Weeding Your Collection: Board Books

Since it's a holiday and all, I'm letting you off easy this time!
Let's talk about weeding those board books. 

This is another category that is pretty straight forward, so it could be another good starting point.

Once again, I find it helpful to take all the books off the shelf you're working on and stack them on the floor, or a table.

1.     Throw away the trash. This includes any book that is ripped, stained, or chewed on beyond repair. If it has been loved into that state, do yourself a favor and get a new copy. Most board books are very reasonably priced—usually around $5 or $6. Otherwise, gone!

2.     Look for board books that were never meant to be board books in the first place. These are the ones that have enough text for a picture book, crammed into a board book format. My toddler will not sit still long enough for those, and my older kids don’t want to be seen reading a “baby book.” This format is meant for 1-3 year-olds (with some wiggle room at each end.) Make sure the text matches that attention span.

3.     Lastly, look for books that either you or your kids never really liked or read all that much. Some just don’t appeal as much, and that’s okay. Pass them on to someone else. (Chances are, these will be in the best shape anyway!)

Clean up and repair the keepers. Baby wipes will take most things off the shiny board book pages. (At the library we used the disinfecting wipes). Clear packing tape works well to put flaps back on or pages back in long enough for a few more rounds.

 

Group similar books together—going by height or size works well with these—and put them back on the shelf or back in the basket.

You're done!  Good work!

 

Is organizing your book shelf your idea of a good time on a holiday weekend? That's okay, you can admit it!  I have been known to tackle a few such projects myself.

Weeding Your Collection: Picture Books

Okay, I've given you a couple weeks for a break. Now it's time to dive into those picture books!

As you may recall, I am a children's librarian. Picture books are near and dear to my heart. As such, it can be hard to let them go. However, as we've mentioned, there are only so many bookshelves you can fit into one house! Also, as my kids get older and learn to read, the picture book shelf has not been frequented as often. [Sad face.]

 

When it comes to weeding them, as long as my favorites are safely in the "keeper" pile, I am content to let the kids decide on the rest. I've included a few different methods for having your kids help you sort at the end of the post.  

Let's get started! 

Questions to ask yourself for picture books:

What kind of shape is it in?

This is an easy one. Are there scribbles on crucial pages? Is the cover missing, or a chunk of pages falling out? Going along with that, is it fixable? If yes, is it worth your time to fix it?

 

Is it appropriate for the age and attention span-level of the children listening to it?

Some picture books are basically illustrated chapter books, with long detailed storylines and/or more mature themes. Many of Patricia Polacco's fall into this category. These can still be great books to keep--if your older kids will enjoy it and pick it up. Consider shelving it in a different spot for them to have easier access, so they don’t have to wade through the preschool-aged ones. Your little guys will also do better without the longer books cluttering up their shelf space.

Does the underlying message or the artwork make you cringe? Or, is it too scary or intense for your kids?  

Remember, your home collection will likely get read many times over and become a part of your child’s mental wiring. (No pressure!) You know your kids best. Don't be afraid to pull something out, even if it's famous, an award-winner, or your neighbor's absolute favorite.

A few examples from my own bookshelf:

At one point, we had a picture-book version of “Who Stole the Cookies from the Cookie Jar.” The illustrations were well done and engaging, and of course that catchy rhyme was on nearly every page. It was my husband who asked, “Do we really want to be reading a book to our kids over and over that makes stealing something into a game?” When he put it in that context--um…right. No, no we didn’t.

Even though I personally quite like “Where the Wild Things Are,” it was too scary for my oldest son as a preschooler. It actually gave him nightmares, and unfortunately it took us several days to put together his garbled explanations with that particular book. When we finally figured it out, that book was donated. Many Halloween picture books fall into the same category for us: just not worth the long nights. 

Does it come with parts or pieces that won’t stay put or are lost?

We had a book one time where each spread included text on one page, and a puzzle on the facing page. That was all well and good, except that any time you turned the page, the puzzle you just finished would fall apart all over the floor! Yeah. That one did not last very long. My sanity has to count for something!

Do they still enjoy it even after many (many MANY) reads?

You know the ones. Notice I'm not asking if YOU enjoy it after reading it a million times. :)

Is it one you remember fondly, or was a favorite of yours as a kid?

So, you’ve gone through the rough sort and gotten rid of the obvious stuff. Also, your kids have probably pulled some out of the pile exclaiming, “Hey! I’ve been looking for this one!” Yep, those are keepers. What do you do with all the rest? I would definitely let the kids be involved. They have a stake in the outcome, after all!

 

Here are a couple of ideas:

The “Take-A-Vote” Method

 

Pile all the picture books onto a table. Get the kids to help right from the start!

Pull out all the favorites (including yours!) for the keeper pile. 

Now here's the fun part. Take one book at a time, and take a vote: thumbs up, thumbs down, or eh—don’t care either way.  Get them talking! They may talk each other into or out of certain books without your interference at all. With their favorites safe in the “must keep” pile, the rest should be less emotionally charged (in theory…)

Depending on the way your family works, you’ll have to decide your own rules about how many thumbs can veto the majority, or how to handle a tied vote.

If your family is not quite ready for the democratic process yet, or every book is someone’s “absolute favorite,” here’s another way to do it.

The “Convince Me” Method

You go through the picture books first (perhaps while kids are in bed?)

Make a keeper pile, a donation pile, and a “convince me” pile. The "convince me" pile are books that you wouldn't mind getting rid of, but are willing to listen to reasons for keeping. Then bring in the kids.

 

Here's the deal:

 

If some of their favorites ended up in the “convince me” pile, they are welcome to plead their case.

(I’m pretty much a pushover when it comes to this—if they feel passionate enough about the book to pluck it from the jaws of possible donation, there’s a good chance we’re going to keep it.)

 

If they want to rescue a book from the donation pile, however, they have to trade it for one of their choice from the “convince me” pile.

 

 Any “convince me’s” leftover at the end get added to the donation pile.

 The “It’s Not Goodbye, It’s See You Later” Method

This is the kinder, gentler book sorting method--if you have the space, time, and patience for it.

 

Get out a bin or a box and have the kids help you fill it up. You could tell them each to grab 10 books, or something. Tape it closed or put on the lid, and put it away for 3-6 months.

 

Notice if the kids ask about any of the books or miss them during that time frame. When it comes time to bring the box down, notice which books are met with delight and which stay untouched in the bottom of the box. Give away the unloved books and start over.

Once my kids realized that I wasn’t out to give away their favorites, they've actually been happy to join in the sorting process. Last time we did it, we got rid of 15-20 books. It made so much difference! We could pull out a book without 3 more cascading down. 

Do you have a tried and true book sorting method? Do your kids help you decide what to get rid of? Please share in the comments!

 

Weeding Your Collection: Nonfiction

Are you ready to dive into some weeding?

Today we are talking about NONFICTION--i.e. true, factual books.

Weed, useful herb, or vibrant wildflower? You decide!

I often find it much easier to be objective about nonfiction, so that’s why I chose it as a starting point. It can be a challenge, though, because nonfiction books crop up in a lot of places outside of the bookshelf. Just stick to one shelf or one area at a time, and don’t get overwhelmed.
 

Take all the books in that section off the shelf and put them on a table or on the floor. Take one book at a time and decide if it’s a keeper or not.

 Questions to ask yourself for nonfiction:

 

1.       Is the information outdated or incorrect?

photo from morguefile.com

 

Space books that list Pluto as a planet come to mind here, as do older dinosaur books, books about technology, geography books or atlases, and books with medical information. Take a good hard look at any nonfiction older than 5 years. Out-of-date info can be harmful or amusing, but it’s rarely helpful.
 

a. Are there other reasons to keep it beyond the actual information?

So sure, that space book may be outdated, but it has amazing Hubble telescope photos. Great, keep it, but just be aware of its limitations. (Your child may not want to base a school report on it.) Or slice out the photos, and get rid of the rest. (GASP! Yes, I just advocated cutting up a book. Does that revoke my librarian license?)

2.       Is this book your best source for the information?

In other words, if you needed to know this information would you just google it, or do you always hunt down the book? Books that fall into this category: old college textbooks, dictionaries, thesauruses, cookbooks, phone books, repair manuals,etc.

 

3.       Is it at the right level for the kids who are reading it?

 

Juvenile nonfiction books especially have quite a range. Some are so long and packed with info that they’re on more of a middle school level and my 2nd grader struggles to get through them, even when he’s interested in the subject matter.

 

4.       Are you (or your child) still interested in the topic, or

photo from morguefile.com

This applies to hobby and crafting-type books, in particular. If your interest has waned, or that particular book doesn’t give you the inspiration you thought it would, send it on its way. There will probably be someone else out there who will appreciate it.

If it came with pieces (Klutz books and others) do you still have them? Or alternately, are you sick and tired of keeping track of them?! [Believe me, I feel your pain!]

5.       Church-related books: lesson manuals, scriptures, etc.

All I have to say here: if you’ve switched to digital, don’t feel guilty about ditching the paper copy! I know a lot of us have formed attachments to our paper scriptures, particularly if we’ve been studying from them for a number of years. That being said, you may not need individual copies for every member of the family any more. 

And that collection of Ensign* magazines you've been hanging onto since college? Honey, they're all online, keyword searchable. As much as it hurts, put them in the recycle bin, close the lid gently, and walk away. It's okay. Really.

6.       Old Encyclopedia sets

Unless you are dearly attached to them for sentimental reasons, or you’re saving them to make that trendy end-table--they’ve got to go! Our library wouldn’t even take donated sets that were more than 5 years old. They cover such a broad range of information, they go out of date fast.

Digital encyclopedias are awesome: they don’t take up an entire shelf on your bookcase, they are updated regularly, they are keyword searchable, and best of all—your friendly public library likely has subscriptions to many of them, which you can access for FREE with your library card. Just a thought.

So, how did you do?
 

Did you run up against some that you were surprisingly reluctant to let go of? What criteria would you add for the decision-making process? Have you ever made furniture out of old books?

Stay tuned: next time we're going to take on the picture books--with suggestions to get help from your kids!
 

 *The Ensign is a monthly magazine for adults, published by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Weeding Your Collection Series

You knew this was coming, right? Ha ha!

This is the start of a series, all about weeding through your books. We'll take it one section at a time, and go until...I run out of things to say about it!

Challenge: Find the weed in this photo!

Weeding outdoors--you know, REAL weeds--is a neverending job. Never. Ending. It's sort of like dishes and laundry: one eternal round.  However, weeding through your book collection can be done at your pleasure.

In my librarian days, I actually enjoyed weeding the collection. It was so satisfying getting rid of tattered, old books that never got read anyway. The shelves always looked so much better when I was done, and the books that remained would get significantly more use.

It will work that way at home, too. If you think about it, it makes sense. If you have to push past the books you don’t like all that much to get to the good stuff, you may end up doing something else instead. Having 100 books that you read and love is far better than having 300, of which only 100 are read and loved.

 

When is it time to go through your books? Watch for these red flags:

picture from morguefile.com



1.  Your bookshelves are beyond full. This could look like:

• The books are packed in so tightly, your little ones can't pull out a picture book or put it back without help.
• When you pull one book out, 3 more cascade down.
• You have books stacked in front of or on top of other books on the shelf (due to lack of space, not just kid-style cleanup.)

2. You run across books that you didn’t even realize you had.

3. You or your child look at a bookshelf packed with books and complain that there is nothing to read.

4.  There are books on your bookshelf that no-one has read OR books that no-one has read for more than a year.

5.  You have purchased a newer version of it. This includes an electronic copy, if you can't see yourself picking up the print version again!

Okay, so if you don’t enjoy weeding, or are feeling overwhelmed, where is a good place to start?

First narrow it down to one section, whether it’s nonfiction, picture books, early readers, board books, etc.  Like with most organizational tasks, smaller chunks tend to be more successful.

  

picture from morguefile.com

 

Take all the books in that section off the shelf and put them on a table or on the floor.  Go through them one by one and evaluate their worthiness to remain in your collection. We'll talk specifics about weeding each type as this series progresses!

Make a "keeper" pile and a "donation" pile. The great thing about books is that libraries and thrift stories gladly take donations, as long as they're in good shape. If they're not in good enough shape to donate, don't make a pile--throw them right into the recycle bin!

Box up your donations, dust off your shelf, and replace the keepers. Organize or not--your call. Enjoy how easily they all fit onto that shelf. 

Breathe a sigh of relief. Repeat!

Next time we'll chat about weeding your nonfiction: the true, factual books.

Do you like weeding your books? Any hard and fast rules for keeping (or donating)?