Even though you can read just about any book in digital version on an e-reader, actual physical books are still an important part of our lives. The experience of reading on a Kindle or a Nook just doesn’t compare to the feeling of opening a book and being able to flip through the pages (plus, on an e-reader you don’t get the awesome book smell).
In an effort to make sure that books are easily accessible to as many people as possible, a nonprofit organization called Little Free Library is building little libraries in hopes of “inspiring a love of reading, building community, and sparking creativity by fostering neighborhood book exchanges around the world.” The organization has created over 75,000 libraries in 88 countries so far.
Like this amazingly cool one that was made by a family in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Instead of digging up the huge stump of a 110-year-old cottonwood tree, Sharalee Armitage Howard, a librarian, artist, and former bookbinder, decided to turn it into a “Little Tree Library.”
Speaking to Bored Panda, Ms. Howard said,
“Someone willing to take the time to give new life to a stump would never cut down a healthy tree to do it. It was dropping HUGE branches for years onto the sidewalk and street (even without windy weather). We were really worried about someone getting hurt. One finally hit our son’s car.”
She added that the cottonwood tree only typically lives 40-50 years, so this now dead tree has gotten to “live” more than twice its normal lifespan.
The library was made by carving the stump from the inside, building a roof and installing interior and exterior lighting.
The lights make the tree library look like something out of a fairytale.
The details are wonderful, like these little books all in a row above the door.
The wee library bears a plaque from the Little Free Library organization.
Ms. Howard’s post about the tree library went viral on Facebook, where people just loved it.
h/t: Bored Panda