Customer Reviews

Guidecraft Safari Collection Book Display

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I wanted this book display for my daughter's room, and read a lot of great reviews here on Amazon, especially complimentary descriptions of the fine carving on the side, which would lead one to believe this product is made of solid wood.

However, I called the company prior to ordering it and asked about the materials it was made from. MDF (medium density fiberboard) was the representative's reply. According to the EPA, MDF contains a higher resin-to-wood ratio than any other UF pressed wood product and is generally recognized as being the highest formaldehyde-emitting pressed wood product.

I further inquired into whether Guidecraft makes an effort to cut down on indoor environmental pollutants in their pressed wood, by using safer glues, and setting limits on formaldehyde content. The response was no, and that this bookcase does indeed contain formaldehyde, but that Guidecraft has no information available on what level, as this is not something that they monitor or have set regulations concerning.

According to all major health organizations, formaldehyde can cause watery eyes, burning sensations in the eyes and throat, nausea, and difficulty in breathing in some humans exposed at elevated levels (above 0.1 parts per million). High concentrations may trigger attacks in people with asthma. There is evidence that some people can develop a sensitivity to formaldehyde. It has also been shown to cause cancer in animals and may cause cancer in humans. Health effects include eye, nose, and throat irritation; wheezing and coughing; fatigue; skin rash; severe allergic reactions.

For those who will undoubtably find this review unhelpful, I hope you'll consider that with all the China recalls these days, it's a risky venture to purchase a product with known toxins for your child, made in a country that continually manufactures massively toxic products, by a company who admits that it has no oversight.

All else aside, I wish more people would warn others about the scary things we're bringing into our homes and exposing our kids to.... Until then, I guess I'll just keep calling every company I buy from.

I bought 2 of these for my family daycare. They were quick to put together - although I didn't follow the directions for the second one. First, I would highly suggest using a drill. It would've taken much longer to put it together has I used a screwdriver. The display comes with 4 pieces - 2 sides, 1 bottom and the inner wooden dowels with canvas for the books. The directions tell you to screw the woden dowels into the sides first, and then screw in the bottom piece. I found it much each easier to screw the bottom piece to the 2 sides first - the wooden dowels stayed in place much better while screwing them into place because the structure of the display was already there. Other than that - one minor flaw - one of the dowels cracked as I was screwing it into place. I don't know whether this was my fault or a product defect, but it happened. It didn't affect the display, but time will tell whether this one wooden dowel holds up as well as the others.

Aside from putting it together, this is the cutest thing ever! The sides are actually carved out, they aren't just a picture. The display holds a decent amount of books too! And, the kids love to see the fronts of the books - they're much more likely to pull out the books if they can see the pictures!

Before I purchased this book display, I was not sure whether it is worth the money since you can make one by yourself (its design is quite simple). Now I am convinced that it is the right one for busy parents having toddlers.

It is easy to assemble. It is steady. Definitely when the books are displayed by their front pages, it is easy for little kids.

This little bookcase is so cute and of top quality construction. It is made of thick wood that is strong and firm, with beautiful detailing. The animals are not just painted on, but hand carved. The bookcase is a bit smaller than I expected, maybe two feet wide, but the four canvas pockets were big enough to stack books side by side (two large picture books or three small board books) and then two to three books deep, so the bookcase can really hold a lot. There is a small shelf on the bottom where we were also able to put 20 thinner books in two stacks. And because the books face out, our little 3-year old really enjoys going to the bookcase to pick out a book (and then enjoys putting them back!). The assembly is very easy, but a power drill will make hands feel much better when you are done. Guidecraft is really good about backing their product. We needed a replacement part for the clothing tree and after one call (to a real person), they sent us the new part at no charge for part or even for shipping. We have the entire matching set: toy chest, step stool, table & chairs set, rocking chair, director's chair, and clothing tree.

I bought this book display for my 8 month old son. Perfect - just what i wanted. here are the top 3 things i liked-
1. Right size for my purpose: my son is just figuring out how to stand. i help him stand and he can reach out to books easily. That they are displayed by front cover, he gets to attractive colors almost immediately
2. Hand paintings by the side are nice - fits my nursery very well
3. Wasn't too hard to assemble. Took me all of 5-10 minutes.

I like this stand. Was very easy to put together. Wish it held more books, but all in all my daughter and I love this product.

This bookcase is great looking and easy to assemble- I am challenged in that department and my husband usually cringes when I tell him I put something together because I always end up with extra screws. Not the case with this- it only took 20 minutes and a screw driver and it came out great! My 18 month old daughter also loves it. It is a perfect height for her and she can pick out which book she wants because this lets her see the covers as opposed to a traditional bookcase that would only display the books' spines. The animals on the sides are very nicely painted. The only thing that held me back from giving it 5 stars was that it doesn't fit all of her books. It is also difficult to get thicker books into the canvas slots. Nevertheless, it is a great product and I would not hesitate to reccomend it!

This is the cutest book shelf. It holds a ton of my son's hard back books, and he loves getting them out and putting them back up. I was very happy with it, and it didn't take my husband long to put it together. Very sturdy too.

This is not really hard to put together, but would be easier with two people. The effort to assemble was worth it - it's darling and very easy for small children to use. Great for weird size kids books.

Very cute and fits perfectly in a safari room. The only thing I would change is the plainness of the book holders.