A place where storybooks inspire young imaginations to grow through art, cooking, play, science and all things creative.
Who We Are
Off the Shelf is all about experiencing childhood by being creative, imaginative, messy, thought provoking, and inquisitive.
By visiting Off The Shelf we hope you feel you are coming to spend some time in a quaint little children’s bookshop filled with the best books, inspiring activities, and a certain amount of unexplainable childhood magic.
What We Do
Every week we feature a new book of the week, including a short synopsis. If you already have the book, wonderful! Pull it off the shelf and read it with your young reader. If you don't have it, you can find in linked to Amazon on the post; in our Shop; at your local book store; or at the library! Read the week's book together with your child.
Engage your young reader's interest further by trying out the recipe, creating the art project, or trying the other activities included with the book of the week. All of the activities and recipes we feature are inspired by our featured titles, but reading the books is not required to enjoy the fun we hope to inspire.
About Us
Shelli Koestner
Once a kindergarten teacher, always a kindergarten teacher! My classrooms always seemed to be operating in a state of controlled chaos, but if visitors chose to stay awhile they would see that the chaos was really creativity, exploration, and the hum of young minds growing and learning.
In addition to being a classroom teacher I have also developed preschool programs, created art camps and creative camps for kids, developed summer reading programs for a local library, and taught a Montessori based Sunday school program. I truly believe in the power of children’s literature and the ability of those wonderful books to inspire readers for a lifetime.
Lexie Koestner
As the child of a kindergarten teacher, I grew up surrounded by paint and glue, glitter and paper, and most of all, books. Books and art were an intergral part of my childhood, and not much has changed! A perfect day to me is spent gardening, painting, cooking, and reading, all the while with my canine companion by my side. In fact, children's books have so influened my life that my drawing and painting style is directly inspired by Beatrix Potter and Earnest Shepherd.
Contact Us and Around the Web
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