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By Alli Harper, OurShelves I’m Alli, the founder and owner of OurShelves, an expert-curated diverse children’s book box service and advocacy effort. Last month, in honor of Pride, we loved sending one of our limited edition Pride boxes to the Make It Cute playhouse with three of our very favorite books that feature LGBTQ+ kids and families! I started OurShelves because my kids have two moms, and it can be much too hard to find high-quality – including joyful and silly and fun!! – books that feature LGBTQ+ families like ours and also the many other kids and families out...

Summer is here! It's that beautiful time of year filled with warm weather, BBQs, farmers' markets, and lightning bugs! At Make It Cute, our playhouses can be lifesavers in winter and on rainy days when you can't get outside. We're here to tell you they're also excellent for summertime fun. First, they're the best break from those sweltering days outside when kids need time to cool off in the AC. Second, they make the best companions for outdoor playtime, adding a splash of fun to any scenario. We're sharing our best outdoor summer fun playhouse ideas to kick off the...

Books are the gateway to learning. They teach us about ourselves and the world around us. Representation in the media, through TV, movies, and books, starting in early childhood, is an essential element of framing a person's worldview. Children deserve exposure to various books where they can see themselves reflected and others represented meaningfully.  Windows and Mirrors Books provide opportunities for children to see themselves and others represented. Reading a book, or having one read aloud to you, can be like looking into a mirror and seeing someone like you staring back at you, or like staring out a window...

Make It (Your Bookshelf) Cute With OurShelves At the beginning of this month, our friends at LGBTQ+-owned OurShelves will make a special delivery directly to one of our adorable playhouses to kick off Pride Month! We are delighted to reveal these expertly curated diverse children’s books that will arrive in our mailbox and share them with our community! We recently connected with the fabulous folks behind OurShelves, and they have quickly become one of our favorite companies. We are thrilled to spotlight them in this post and share what they do to drive inclusivity in the KidLit (Kid Literature) sphere....