FAQs

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Everything you need to know before you join the Nest.

  • The Book Nest is a monthly children’s book-swap membership. Each month you receive a curated bundle of 4 gently-loved books tailored to your child’s age group. When you're ready for new stories, return your bundle using the prepaid label and we’ll send your next set.

  • The Book Nest helps authors by keeping their stories in circulation and introducing them to new families who may not have discovered their books yet. Whenever possible, we highlight authors through themed bundles, social media features, and curated picks. We also intentionally source high-quality titles that support diverse voices and modern storytelling.

  • Every bundle includes:
    • 4 hand-picked, gently-loved books
    • Age-appropriate selections
    • Cleaned and inspected titles
    • A prepaid return label
    • Access to monthly swaps based on your tier

  • We currently build bundles for:
    • Hatchlings (0–2 years)
    • Fledglings (3–5 years)
    • Soarers (6–8 years)
    • Sky Readers (9+ years)

  • Yes! Many families with multiple readers share a single membership. You’ll still receive one bundle of 4 books per swap, but we’ll curate the bundle to fit both children.

    When siblings share, we create a reading profile for each child—including their ages, interests, and reading level. Each bundle is then “mixed and matched” just for your family. For example, you might receive:

    • 2 books for one child + 2 for the other

    • a mix of titles both kids can enjoy

    • or any combination you prefer

    Most families choose the Cozy Nest or Story Nest tiers so there are enough swaps to keep both kids excited about fresh stories throughout the month.

  • Choose based on how often your family reads:
    • Little Nest: 1 swap/month
    • Cozy Nest: 2 swaps/month
    • Story Nest: 4 swaps/month + perks

    All tiers receive 4 books per bundle.

  • Yes — you can upgrade or downgrade anytime.

  • Libraries and Little Free Libraries are wonderful community resources — The Book Nest offers something different:

    • Curated selections: Every bundle is hand-picked for your child’s age and interests.
    • Delivered to your door: No trips, no due dates, and no late fees.
    • Fresh rotation each month: Kids always get new books without the overwhelm of browsing or the cost of buying.
    • Quality-checked books: Every book is gently-loved, cleaned, and inspected before it reaches your home.
    • Flexible keeps: If your child falls in love with a book, you can keep it for a small fee.

    It’s a cozy, personalized experience designed to make reading easy for busy families.

•About the Book Nest

•Nest Eggs + Donations

  • Nest Eggs are our thank-you rewards for families who donate gently-loved children's books. Each approved book earns 1 Nest Egg, which can be redeemed for perks.

  • Donate gently-loved children’s books in good condition. Each approved book earns 1 Nest Egg added to your account.

  • Nest Eggs can be redeemed for special perks like:

    • 2 Nest Eggs: Keep-a-book

    • 3 Nest Eggs: Add a surprise book to your next bundle

    • 5 Nest Eggs: One extra swap

    • 8 Nest Eggs: One-month tier upgrade

    • 10 Nest Eggs: $5 off your next month

    Nest Eggs never expire, but accounts can hold up to 20 Nest Eggs at a time.

  • Just send us a quick message when you’re ready to use a perk, and we’ll apply it to your next bundle or billing cycle.

  • Books must be:

    • clean

    • gently-loved

    • complete (no missing pages)

    • free of major damage

    Books we cannot circulate will be donated or recycled, but they will not earn Nest Eggs.

  • Yes! Anyone can donate and earn Nest Eggs. Non-members can redeem them if they join later.

  • When your child is ready for new stories, reuse your original packaging and attach your prepaid label. Once USPS scans your return, your next bundle ships automatically — no need to schedule anything.

  • A swap occurs when you send back your bundle and receive a new one. Each tier includes a set number of monthly swaps.

  • No — swap counts reset each month. You can upgrade tiers anytime for more flexibility.

  • Yes! Extra swaps are always $5 each.

  • You only need to return all 4 books if you want your next swap. If your child wants to keep a book, that's completely fine — just let us know before sending your return so we can update your account.

    If a bundle comes back with fewer than 4 books without notification, we’ll pause your swaps and reach out.
    If we don’t hear back within 7 days, the missing book(s) will be marked as keeps and the standard keep-fee for your tier will apply.

  • If your child falls in love with a book and wants to keep it:
    • Little Nest: $3 per book
    • Cozy Nest: $2 per book
    • Story Nest: 1 free keep per month

    *This is separate from the missing-bundle fee.

  • Small wear is okay — kids are kids!
    Lost books follow the same pricing as “keep a book.”

  • You can keep your bundle as long as you’d like — there’s no due date. Swap only when your family is ready for fresh stories.

    If we haven’t received your bundle (or heard from you) after 45 days, we’ll assume your family is keeping the set. At that point, a missing bundle fee of $12 will be applied so we can replace the books and keep our inventory flowing for all families.

    You’ll always receive an email reminder before any fee is applied — no surprises.

•Swapping + Using Your Membership

  • Yes — both outgoing shipping and return shipping are included in your membership.

  • Bundles are shipped within 24–48 hours after your swap is processed. Delivery times vary based on your location, but most families receive their books within just a few days.

  • Reuse your original packaging and attach the prepaid return label included in your bundle. Drop it at any USPS location.

  • No worries — email us and we’ll send a new one right away.

  • Yes — we currently ship nationwide.

•Shipping + Returns

  • We source gently-loved books from families, local shops, donations, and community programs. Every book is hand-picked.

  • All books are gently used, clean, and fully readable. We never send books that are torn, overly worn, or heavily marked.

  • Yes — every book is checked, cleaned, and sanitized before being included in a bundle.

  • We work hard to make sure every bundle includes fresh stories. If you ever notice a duplicate, let us know and we’ll correct it on your next bundle.

•Book Quality + Cleaning

  • Your membership renews monthly on the same date you subscribed.

  • Yes — you can pause or cancel anytime. No fees or penalties.

  • You’ll get an email to update your payment method. Your membership will pause until updated.

  • Of course! Just email us and we’ll update your reader profile.

  • Absolutely! You can gift a Nest membership through our Shop page. It’s a thoughtful, screen-free gift that keeps the stories coming month after month.

•Billing + Account Questions

  • Please reach out and we’ll make it right.

  • If a bundle hasn’t been returned after 45 days and we haven’t heard from you, it will be marked as a keep. A $12 missing-bundle replacement fee will be applied so we can restock inventory.
    You will always receive a reminder email first.

  • No stress — normal wear is expected with kids.
    Only lost or permanently damaged books incur a keep-fee.

  • Once a bundle ships, the membership fee is nonrefundable — but we’re always happy to help if something seems off.

•Policies

Have a question we didn’t cover?
We’re here to help!
Email us anytime at hello@the-book-nest.com

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