Clemey wrote:
What are your opinions on the type of wood I should build this project
with? I planned on building the carcus/shelves out of birch plywood,
and the face frame and top with Pine lumber. Is this a reasonable
plan? Any other suggestions on wood choices? Is birch/pine too soft
for a kid's bookcase?

I think what needs to be clarified by what you mean by "too soft". Pine
dents easily and sags under weight fairly badly. Whether this is
acceptable or not depends -- of course -- on your requirements. Assuming
the kid uses the shelf and acts like most kids, a book case made of pine
will end up beaten and battered. If you are the kind of person who likes
a pristine house, this probably won't make you happy. If you like stuff
"lived in", it might not bother you at all. If you want it to be an
heirloom and keep looking new pine is a bad idea. If your going to toss
in in 2 years, it would be a shame to waste heirloom wood on it.

Bottom line: Pine will work, pine is cheap, the end result will end up
dented and will sag a fair bit under load (though I am assuming a 7 yr
old doesn't have a large collection of heavy books). Otherwise, whatever
is the cheapest hardwood in you area is a good choice; for example,
around here popular often is more expensive then red oak, so it varies.