How do you organise your children's bookshelves?

Ds's books are arranged in short books and longer books - so that his bedtime books don't take too long. Other than that, it's a free for all.

My book cases are only arranged into hardbacks, paperbacks and large format because thats how my shelves are. I like the randomness of it.

DH's bookcases are in author, series, chronological order. He hates mine

DH is a size man (ahem) I tend towards non fiction by subject fiction by author result owes much to chaos theory the initial small event will be DS pulling three books out to get the one he wants resulting in everyone shoving everything in any old how and the whole thing looking like a dogs dinner and staying that way until we Have People Round when I redo it (playroom/kitchen all in one)

Books go in the big book bucket. That's as tidy as it gets for now.

Trying to organise pre-schoolers bookshelves is like trying to hold back the tide.

I stuff them back in to keep them off the floor, but the dc's trash them straight away. I'm hoping it will be easier when they are at school.

5yo DS's room has one bookcase. Top shelf has picture books and other assorted bedtime stories arranged by size. They HAVE to be by size otherwise little ones just get hidden in between bigger ones. Middle shelf is smaller books and sets, so all the Ladybird ones are here, the Mr Men, Thomas the bl**dy Tank engine, etc. Bottom shelf is really big books, laid flat.

9yo DD's room used to have a plan for books but she's got so flippin' many now that they are stacked on the floor! There is one huge set of shelves that has her non-fiction, arranged by size - big ones at either end and smaller ones in the middle so that the weight is nearest the supports. Every other shelf and available surface has random books on, including the floor, but she knows where they all are.

that I never tidy up after my kids. [sargeant major emoticon]

By size. If there is a lot from the same series ie ladybird, mr men, I put them together on the odd occasion I tidy up, but i don't stress if stuff goes in the wrong place.

DD is book mad and is 2.5. In her bedroom we have a standard ikea Billy bookshelf, top shelf, boynton box sets and Hairy Maclary boardbooks (no order, second shelf mid size books no order, bottom shelf, big books no order.
In the lounge we have a clear perspex newspaper holder where her 'non-fiction' books - ABC books, etc. All books are put away at night in a rough order, but all toys are put back all complete. As they should be

Big books on top shelf, all others in two shelves below. Every few days I re-shelve books left on bedside table, under bed, strewn across bedroom floor.

I'm having a good laugh at this thread. In our house it goes: I put the books on the shelves, little ones on the top shelf, big ones in the middle and very big ones on the bottom. I make sure they are all the right way up and facing the right way. DS (2.5) comes in and systematically pulls off one at a time until he finds the one he wants. DD (4) occassionally chucks the odd one back on. I leave them for as long as my OCD tendencies can stand it (or until I realise that someone is going to slip on a shiny cover any minute now) and the cycle starts again.

Apparently though arranging by colour is very now. I saw it in Living Etc magazine.

I arrange the childrens books with one simple sentance (best said at a high volume in an assertive manner) "Girl's!! if those books arent picked up off the floor and put back on the shelf by the time I get upstairs you will not be having the TV on again today!!"

Seems to get them arranged just fine.

Yuno we have lovely big built in bookshelves which I had imagined would look fab before they were built - all neat and tidy.

Unfortunately I have to agree with Bran - the books get pulled out by the DC's and I shove them back wherever I can.

Oh yes, I used to be a librarian and i love organising books. . My dds's books are usually organised by shape and size. We have big books on the bottom, ladybird ones and smaller ones on the middle shelf and some mr men and the hardback enid blytons on the top. I do change them around sometimes and then sit back and admire them. Is that weird?

I use the 'cram/shout' method. As in cram everything onto the shelves. Shout about the mess.

It's handy. Comes in useful for drawers, cupboards and toyboxes too.

by size and type

but now I want to do it by author

Although it lasts about 30 seconds before the kids mess it up.

Also in their room I have their things in boxes by type (all the cars in one box, lego in another, transformers in another etc) plus a little metal set of drawers (used to be in my office). drawers are now labelled paper, gogos, clay, pens, etc etc.

It takes me hours to tidy their room because they DON'T FOLLOW THE SYSTEM!! So everything gets shoved in the wrong box.

For reasons of insanity this disturbs me so much I have to tip everything out into the middle of the floor and put it all back in the right boxes.

I used to do it by size. Now I do it use the "Cram It In There" method.

By size...big ones on shelf they will fit on and smaller ones on smaller shelf.And others crammed on top.

I'm sure people with a nanny and a housekeeper have organised children's bookshelves. Sadly I don'thave any of those.

I did it by colour a couple of times - loads of fun - highly recommended, but it only works well for some books - you'll be left with a large rump of multicoloured/black/white spines.
I then started to reorganise the novels by author, and had only just started when DD said "Mummy, don't be silly, Anne Fine has to go before Enid Blyton, because her name starts with an A". So her fiction books are now arranged alphabetically by author Christian name.

Why yes, I have worked as a librarian, why do you ask?

Chuck them on!

Although DS has his organised by groupings ie all Young James Bond, all Robert Muchamore, but he is 10, and wants it to look like a library!

You what????????!!!!!!

Um...I organise them by...um...which shelf they fit on...or whichever one is nearest to me as I try and get them off the floor where the DDs have chucked them!

By colour!

I was constantly rearranging my books as a child and this is the look I decided I liked best in the end.

By size, on their side, with a heavy toy on top to stop them sliding off during the night.