Reviews (88)
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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Love love love!
7 days ago
Courtney E.
I recommend OurShelves to everyone. I am a cishet woman (she/her), former preschool teacher/current stay-at-home mom/stepmom to an autistic kiddo and LGBTQ+ big kids. And I hoard books. I AM THE TARGET DEMOGRAPHIC. 😂 But really, these books should be on every shelf because they are representative of the beautiful diversity our children experience. I didn’t have exposure to “other” identities as a child, and I swore that my own child(ren) would never experience a time when they would feel uncomfortable about meeting people who are different from them. Thank you, OurShelves, for curating amazing books that my son loves and wants to read over and over, and which represent people he loves and people he has yet to know.❤️
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Impressed and Delighted
Jan 25, 2022
Gwyneth P.
My whole family has been impressed and delighted by our first year subscribing to OurShelves for our now almost 2-year old. They provide books with beautiful illustrations or photographs that are fun to read out loud and cover the full range of toddler interests (naming/finding objects, rhyming stories, just looking at pictures of other real babies). All with diversity in mind and on the pages!
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Increase your diversity in reading
Mar 23, 2022
Séraphine L.
Wonderful subscription service. The books were well selected and offered us an ability to identify more inclusive readings that we would not have found ourselves in our local bookstores in Washington D.C.. Excellent customer service; I also plan on gifting subscriptions to my friends.
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A MUST in every home!
Mar 08, 2022
Amanda M.
We have been subscribed to OurShelves for two years, since our little one was just a newborn! We love that our bookshelf is continually full of books representing a wide variety of people. The books are well chosen and high quality, and some of our little one's favorites!
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My daughter LOVES them!
2 days ago
Summer W.
I absolutely love OurShelves. My daughter has really enjoyed all the books we've gotten. They truly are some of the ones we read over and over and over. And I love that they have characters and stories I would not have found on my own in our small town. I also love supporting authors from minoritized identities. It's a win-win-win!
Diversity in books is AMAZING!
Apr 07, 2022
Chloe G.
The CrateJoy subscription is WONDERFUL. It was a gift for my 5 year old daughter and one of the best ones she has received. The books that arrive are so diverse in content and really help my husband and I extend conversations about tough topics for a young person to understand beyond the book.
Great curation, loved by adults and kids
Nov 29, 2021
Laura E.
We have been subscribed to OurShelves since 2019, when our twins were infants. Many of the OurShelves books have been favorites, with some being requested daily for months and even years. We appreciate the diversity represented in the books, and their overall quality.
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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Delighted customer
Jun 10, 2020
Alison D.
We could not be more thrilled with this subscription. Customer service responded to us right away : we have kids aged 1-9 in our house and they quickly built us a custom box with books for all three age groups. Our first box included a bilingual book, several books featuring main characters who are black or children of color, a book featuring a LGTB family and a board book about PRIDE. Our kids LOVED the books and wanted to read them over and over. They are already asking when the next box will arrive. We wish there was a monthly option : we would sign up right away !
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We are so thrilled that you and your children loved our book selections! We also love to hear that you'd like to receive our boxes even more frequently -- an option we are considering offering in the future! Thanks for being such a special member of the OurShelves community committed to ensuring ALL kids and ALL families have a place on OurShelves!
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.
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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.
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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!
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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Huge fan!!!
Sep 08, 2021
Everleigh R.
I’m a huge fan. We bought a subscription for my daughter’s tutor who now teaches Kindergarten at an elementary school. She shared a picture from her classroom with us last week and I noticed 2 books from Ourshelves on “her shelves.” I’m excited to get subscriptions on my list to give as Christmas presents for nieces and nephews. Keep up the great work!
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We love OurShelves!
Aug 10, 2021
Kathryn R.
Ourshelves sends wonderful, engaging, diverse books in each box that my three children consistently love and come back to again and again. As a parent, I appreciate the thoughtfully curated mix of books and fantastic customer service. (Have a special request? They’re on it. For example, I have twins, and the founder, Alli, suggested a sweet book that features twins). As an educator (literacy specialist) I love the focus on getting books into kids hands that represent a wide range of identities and life experiences. Kids need both “windows” and “mirrors” in their reading, and OurShelves helps me to provide both for my kids. Especially during Covid, when I’m not doing any in-person bookstore browsing, this is an amazing resource. I highly recommend OurShelves!
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Exceptional!
Jul 28, 2021
Arthur W.
I just want to say well done! I've subscribed to many children's book services and this one is by far the best. You can tell a lot of thought has been put into the selection of books. I am beyond satisfied and I hope that Ourshelves continues to deliver such great messages to our children in the form of insightful and relevant literature.
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Thank you so much for these very kind words! Yes, we are very grateful for our excellent Curation Team that so thoughtfully reviews the books that are selected for our book boxes. Thank you for partnering with us to ensure all kids and all families have a place on OurShelves!
The only subscription you need!
Jul 28, 2021
Tristen S.
I love that when I look at my daughters growing library, I get a visual that I never had as a little girl. My bookshelf was filled with white princess and animals. Looking at my daughters, I see proper representation. I see stories about multicultural norms, different races, vivid colors and stories about lives that are different than hers. Each box we received was better than the one before. This woman owned company delivers magic every time and you won’t be disappointed!
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Tristen, thank you for this beautiful way of describing what we, as an OurShelves community, are trying to do as we work to ensure all kids and all families have a place on OurShelves. As the founder, I agree -- we are trying to offer books, and a vision for the world, that I also didn't have as a child. Thank you for your incredibly kind words and for being part of our community!
Highly Recommend
Jul 02, 2021
Hannah M.
We have been receiving this box for over a year now. The books are incredibly high quality, amazing titles. My son has loved every one! The customer service from this company is also incredible. I cannot recommend OurShelves more highly!
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Hannah, thank you so much for sharing these kind words! We're so glad you're loving your OurShelves books and especially that you son is loving them -- that's our highest compliment! We're so grateful that you're part of our community! Thank you for partnering with us to ensure all kids and all families have a place on OurShelves!
OurShelves is amazing!
Jun 27, 2021
Sierra H.
Alli and Doug are so helpful and kind! Their dedication to their work and to helping their customers is what keeps us coming back. They're doing the kind of work that makes an impact on the world, and they're doing it so well!
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I look forward to every shipment
Jun 18, 2021
Melissa S.
It makes my day when an OurShelves shipment arrives. The books are awesome because they not only expose my kids to different family structures, ethnicities, races, and religions from their own, but they're also just really good stories. Before bedtime, my older son always asks me to read books OurShelves has sent to us, and he's a tough critic!
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Melissa, thank you so much for these kind words capturing what our wonderful OurShelves Curation Team is trying to do with our book selections. We're honored that your oldest son requests our books--that's our highest honor! Thank you for partnering with us to ensure all kids and all families have a place on OurShelves!