Bergen loves books. He can’t get enough of them. It’s the one thing that will always amuse him. Everyday, at least 3 times a day, he sits down in front of his bookshelf and goes to town: Laughing, pointing, babbling to himself. The books are not always facing the right way, and sometimes he throws one aside after just a quick glance, but the wheels are turning and he’s figuring things out. We also have the routine of reading to him before bed each night, and it’s the one and only time where he’ll actually sit on our laps for an extended period of time.
We visit the public library once a week to pick out new books. Our visits are always a whirlwind. In and out, and unfortunately not a lot of time to explore because if we spend anymore than 5 minutes, every book on every shelf would be on the floor strewn about every which way.
We’ve discovered a new way for Bergen to get his little hands on even more books and he never has to step food into a building: “Little Free Library“. And it just so happens, an adorable one lives just a few blocks from our house. I decided we should pay the library a visit on our walk today, so in preparation we picked out 2 books to donate.
After browsing through the selection, we in turn chose 2 books to take away to enjoy at our house: Jingle Babies (Bergen loves “reading” books that feature real people, especially babies) and a non-fiction book all about baby animals.
These little libraries house 20-30 books. The books are “free” and people are encouraged to give and take from the collection. Most of the libraries I’ve seen are in front of a home, but apparently they can also be found by coffee shops, parks, and other public places.
We hope to make regular visits and exchanges to our neighborhood Little Free Library, and might even seek out more libraries to visit around Seattle. Who knows? Maybe one will even pop-up in our travels near and far from our home city!
Have you visited a Little Free Library? Do you have a Little Free Library in your neighborhood? Tell us about your experience!
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I am so glad you read to him every night! My family has so many quirky traditions that started because my parents read aloud every night. Any time someone is depressed, we break out the dementor medicine. We read the Oz books, Three Musketeers, Harry Potter, anything and everything both at our reading level and above. I attribute my writing career to my mother and her love of fantasy novels.
-Eliabeth
Yes, reading aloud to Bergen is so very important to me. We are not only making memories, but good habits & my hope is that he’ll grow up with an appreciation for reading and books. As a former first grade teacher and daughter of a grade school teacher, it’s engrained in me!
Good habits are so important to instill young, which clearly you already know. Having read some of the text that passes for English produced by high school graduates… I just wish more parents would read to their kids.
P.S. thanks for your comment!
This Little Free Library is the best one I’ve seen — an architectural gem in its mini-me modeling of the home! Oh, and the books are good, too! Sadly none of these yet in the Wedgwood neighborhood – maybe everyone prefers the actual library which is very close by. Or they don’t want to share their books!
Yes, I I’ve always adored how the library is an exact replica of the house! Maybe you should start a Little Free Library in Wedgwood! 😉 You are right though–I’m a fan of the NW branch. Used to live in Wedgwood & visited often.