I don't feel guilty at all about removing all the books when there's a child who damages them. A love of books can't be cultivated when the kids are allowed to treat them like garbage.

I provide chew toys and do crafts that involve tearing tissue paper, but I don't think that really helps; you just have to wait it out. I have a gate dividing my playroom down the middle, so I can keep destructive kids away from the books if I want to. Usually, though, I just say "Oh, no! So sad," and put all the books up out of reach, bringing down one at a time to read to the kids and to demonstrate how to properly handle them.

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