A Note From "the Twins"
Hi, fellow book lovers!
We are Caroline & Katherine AKA the Brickley Sisters: twin sisters and authors creating lovable characters and bringing them to life through books, plush toys, and other bookish products that embody the magic of stories and promote a lifelong love of reading. We are best known for creating the world’s first-ever Teddy Bear Bookshelf by turning one of our books’ main characters, Bibli™, into an adorable plush toy that has stolen the hearts of book lovers across the country!
From exploring different worlds to learning new words to understanding others and ourselves, research shows that reading is the key to unlocking our fullest potential and so much more. And yet, America finds itself in a literacy crisis where approximately 67% of children and 47% of adults in America cannot read proficiently, nearly 60% of children do not enjoy reading, and nearly 50% of Americans read 0 books in 2023 (National Center for Education Statistics, National Literacy Trust, YouGov). As lifelong readers and lovers of books, as well as believers in their importance, we knew we had to do something to help. And, so we made it our mission to work to change these statistics by finding a way to make reading fun for all.
In collaboration with psychologists and educators, we created the character Bibli the Friendly Bookshelf to embody the joy of reading as well as provide comfort and confidence to readers of all ages. Since then, Bibli’s story and plushie have been welcomed into thousands of homes, schools, libraries, and bookstores across America. With his warm smile and huggable bookshelf frame, Bibli is helping to replace fear, anxiety, and a dislike of reading with excitement, assurance, and a love of reading as readers of all ages embark on wonderful storybook journeys with their new bookshelf buddy by their side!
We are dedicated to continuing to expand Bibli’s impact by creating even more ways for you to incorporate this beloved little bookshelf into your reading adventures, from Bibli Kindle and book sleeves to Bibli plush keychains. We also look forward to growing our character and story lines as well, bringing to life even more lovable reading buddies!
We want to thank everyone in all 50 states (wow!!!) who has ordered Bibli and his storybook. When we first began developing the character of Bibli, we dreamed big dreams for this little bookshelf and the impact we hoped he would have. Now, thanks to you, those dreams are coming true. Together, we are making our (book)mark on the world.
Thank you so much for supporting our small business and for believing in our mission. Everyone has a story, and we are so grateful that we are a part of each other's.
Happy reading, and of course, always remember…
Be your-SHELF™!
Caroline & Katherine