Keep Your Kids' Books Organized And Accessible With Tidy Books Plus GIVEAWAY! 6/15

***Disclosure: As a Tidy Books Brand Ambassador, I have received complimentary samples to facilitate my reviews. No other compensation is provided, and all opinions are 100% honest and have not been influenced in any way.***

As the mother of 3 kids, I have a lot of children's books. And I do mean a lot...Probably close to a thousand. (No, that's not even an exaggeration!) You see, I developed a great love for reading at a very early age, and I want my children to learn to appreciate the magic in reading, too.

In this day in age, too many kids rely on the television of video games rather than reading. Sure, these things have their place, but nothing can compare to settling down with some milk and cookies and a good book. We have limited TV time in my home, and we also have reading time on a daily basis.

Reading is something that many take for granted. We all learn how to do it, and we all need this skill to thrive. Teaching kids to have a love for books early is so important, in my humble opinion. Not only does it help with creativity and imagination, it also helps with language, both written and spoken, as well as school readiness. Kids who start learning to read during the preschool years have quite the advantage over those who don't have regular reading time.

Plus, let's face it: Reading can be great fun! I want my kids to be able to escape into worlds full of princesses and fairies, dinosaurs, and maybe even a spooky, haunted house. I want them to learn about the world around them through reading....Whether it be science and nature, mysteries in history, or exploring exotic places and ancient civilizations, I would much prefer my kids reach for a book rather than Google.

That's why when my friends at Tidy Books asked me to become a brand ambassador, I was not only honored, I was truly excited! I have worked with this wonderful company in the past, and I love everything that they stand for. The folks at Tidy Books have a child-centered approach towards reading. They offer attractive,  functional products that allow kids to have more independence when it comes to story time. These great bookcases, book boxes, and bunk bed shelves keep kids' books organized and readily accessible to curious little ones.

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About Tidy Books :

Tidy Books is an independent company, established in 2004, by company founder, Geraldine Grandidier who created the first Tidy Books Children’s Bookcase for her daughter.

Their designs for children are original and practical ideas to make books a natural part of your child’s world, planting a love of reading. Tidy Books offers child-centred storage designs that give your children a space that is theirs to own, building their sense of independence.

Tidy Books doesn't make products for anyone else,  so their innovative designs are unique.   Built with an eye to becoming your family’s heirloom, Tidy Books’ designs are built to last and will adapt as your family grows up.

Tidy Books aims to tread lightly on the planet; their  products are made from sustainable sources and finished in an environmentally friendly Water Lacquer.  They also contribute to a very worthy charity, Save the Children too.

Features That Make Tidy Books Bookcases Unique :

• Holds up to 85 children’s books of all shapes and sizes
• Tactile 3D alphabet
• Slimline design takes up very little floor space
• These shelves are designed to be anchored to the wall, preventing accidents and tipping.
• As children grow, Tidy Books bookcases grow with them since the alphabet shelves can be turned around so they're plain.
  
• Finished with eco-friendly water based lacquer, creating a natural finish that allows the wood grain to be just visible

Our Review of the Tidy Books Bookcase :

We chose the Tidy Books Kids Bookcase in White for our review. We already own a Natural shelf, which we love, so we couldn't wait to see how the bright white looked with the cute, primary colored lowercase letters. (Tidy Books bookcases also come in pink or blue finishes as well, for those who want a nice pop of color for their kids' reading areas!)

Assembling the bookcase was a quick and easy process. My husband had it together and anchored to the wall in about 15-20 minutes, and that was with 2 curious toddlers getting in his way. He happens to be very experienced with putting things together, so it may take a bit longer for those who aren't quite as handy.

The bookcase has 4 shelves of varying sizes that can easily accommodate books of many different sizes. The top and bottom shelves are great for larger, treasury style storybooks, and the middle shelves are perfect for more typical sized children's books.

This bookcase also has a very slim profile, which is nice because it doesn't take up a whole lot of room. So if you're in a smaller home or apartment, chances are, this bookcase will fit in perfectly. I absolutely love the space-saving design!

We actually set our Tidy Books bookcase up near the other one we already owned. (If I had known we were going to do that, I would have probably gotten another natural colored one!) We have a large reading area with a huge bean bag chair, so all the kids can snuggle together as we read to them. As soon as the white bookcase was assembled, my Sophie couldn't wait to start filling it with books!

I really love how these bookcases show the covers of children's books rather than just the spine. This makes it so much easier for kids not only to pick the books they want at a glance, but also to clean up after themselves. My toddlers have no problem at all putting their books on these shelves. Despite the slim design, we have found that each shelf will hold a few rows of slimmer children's books. This is wonderful, since it keeps them tidy, organized, and off of my floor. (Major brownie points there!)

It was actually pretty funny....By the time Xander decided he wanted to help put more books on the bookcase, Sophie had already filled it, all on her own. This is the face that Xander made when he discovered that fact!

Overall, we really love our Tidy Books Bookcases. They are beautifully crafted, extremely durable, and designed specifically with budding bookworms in mind. My kids love the sense of independence they feel because they're able to get their own books whenever they'd like. I have found that there is a lot more reading time since they're able to plop down with a book whenever they get the urge.

They also love being able to re-organize the shelves on their own. One day, they had an entire row of nothing but princess books, another row of books about bugs, a third row with books about cars and other vehicles, and the bottom row was all Holiday books. Yes...My 2 and 3 year old children did this on their own.  Since these shelves are all about making books visually identifiable to kids at a glance, sorting them by type becomes a fun game!

I would definitely recommend Tidy Books products to any families out there who want an easy way to encourage their kids to love reading. When kids have their own special area, they really do get quite excited. And yes, the fact that these shelves make clean-up rather painless is an added bonus for Moms and Dads!

How to Connect :

You can check out the awesomeness that is Tidy Books on their website.

You can also find them on Facebook, on twitter, and on Pinterest to stay on top of their latest products and promotions!

Enter to WIN !

I am thrilled to announce that one lucky reader will receive a Tidy Books Bookcase of their own! Winner chooses color. This is a value of $179.99!

How cool is that?!

Simply enter using the easy Rafflecopter form below!

This giveaway is open to US residents 18+ until 11:59PM June 15, 2013. No PO Boxes. Winners will be drawn using Rafflecopter's Random Number Generator. All entries will be verified, so play fair! I will notify winner via e-mail and they will have 48 hours to reply before I am forced to redraw winners. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited. This contest is not affiliated with Facebook in any way. Thanks for entering, and Good Luck!

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