Display Bookshelves

So we have three children now, and to be completely honest, I had always looked at bookshelves like the below and thought, "What's the point?"

 

Granted, they are cute, and I'm sure the little monkeys love them, what with having their favorite books on display and all.  They simply do not accommodate many books, and it seems as if the shelf would be outgrown as fast as a pair of shoes. 

I had long ago dismissed this type of shelf as frivolous - 

 

- until I had a boy. 

 

At least five or six times this summer I heard shrieks from the playroom and discovered Lauren and Grace in a state of apoplectic shock while William George removed each and every book from the shelf while in search of a favorite.  A better photo of the scene would reveal that 1/2 of the playroom floor was covered in books. 

 

The display shelf now seems appealing because 1) perhaps William George could see which book he wants and 2) the shelf's design restricts his ability to empty an entire shelf at a time.