One of my favorite additions to our school is the Little Library we have attached to the front of our school. This adorable little book depository was a collaborative project created by Mr. Ketner’s student designers at Atlee High School and student builders at Liberty Middle School and it has been overflowing with books ever since its creation!
As many of you know, I am an avid reader, a lifelong trait instilled in my from my mom who could often be found curled up on the inside corner of a sofa, wrapped in a blanket, reading to her heart’s content. Each of my children have bookshelves in their own bedrooms and our main bookshelf in my writing room was built from wood slabs and has traveled with us all across the country.
Understandably, there are times when our bookshelves are overflowing and we find the need to make some room for new books. As I was helping my boys sort through which books they wanted to keep and which they wanted to give away, we had a eureka moment.
We could donate books right back to the students I serve each day!
Inspired by kindness, we chose the “best of the best” books – the ones that had been read, but were in immaculate condition and popular for elementary students, especially boys.
I decided to add an extra surprise in each book by writing little notes of encouragement and hiding them in the books we would bring to my school’s Little Library. Then we drove to school and placed them in the container.
Can you imagine the joy of being a student and visiting the school during summer break to pick up a “new-to-me” book, only to discover that one of your teachers had left a little note inside? Just the thought gets me so excited!!
I decided to peek at the Little Library last week to see if any of our books had been selected and every single book I added was GONE! Even better, the Little Library was overflowing with a new stack of books I hadn’t seen before!
This summer, as you cultivate a love of reading in your own children, perhaps choose to donate a book or two to a Little Library in your city or town. You can visit https://littlefreelibrary.org/ for a list of all registered Little Libraries, or visit your local schools and YMCAs. If you have a talent for woodworking, maybe you might even consider making a Little Library to inspire readers in your local community!
If you are joining us for Kindness Twitter Bingo this summer, you can earn a corner space for a book donation! If you want to know more about Kindness Twitter Bingo, you can read my June post or visit http://bit.ly/kindnessbingo19 to grab your own copy and play along! (You don’t have to be on Twitter – you can share the joy on Instagram or Facebook as well!)
Happy summer, my friends, and keep scattering kindness wherever you go!
