Where I come from, reading was difficult. There were often no books available, limited time to get to the library and school books were not allowed to come home. Reading was something that would transport me to other worlds and places in time that I knew nothing about until I turned the pages. Reading was exciting. There was always something new to discover or something familiar to find comfort in.
In 2023 I became a mum and my own reading journey took a back seat.
Quickly, I noticed my baby was curious about books. “Perfect!” I thought. And in that moment I vowed to make sure my little girl would have access to as many books as possible.
Together, we went to story time each week and she would become invested in their weekly book share. We started to take surprise bags of books home with us and it was a big part of the day to find a new treasure hidden inside. Often we would find a new favourite. Sometimes of course we would find something we didn’t like. Each week, Friday mornings were a time we shared together exploring as many books as we could.
In the blink of an eye, my little girl turned one and mama had to return to work. Friday morning trips to the library ended and of all the things we did together, this was what I missed the most.
I spoke with my friends and neighbours who agreed, small somewhat insignificant activities we do with our babies are the ones often missed the most. Other parents in my neighbourhood spoke about the limited time we all have when balancing work, life and parenting. How it is difficult to find time for the small stuff. Difficult to slow down amongst the demands of the day.
So, I thought, if we can’t go to the library….then perhaps we can bring the library to us.
And then, the neighbourhood small grant application popped up on my social media. A way to bring the books to our community. I put my ideas to the neighbours, and they were as excited as I was! A free little library right on our doorstep.
It was important to me to ensure the community was involved with setting up the library, so I recruited some of my neighbours! One young person leant her artistic hand to decorating the library. Another person created a decal. Others donated a book to start the library. After I put together all the components, we had it! Our first little free library, right in the heart of our neighbourhood, creating a deeper sense of community, bringing opportunity to meet new people, to explore new stories, to build connection through sharing.
Our little free library sits in the heart of our neighbourhood and we visit many times a week, always excited to find a new book to take home. Always hoping to bump into a neighbour and chat about the books we are sharing.
Our little library.
Forever free.
Forever accessible.
Forever a home for stories waiting to be discovered by little hands.
