Last Saturday my husband looked out our front door and exclaimed, “There’s a Little Free Library next door. Either that or it’s a bat house …” We both went out and checked it out, and he was right the first time – we now have a LFL in our neighborhood. Our neighbor made the box using all repurposed materials. Even the paint was leftover from painting their house. Jim and I had the honor of putting in the first books – almost before the paint was even dry.
Little Free Libraries are small waterproof boxes that hold just a few books each. The idea is that if you have a book you can leave it; if you want one, take it. It’s a nice way for people to share their love of reading with one another.
The Little Free Library movement started in 2009 in Wisconsin. Todd Bol, the son of a school teacher, built a model of a one-room schoolhouse and put it on a post in his front yard. He filled it with books and put a sign on it that said, “Free Books.” The idea quickly spread throughout his town and since has expanded across the USA and even around the world. There are now thousands of Little Free Libraries. I would guess that you, dear reader, might even have one in your community. You can check using this map.
Our LFL has magazines, children’s books, adult books, fiction and nonfiction. We enjoy sitting on the front porch watching people come by and “shop” at the library. We haven’t borrowed anything yet from the library but we do keep adding to it. Soon I’m sure we’ll find something to read!
