Family Testimonials

Alicia:

“I am so excited about this service! My family is multi-racial and multi-cultural and it is so hard to find books that reflect this kind of family experience, so I am thrilled that this service exists. We got our first box of books and loved it and I can't wait to see what we get in the second box. I look forward to my children growing up with this service.”

Rianna and Kibibi:

"As two black queer moms raising our feminist son, we're grateful OurShelves is intentional about finding the highest quality, intersectional, age-appropriate and most importantly, affirming books for our family."

Carrie:

“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."

Claire:

“OurShelves is changing the way publishers think about children's books with characters from diverse backgrounds and with diverse experiences by proving that the market exists, in plenty, for these books. By subscribing to OurShelves, we are sending a clear message to publishers that we want more stories that show (but don't problematize) the incredible diversity of this country's children and families. This is a brilliant, beautiful business, run by an amazing woman (Alli Harper) who has experience creating large-scale systems change, passing laws, and lovingly parenting small children. My children, ages 6, 4, and 1, adore their OurShelves books, and I love reading the books with them!”

Karen:

“We are so excited to have joined a thoughtfully curated inclusive children's book club! We got our first box and our daughter loves each book. We are a racially diverse family and having characters that resemble our family and our daughter is incredibly important to us. And - just as important is for our daughter to grow up knowing that there are many ways to identify, live life and be a family.”

Elis:

“I got to know OurShelves at the bookriot website with a long list of very good book subscription for kids. OurShelves caught my attention through their statement of purpose and originality. I first signed up for Rainbow/3 books/quarter payment just to try it out. I LOVED IT! My daughter picked up the books they sent every.single.night for a month (yes, we do have plenty of other options). I am an anthropologist, immigrant, and Latina, and presenting diversity to my daughter at a very early age is really important to me as I believe that this is one of the ways to social justice! Due to the pandemic, we had to cancel our subscription and Alli sent a personalized message addressing that issue and trying to help. The message was so moving that we re-evaluated our budget and decided for the yearly subscription. They have the best customer service ever. I cannot wait for the next box!”

Michelle:

“I've encouraged all my friends to order a subscription -- I love the dual mission, and the quality of the books is great! We just got our first box of 3 yesterday, and our 6-year-old triplets were so excited to read! I always felt like I had to work too hard to FIND books like this -- showcasing the diversity of human experience -- and now someone is doing the work for me...one thing off my plate!”

Alison:

“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!”

Jacqueline:

“I absolutely LOVE OurShelves! As a busy parent, I am thrilled to have this subscription box of beautiful books that are picked out for my son and sent to my door. Having diverse books in my home is something I strive for and I used to spend so much time looking for them, only to be sometimes disappointed with their story quality when I received them. With OurShelves, they are thoughtfully doing this for me and I feel like they have taken a huge task off my plate! The books are always excellent and my two-year-old son just can’t get enough, these are his favorite books! I also am VERY impressed with how responsive, pleasant and helpful Alli is! Seriously, go get a subscription box, you will not be disappointed!”

Ruth:

“I subscribe to 3 books a quarter for my toddler, and it's everything I wanted and more. I'm so glad we can get high quality books featuring people from different backgrounds, without me having to spend any time doing research. My favorite pick so far is Ninos Mindful Rest & Relax, where you wiggle your toes, bend them tight, and relax, and repeat with different parts of your body. It makes *me* feel more relaxed when I read it to my toddler and do the actions. Thank you Ourshelves team.”

Amaru:

“If you have a kiddo in your life, please consider gifting them an OurShelves book subscription. Our son has a subscription and has loved every book he's gotten. As a mixed race kid (who loves books!) with a Black daddy and queer mama, we try to be intentional that he is seeing not only characters and families like his, but also a variety of identities and experiences beyond his--racially and ethnically diverse characters, LGBTQ+, diverse religions and abilities, etc. The curation team is majority people of color and majority LGBTQ+ and they prioritize #OwnVoices stories (meaning stories that center characters with identities that the author/illustrator also share) when possible.”

Matt:

“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.”

Odessa:

“We love the books from OurShelves. They are books with diverse characters but they are also great stories that my kids love to hear. The books we receive in our boxes have fast become some of our favorite stories to read.”

Colleen:

“OurShelves is an excellent company and product for parents looking for quality books for their children, featuring diverse characters and stories. We got books that featured main characters of color, written by authors of color, and books about LGBTQ families: populations that are often not represented in the common books we see. The company is easy to work with and very compassionate and kind. We love it so much I just ordered a subscription for our nephew!”

Molly:

“Our family loves the beautiful, diverse books we received from OurShelves! They offer many different age-range options to tailor to your child's needs at different price points, making it accessible to all different families.”

Ari:

“I love this subscription book service! Such beautiful children's books that illustrate the inclusive values that I want to teach my son.”

Brittany:

“OurShelves is awesome. We have loved the beautiful, whimsical, inclusive stories we’ve received. Having this curated for us ensures that our kids are getting exposure to a fuller range of people and their experiences - we believe this matters in creating loving new citizens of our world! And this way it doesn’t fall to me to try to discover these books - all that work is done by OurShelves, and I’m grateful.”

Sarah:

“If only OurShelves Diverse Kids Books existed when I was little! Growing up with lesbian moms and gay dads was so isolating and I clung to any book/media that had my family (or at least part of it) represented. I am so grateful that in each shipment, we get beautiful books that represent so many different kinds of people and families and communities. My son, who is three, can't wait to see what's inside. I also love that my membership helps prove to publishers that these are the kinds of books that should be on every shelf. Thank you so much Alli for everything you've done!”

Amy:

“We received the first box and were in awe of the gorgeous books with diverse characters as the norm. These are the kinds of books all children should be reading regularly!”

Shelly:

“This service is an excellent way to fill your book shelf with beautiful, inclusive books for children. My little one is just developing an understanding of the world, and knowing that she will continually read stories about diverse children in diverse families is so important to build empathy and understanding. Even though our family looks traditional, including stories from indigenous families, single sex parents, and children ignoring societal norms will help us to start important conversations and foster a sense of respect and understanding for our children.

I am so thankful for this organization taking the time to find this beautiful literature. As a working mom, I haven't been able to spend the time locating such important books. I highly recommend the book box to anyone hoping to foster these inclusive feeling in the children they love.”

Katie:

“We now have beautiful, engaging books with diverse representation of all types of kids and families delivered every quarter. OurShelves is influencing the publishing industry, which is no mean feat, and they’re doing it in the most positive way possible. More books that are inclusive on every level now exist because of them.
My kids picked a book OurShelves sent one night when my folks were babysitting...they aren’t just opening conversations for kids; my kids taught their grandparents about gender identity. It’s a beautiful thing.”

Sahra:

“This is an amazing service! I got an annual subscription for my child's preschool last year and they tell me all the time how amazing the books are. Just renewed for another year and honestly I can't imagine any better gift for a school!”

Katherine:

“It’s a service that everyone needs and everyone should benefit from.”

To hear from more of our members, please visit our Teacher Testimonials page as well as our reviews on Facebook and Google.