There’s nothing like a savoring a good book and getting lost in another little world. It’s an absolute treasure to be able to do that. And folks who can appreciate that, especially in an increasingly, overwhelmingly digital time, are a treasure, too.
So anyone who’s willing to share around their favorite books with friends and family are doing some good in the world. The folks who build their own libraries? Pure gold.
When Sharalee Armitage Howard, a small town librarian in Couer d’Alene, Idaho, realized that the huge cottonwood tree in her front yard was dying, she saw an opportunity.
The poor tree, at least 110 years old, was shedding branches, endangering cars and passers-by below, and the core was rotting.
It would have to go. But Sharalee decided the stump could be put to good use as a Little Free Library .
Little Free Libraries have popped up in neighborhoods across the U.S., but they’re typically small boxes where folks can take a book and leave a book.
Sharalee’s Little Free Library is a cathedral to literature compared to many others. It’s downright magical, with a glass door and lighting giving it a soft, warm, inviting glow.
And as homey as it looks from afar, Sharalee’s library is just as rewarding up close.
The details are incredible, including a row of dental moulding above the door made of tiny little book re-creations.
Not surprisingly, this isn’t Sharalee’s first little library.
This is just her latest and most inspired attempt at it. And this one is being added to the Little Free Library organization’s official map.
Her library has garnered all kinds of attention, and rightly so.
Her Facebook post unveiling this project has received more than 85,000 reactions and more than 100,000 shares. Folks can’t get enough!
The comments — more than 11,000 of them — have been overwhelmingly positive.
“How lovely,” wrote one person. “Re repurposing a dead tree and sharing its new life with all in the neighbourhood through books, a paper by product of trees. Gone full circle. Love it.”
As much as most folks just wanted to express how impressed they were with Sharalee’s work, many couldn’t help thinking of the tree.
And the people it would help, too. “Thank you for building something everybody could use enjoy instead of cutting it down,” wrote another person. It is indeed a fitting tribute.
So it’s safe to say that Sharalee’s front yard should be a popular stop for readers in her neighborhood.
What a wonderful gift to provide for your neighbors! And what a wonderful way to give an old tree a new purpose!
