Have you ever wondered why the first thing you see when you walk into the children’s section of a library or a bookstore is a beautiful display of books with the cover facing out? It’s because seeing those colorful, engaging illustrations on the covers of board books, picture books, chapter books, and even nonfiction books draws children in much more strongly than the spine of a book (with a title that many children can’t yet read…)!
Read on for more about the benefits of displaying books with the covers facing out, as well as ideas for a variety of ways to do this in your own home!
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Benefits of Front-Facing Books
Displaying books with the cover out:
- Provides children who can’t yet read an insight into the content of a book, especially helpful when you’re trying to entice kids to read new, unfamiliar books
- Makes it much easier for reluctant readers to choose books (wouldn’t you rather read a book when you see a hilarious picture of a cartoon chicken on the front, instead of simply the words “Interrupting Chicken” on a spine?)
- Entices parents to switch up their book displays more frequently. Though the covers of most children’s book make for a very positive addition to the “art” displayed in a room, adults may get tired of seeing said chicken every day and rotate books more frequently than they would if the chicken were hidden between other books.
- Finally and possibly most importantly, increases children’s excitement every time you change the book displays. Changing up the books on shelves and the books children see makes them “new again,” no matter how long they’ve been in your household collection.
Various Ways to Display Front-Facing Books
So, now that I’ve convinced you to try to display some of your books with the cover accessible to your children, you’re probably wondering how on earth to do this. While I love our ECR4Kids Book Display (the link is to a newer version than we had), I also wanted to share other ways and ideas. I reached out to some dear friends of mine, friends who are also passionate about helping their children get and stay excited about books. They came through, sending me photos of a wide variety of ways to display cover-out books. Hopefully something below will suite your space and budget!
**Beneath each photo, I have included a small caption with various links (some are Amazon Affiliate links) to exact or similar display products.
Book Display Bookshelves
The shelf pictured is our primary book display in our house. Our book display shelf also had 3 storage compartments on top (where we put writing and crafting tools for the girls), as well as 5 shelves on the back (which we have used for puzzle, game, and block storage). As far as I can tell, the current version of our beloved ECR4Kids book display doesn’t have the top storage compartments. It does have a flat shelf-like surface instead, which could also be used for keeping writing and crafting tools easily accessible for kids.
Similar item: ECR4Kids Birch Book Display Stand with Storage. If you’ve got the space, this is worth every single penny. ECR4Kids produces classroom-grade products, so you know this will stand any beatings it gets from kids. My girls even climb the shelves on the front to better see the content in the compartments on top, and the shelf dividers are still sturdy and strong!
Other similar displays:
ECR4Kids Single-Sided Book Display
ECR4Kids Double-Sided Mobile Book Display
Pottery Barn Kids Madison 4-Shelf Bookrack
Kidkraft Wood and Canvas Sling Bookshelf
Wall-Mount Shelves
As you can see from the number of photos I got from friends, or from simple internet searches, this is an EXTREMELY popular way to display books with the covers out. These displays are also ideal because they come at a variety of price points, which you’ll see in the links below.
A word of advice here– please make sure that your display is at an appropriate height for your children to access the books. That is, after all, the point. You want the books to be so appealing that children can’t wait to get their hands on them! Of course, if what you’re going for is simply adding to the decor and look of a room and you have beautiful covers you want permanently displayed, feel free to hang your shelf as high as you want. But I’d encourage you to consider whether decor or accessibility is more important…
Exact items: Clockwise from top left
Top left: Ikea Mosslanda Picture Ledge: Available here and here
Top right: CB2 Acrylic Wall Shelf * (no longer available); similar item here
Bottom right: Target Pillowfort White Book Shelf (no longer available); similar item here
Bottom center: Ikea Mosslanda Picture Ledge: Available here and here
Bottom left: Ikea Bekvam Spice Rack (painted white). Also available as a set of 4.
Other similar displays:
Ubabub BookSee Clear Acrylic Wall Mount Bookshelves. I love that these have a ledge in the front that keeps books from falling foward when kids are looking at them, but that the clear acrylic allows children to see the whole cover!
* Let’s pause for a moment to talk about that beautiful light table underneath the acrylic wall shelf in the photo above. If only we had room in our house for it… But, if you’re interested, it’s the Whitney Brothers Light Table available no longer available from Amazon. The Jonti-Craft Light Box appears to be similar though! If you don’t have the room or the budget for a whole light table, you could try this tabletop light panel or make your own!.
Book Display Boxes and Baskets
This can be one of the easiest way to use what you already have around your house to display books so children can easily see the cover. Simply placing books (oriented the same way) in a basket that children can easily flip through does the trick! These baskets can then be placed on the floor, on a table, on a bookshelf… Wherever you want them! We even have a book bin on the back of the girls’ toilet! You can also buy neat display cases that serve the same purpose, but act more as a central piece of furniture (the Book Browser by Jonti-Craft is a neat example of this).
A lesson learned the hard way, though… Make sure the edges and weave of whatever basket/bin you put your books in aren’t too rough or sharp, or they’ll tear up the edges, corners, and pages of your book! When I was in the classroom, I simply used shoe storage bins for all of the books in my classroom library. They’re the perfect length for picture books and width for most chapter books!
Exact Item: Pillowfort Decorative Wall Hanging Basket (now unavailable). These work on the ground, but are even better on the wall as a neat bedside or reading nook display! Similar item here.
Other similar displays:
Jonti-Craft Toddler See-Through Book Browser
Sterilite 6-Quart Storage Box, Set of 6
Container Store Everything Organizer Collection Book Bin
Target Brightroom Coil Rope Basket (we used to have this on our 5.5-year-old’s shelf for front-facing early chapter books).
Once Upon a Time Book Storage — how cute is this???
Use Existing Surfaces
This one will cost you no money, assuming that you have a bookshelf, dresser, nightstand, cabinet, mantle, etc. where you can stand books with the cover out. Take a look at this beautiful display (and beautiful cabinet, and beautiful artwork…) from my dear friend!
Just last week I put some board books that our three-year-old hasn’t read in ages on her bookshelf this way, and she’s read every single one of them since then!
Finally, here is a photo of our current book display (our girls are now almost 9-years old and 11 years old!). We’ve used a mix of acrylic shelves (you can find similar shelves here) and plastic bins to make the most of the space that we have. I change the books on the shelves 1-2 times per month, allowing me to display seasonal and/or thematic books in our playroom. I rotate the books in the bins a few times per year, depending on the girls’ reading interests and which particular series or authors they’re showing interest in (or have moved on from!).
When we moved in 2021, I donated our beloved front-facing bookshelf and storage unit to a teacher at our old school. Given the ages of our girls, it made more sense in our new house to prioritize shelving and displaying chapter books instead of picture books, so the chapter books earned an accessible spot in the playroom. The girls can still see and reach the picture books, which at 9 and 11 years old they still love!
Exact items: Unum Set of Two Acrylic 24″ Invisible Floating Shelves for Wall (currently unavailable, similar item here), Sterilite Storage Boxes 6-quart Pack of 4, and ECR4Kids 2-Shelf Mobile Storage Cabinet
Now tell me… Do you already display your kids’ books with the covers facing out? If not, have I convinced you to give it a try?
childrenslitlove.com 
Great insights on the importance of front-facing books! Displaying books with their covers facing outward truly invites more engagement and curiosity, especially for younger readers. I appreciate the creative tips on how to make them stand out, and I think a Hanging Wall Display Cabinet could be a fantastic addition for this purpose. It would keep books accessible while showcasing the covers beautifully – perfect for both home and classroom spaces. Thanks for sharing such inspiring ideas!
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Thanks for sharing the idea!!!
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