"We got the elephant to support our new son's burgeoning library. It is heavy enough to hold up a yard of children's books. It probably wouldn't hold really heavy books like National Geographic Atlas of the World, or your spare copies of "Gray’s Anatomy of the Human Body", but our mini is only 9 months old and hasn't progressed beyond chewing on his books, so that's not an issue. The important thing for us is that it is functional, looks really good and isn't hard, sharp or pointy. The faux lather "feet" grip well on, providing traction, and it essentially looks like a stuffed toy - albeit a rather heavy one. It appears well made and we're very happy with it. I would definitely recommended it, and I expect we will buy more (perhaps the giraffe next)."