little free libraries


Have you noticed any small wooden boxes set on posts in your neighborhood? While on an evening walk with the doggies recently, Iz and I discovered this charming painted box just a few blocks away...



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It took us a few minutes to figure out what we were looking at. Once we figured out the concept of book trading, we couldn’t wait to come back with books of our own to place in the box. 


The Little Free Libraries is a movement that appears to have started when the son of a former teacher wanted to honor his deceased mother. Todd Bol built a small model of a library, filled it with books, and placed it on the lawn outside his Hudson, Wisconsin home. Sounds like the perfect legacy to a woman who loved books!

No library card necessary. The concept is take a book, return a book. Open 24/7. Apparently, many people find this concept as charming as I do. Little Free Libraries are cropping up on lawns all across the country and several places worldwide. They’ve created a web site where you can find everything you need to get started: plans and pre-made boxes for purchase; ideas for setting up and operating your own little library; and book suggestions for stocking one.

Photo courtesy of Little Free Library

They make me smile too!