'Tidy Books' Book Storage (Review & Giveaway)

I'm pretty sure that our home is like many other young families' homes all over Britain in that the vast majority of the children's toys and books are stored in a large, cuboid, storage system from a well-known Scandinavian company. It's efficient, cheap and it works.

Only it doesn't.

It doesn't work for books.

Granted they fit, and you can actually get a lot of them in the sections, but the problem that I've discovered is that The Boy forgets that they're there. For the vast majority of the time he does not remember about his fifty or so books in the dining room storage unit because he can't see them.

There is a reason that libraries and book shops tend to have children's books with the cover facing outwards, because actually, children do judge a book by its cover.

That is the philosophy of a company who I am proud to be an ambassador for; Tidy Books. Tidy Books recognise that children, specifically pre-readers, actually only have the bright and colourful covers to use in order to select a book to 'read'. They can't read the title on the spine or the blurb on the back, and therefore it's important for them to see the picture clues on the front cover so they can select the book they would like to 'read'.

And so I found myself being sent one of their excellent children's bookcases which presents the child's books in an attractive way and means they can actually see the books that they have. Construction was easy, it took us fifteen minutes at midnight the night it came to pop it together. The next morning my husband screwed it to the wall through the pre-drilled holes to prevent topples, and it was all ready for The Boy.

Children's book storage

The Boy walked into the dining room that morning after we'd put it together and said, "Oh wow, a new bookcase! And who bought me all those new books?"

He had no idea that they were his. Not because we don't read with him, but because he couldn't see them on a daily basis, and as with most children; 'out of sight is out of mind.'

We chose theย Tidy Books children's bookcase in white (although it also comes in natural, blue and pink) and one without letters on it. The range comes with the aforementioned colourways with lowercase letters on, there is also a natural with uppercase letters and a plain natural. We went for the one without letters for longevity at his age, if he had been two years old then we'd have chosen a bookcase with letters on it to use as a learning tool.

The bookcase stands a little taller than The Boy at 115cm tall and is 77cm wide. But here's the best bit; as you can see from one of the photos above, it barely protrudes from the wall as it is only 7cm deep. Yet in these dimensions it can hold up to 85 books of varying shapes and sizes.

With four shelves, arranged at different heights (two for tall books, two for shorter ones) it is incredibly easy to fit them all in. We've arranged it so that the heavy hardback and noisy button books (technical term) are at the bottom, mid-sized storybooks on the next two shelves, and large pictures books along the top shelf. At present we have around 50 books on there and there is plenty of space for more.

Furthermore the bookcase, which is finished in an eco-friendly water-based lacquer, is made with wood from sustainable sources. The high-quality materials and easy construction make it a lasting investment, and it comes with a five year guarantee. Although I have no doubt that the bookcase will last for many years to come.

At ยฃ109.00 for the bookcase above, it might seem initially like a more expensive option than the cheaper identikit storage units I mentioned at the beginning. But then I counter this with the amount of money I've spent on books which used to sit on the bookcase not being read, and that seems like a more expensive option and a complete waste of money. The Tidy Books bookcases engage children in reading, and reading is one of the greatest skills a child can have; it unlocks gateways to new worlds of wonder and imagination.

And you can't put a price on that.

The very kind people over at Tidy Books are offering one reader of TheBoyandMe.co.uk the opportunity to own one of these bookcases in a natural finish with lowercase letters worth ยฃ119.00. To be in with a chance of winning, please fill in the Rafflecopter form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I am a Tidy Books Ambassador and was sent this product for the purpose of this review. My opinion is honest and unbiased.

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Comments

  1. Ashleigh Allan says

    We have so many favourites. My daughter has started reading horrid henry books and loves them! My son loves peppa books, anything by Julia Donaldson and the three little pigs!

  2. Melissa says

    We're all loving the Meg and Mog books at the moments…..favourites from my own childhood ๐Ÿ™‚

  3. Claude says

    My 17mo loves the really noisy vtech nursery rhyme book at the moment. Or any of the 'Thar's not my….' Range

  4. says

    Ooh, we love so many different ones, but all my kids still love to cuddle up with me and read "When there were giants." It inspires them to ask lots of questions about our family and what things will be like when they grow up. x

  5. says

    Addy doesn't really have a fave at the mo, she loves any book that has animals in and she in particular likes tactile books.

    We so need a bookcase as you are right the ikea cabinets don't work x

    • TheBoyAndMe says

      Thank you for actually reading the review as well Kara and commenting on that, not just entering the competition ๐Ÿ™‚

  6. says

    We have Can you find 1001 Dinosaurs and other things – which is a firm favourite at the moment. But again we love so many different ones. We have a couple of 365 books that we read a story a night at bedtime.

  7. Claire-Louise Nickelson says

    The super sparkly snowman ๐Ÿ™‚ My daughter knows all the words and 'reads' along with me.

  8. Lyndsey Leatherbarrow says

    The tiger who came to tea! Any Topsy and Tim, Alfie stories and Postman Pat…..my kids are pretty oldschool!

  9. Kerry Little says

    My little girl loves any books we get new ones every week from library, she really likes cinderella, she has that many books she really needs a bookcase

  10. Tracy Hudson says

    My daughter is only 5 months but read her The very hungry caterpillar and Guess how much I love you

  11. says

    Poppy's fave is Superworm at the moment whilst Rosie's is Goldilocks. I so need one of Hesse gorgeous bookcases for all our books!

  12. Leanne Stretton says

    my little boys loves the was an old lady that swallowed a fly – it's a pop-up book that's great but he also likes each peach pear plum for sure reason he seems to mix the two up so i've never really sure which one he is asking for and is Mike the Knight made but really loves reading any of his books and more for sure….

  13. says

    Love the sustainable sources for the tidy storage. It would look great in one of our playrooms, perfect for an eco house! Fav kids book has to be The Gruffalo.

  14. Terri says

    My 4 year old loves the Gruffalo, my 8 year old is obsessed with the Rainbow Magic Fairy Books. I love that they are keen readers ๐Ÿ™‚

  15. says

    Great contest. Really want to win this prize – would solve a lot of storage problems in our house. Brodie's favourite book is Tiddler by Julia Donaldson, while Blake favours Small Knight and George by Ronda Armitage.

  16. Sarah Queenan says

    My little one currently loves the "That's Not My…" series from Usborne.
    Great comp, I love these bookcases. Remind me of the little library at my primary school!

  17. Ericajane says

    Right now my son loves the Beast War series of books and The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. He has always loved books but likes to have them read to him as he is dyslexic so finds it a struggle. The bookcase is a great idea, funny how it seems obvious when someone else thinks of it, especially as they have been staring us in the face every time we go into a library. I think they will encourage our children to go and pick one out. You can very cheaply display new books by purchasing at charity shops and boot fairs. You can pick them up at 10p or 20p and redonate them afterwards.

  18. says

    i have been wanting a bookcase since Burton was ooooh 9 months old maybe!!! guess what? we still dont have one for him or the boys I have a book shlelf of sorts now but its not how i want it – too high or a start! I like the fact that this one does not protrude too far out from the wall .
    Burton and Jenson have lots of favourites but at the moment is it Room On The Broom for Burton and The Tiger That Came To Tea for Jenson x

  19. says

    A hard one as we LOVE so many! We actually have a small tidy books case which we love and a larger one for his room would be great! At the minute we are loveing "the very messy monkey" but I think "We are going on a bear hunt" is THE favourite but he does not even need the book anymore to enjoy it especially when out and about!

  20. Kate Cunningham says

    Each Peach Pear Plum keeps my granddaughter's attention for ages. So many things to see and find.

  21. Catherine V says

    The very hungry caterpillar (Only for about the last 20 years!!) The Grandkids get it every visit lol!

  22. tracy horrex says

    My little girl loves all the mr men and little misses books but in particular mr happy have read it so many time.s

  23. says

    We are in desperate need of a new bookcase, as you said out of sight out of mind, my girls are often surprised when I bring out a book they haven't seen for a while. We love angelica sprocket it's a great book.

  24. Danielle Graves says

    My son loves his books, his favourite is normally the Gruffalo but we have been leaning towards a book called Scaredy Boo a lot lately

  25. Hilda Hazel Wright says

    We always had alot of fun with "Green eggs and ham" and other Sr Seuss books, they're great to read as they play with words!

  26. jennifer thorpe says

    no real favourites except for our family favourite that is way too young for them now. The very hungry caterpillar

  27. Hannah Bee Griffin says

    The very hungry Caterpiller. My 3 year old knows it off by heart and sits down with the book to read to her 16 month old brother. It's so sweet to watch

  28. says

    We have a group fave bedtime story; I'm Not Cute! by Jonathan Allen – I do lots of silly voices and we have lots of hugs and cuddles, prefect bedtime reading.

    Fab review, I have seen this tidy and always wondered if its worth the cost as it seems a little on the expensive. I currently have to bookshelves in my boys bedroom. The top shelf is out of reach. I think my sons would definitely got more enjoyment out of their books if they could reach/see them all just the same as your son.
    My fave tidy Books Storage is the pale blue with the alphabet, its really cute, fun and eye catching.

    just a stat: I once heard that 1 in 5 children dont have 1 book at home. Thats very sad! Its nice to see on hear so many parents love reading to their children.
    Lucy x Thank for hosting a fab giveaway

  29. Tom Buchanan says

    the very hungry caterpillar. still have my copy as a child and now read it to my 4 month old daughter ๐Ÿ™‚

  30. says

    The Hungry Caterpillar is a favourite for both my children (1 & 4 yrs old) – they really love books and we have lots of them so would love this fantastic Tidy Books Childrens Bookcase.

  31. Katie Adams says

    My little's girl's current favourite book is Mo Monkey's Smelly Jumper and it only cost us 20p! Brilliant x

  32. Portia Mattinson says

    Both my boys love Thomas the tank books, we spend most of our weekends looking for them in carboots, charity shops etc. My boys enjoy going to bed ๐Ÿ™‚

  33. dannielle robinson says

    Currently my daughter's favourite book is "Peepo Baby" which we got free in her Book Start pack. She can't get enough of it at the moment and we read it twice every night!

  34. Louise says

    My two year old son has so many books I don't think even he can pick a favourite, story time each night is usually about three books, but he loves Dear zoo, where's my teddy and bear hunt at the moment

  35. says

    It has to be the Gruffalo here.

    It had never really occurred to me before why libraries have children's books laid out in that way but it does make sense. Much like The Boy, Harry often thinks a book is new because I have retrieved it from the bottom of the box or similar!

  36. clare greenwood says

    my 3 year old loves anything peppa pig and reads the stories herself by looking at the pictures. my 6 year old likes the aliens love underpants books

  37. Gemma Durbin says

    Finn loves reading, but Gracie the Lighthouse Keeper's Cat is a favourite at the moment as the cat on the front looks like our cat Missy ๐Ÿ™‚

  38. Sally Jackson says

    My 3 1/2 yr old loves Smartest giant in town , Freddie and the fairy , Charlie cooks favourite book x

  39. says

    At this precise second, probably Peter Pan as it's just been read. but it changes every day, either that or he says 'all of them'!

  40. says

    My boy's favourite book is currently the Lego Star Wars Visual Dictionary. A favourite book the we read together is Love You Forever. =)

  41. Melanie says

    The hungry caterpillar seems to be the favourite at the moment,although she is only two and a half my daughter loves books we are running out of space….

  42. Kelly Hooper says

    My daughter is very into the Topsy and Tim books, her favourite quite worryingly is Topsy and Tim go to the dentist! she likes the whizzy drill lol

  43. sandra henderson says

    He doesn`t really have one favourite we go through so many different books each week,i always have new books to read so neither of us gets bored.

  44. Sarah Ballantyne says

    Her current favourite is either The Princess and the Pig or Eat Your Peas but we always go back to her Blue Kangaroo books.

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