasize how connected we all are and how what really makes a family is LOVE. I have given OurShelves book boxes as gifts several times, and recommend them highly! The books are wonderful, and the staff is so responsive and kind.
Verified Purchase
Jordan, thank you for these incredibly kind words! You are an amazing partner in our collective mission to ensure all kids and all families have a place on OurShelves! Thank you for partnering with us in this effort!
Opened my eyes...
Aug 19, 2021
Sandra R.
OurShelves books have opened my 69 year old eyes to the beauty and challenges of the world's diversity. It never occurred to me when I was raising my children that almost every book we read had the same family characteristics - same ethnicity and same two male and female parents. Folktales offered the only diversity. Much has changed in the world, and much hasn't changed but is now out in the open. The books offered by OurShelves give my daughter, son-in-law, and me the opportunity to share a far richer view of the world around us with my 2 1/2 year old grandson. Our first year subscription just ended. When I asked my daughter if I should renew she said' "Absolutely!" You are reading this review because you want to know if OurShelves is worth it. I say, unequivocally, "Absolutely!"
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Highly Recommend!
Oct 22, 2021
Angella H.
OurShelves does a great job of picking books that feature main characters you don't often see in mainstream book boxes (BIPOC, LGBTQ+ peeps, etc), and they often represent refreshingly wide points of view, writing styles, and languages. It's really cool. These books are just super fun children's books, they are some of my daughter's favorites! And their customer service is amazing!
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Photos from reviews of OurShelves…
Past boxes from OurShelves…
Past 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!
Past 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!
Past 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!
Fall 2020 Book Box Samples
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. Which books actually end up in your box depend on your child's age and available stock. Enjoy!
Winter 2020-21 Book Box Samples
Check out the fun and joy you'll have with OurShelves books, all the while affirming the beautiful diversity of the world around us. OurShelves books feature racially and ethnically diverse, LGBTQ+, and feminist characters and families, among other under-represented identities in children's books. Which books end up in your box depend on your child's age and available stock. Email info@OurShelve if you want to ensure one or more of these books come in your next box!
Spring 2021 Book Box Samples
Check out the fun and joy you'll have with OurShelves books, all the while affirming the beautiful diversity of the world around us. OurShelves books feature racially and ethnically diverse, LGBTQ+, and feminist characters and families, among other under-represented identities in children's books. Which books end up in your box depend on your child's age and available stock. Email info@OurShelve if you want to ensure one or more of these books come in your next box!
Summer 2021 Book Box Samples
Check out the fun and joy you'll have with OurShelves books, all the while affirming the beautiful diversity of the world around us. OurShelves books feature racially and ethnically diverse, LGBTQ+, and feminist characters and families, among other under-represented identities in children's books. Which books end up in your box depend on your child's age and available stock. Email info@OurShelve if you want to ensure one or more of these books come in your next box!
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