Children's bookcases: The best kids bookcases for 2021

Adding the perfect children's bookcases to your space won't just hold books and look great, but could even get your little one reading more. Kids bookcases come in a variety of sizes and designs, displaying books in different ways for different readers, for example with the covers facing outwards (much more accessible for younger children who can't read spines as easily).

Size is also a consideration – you want your kids to be able to reach the books independently, and not worry about books falling down. Many children's bookcases also have integral features such as extra storage (boxes, cupboards and so on), and some even have seats for children to perch on whilst reading. 

We've chosen a range of bookcases for all tastes and budgets so you're sure to find something perfect for your child. Options for the US are at the top, followed by those for the UK. And to fill the shelves up, check out our guide to the best children's books of all time.

Children's bookcases: US

This fun dragon bookcase not only looks exciting, but the design is super-practical as well. It's the perfect size for a small human to access all of the shelves easily, and the books face outwards so your child can see them clearly and choose a book for themselves. The extra boxes at the bottom could be used for storing other books (especially great for book rotation), or for other toys.

Though it's made out of plastic, it doesn't feel at all cheap, but sturdy. The cut out detail on each row of shelves adds interest and makes the magical dragon design feel even more enticing – perfect for adding extra imagination to the reading adventure that's about to happen.

Certainly not the cheapest bookcase around, but this is a quality unit with a design that's sure to last your child well into their teens and beyond. This bookshelf may not be as suitable for smaller children (they would need a ladder to reach the top) but it has the capacity to store a veritable library of books and anything else an older child could want.

According to the manufacturer, this bookcase pioneers the concept of a child's home office space, and it's definitely a grown up choice. With different size shelf cubbies for books, four useful baskets and even a cosy little nook to curl up in, it's versatile and roomy.

If it's storage you're after, you won't go wrong with this bookcase, which has an impressive 13 storage compartments. The top level of shelving is perfect for lining up and stacking books, while the different sized boxes underneath will hold smaller items (these eight boxes are included). Then, the bottom level has roomier cubbies. This bookcase comes in the above white with pink, purple, green and yellow boxes, or the espresso option comes with green, yellow, red and blue boxes.

The whole thing is still a brilliant size for children to explore, meaning they can be totally hands on with selecting and (perhaps more importantly) tidying up their toys and books. There's not really anywhere to display books facing outwards but if that's not a consideration for you then the host of glowing reviews proves this is a brilliant choice.

The Sunny Safari bookcase is stunning. It's beautifully crafted, with hand-painted patterns and colours, and friendly-looking animals adorning the sides. Shelving-wise, there is ample space for books, stacked or lined up, and you could also display them facing outwards if you purchased a couple of stands to sit on the bottom or top shelves (you can buy themed bookends to match, if you wanted to go the whole hog).

A big drawer sits along the bottom, for special books or other items. The drawer does stick a little, and is a bit heavy so little ones might need help opening and closing it. Check out the manufacturer for a range of other themes. Note: the colours are a lot brighter than this picture shows.

We love the simplicity of this book caddy. It's totally accessible for children, who can rummage through the selection of books with ease, and it looks great as well. It holds more than you'd imagine, with some reports stating it'll take up to 30 books, but it is still a space-saving option. You could use more than one if you need more book space – the three colours (white, blue and grey) look great together.

Children's bookcases: UK

This colourful bookcase has a fox design along the bottom and fun multicoloured detail, making it a beautiful addition to your child's space. It's a wonderful choice for toddlers given the size and layout of the shelving. The different sections have space to display or stack books (we recommend not overloading these shelves to make it easier for small hands to explore). The best part is that it has wheels, so you or your child can move it around as you wish.

Cube storage is the holy grail of storage. Perfect for fitting books and, well, anything really, the roomy compartments will stack, line up and display books (you'll need a stand for displaying). You could also pop in cube-shaped boxes if you wanted to diversify the storage even further. 

Ideal for creating a cosy book corner, this bookcase comes complete with a cushioned seat so your little one can sit amongst their books while they read. It may not be the most exciting of designs, but it comes in classic black or white so will fit with any decorative scheme.

The Ikea FLISAT is a simple book caddy with an interesting design, which trumps a basic box. Perfect for very small readers, this bookcase only holds a few books – showing off the cover of all of them. To utilise it fully, you could have a different set of shelves or boxes for the majority of books then rotate the ones you want your child to access – the rotation keeps the books fresh and interesting to a child. 

Even better, it's incredibly good value. This means you could have more than one to vary things more.

If you want to save floor space, popping shelves on the wall is a great option. These wall shelves are solid, sturdy and beautifully made. It is possible to get wall-mounted bookshelves, but we've found that many of them don't have tall enough shelf compartments to fit anything but small or baby books. By choosing actual shelves (as opposed to a unit) you'll be able to space them how you want to ensure you can actually fit books in. 

These shelves come in three different sizes. The small is 15in wide, the medium comes in at 23.6in wide and the large is 31.4in wide. All three together will give display space for your child's favourite books.

This magical bookcase is just one theme of many created by Fantasy Fields. Also available is Outer Space, Sunny Safari and others. All are hand-crafted and hand-painted, covered with intricate detail that your child is sure to love. There's plenty of space on the three shelves, which are tall enough to hold the biggest books stacked or lined up. In fact, they hold up to 50 books – pretty impressive.

Two drawers make up the bottom shelf, which have a bee and a dragonfly as handles. These drawers are excellent for storing special books or other toys, but be warned that they do get a little heavy for little hands. 

Read more:

• The best drawing tablets for kids
• The best drawing books
• Best Audible books to download today