Just installed new shelves in my son's room. Each shelf is built as one L with a front and sides. They are made out of 1/2" birch plywood, 26" long in either direction and 4" deep. The front lip is 2" high to keep all the books from sliding off the shelves and to hide the cleat underneith.
I created a design that doesn't use any nails or screws. Glue and biscuits are holding them together. I wanted a design that could be built out of any materials. I think they would look great in oak with a natural finish. The ones that I built for My son Wyatt were painted with a water based kid safe paint.
