Tim Rath
Herald Correspondent
[private] It’s hard to imagine a more idyllic location to read a book than Judy Moomey-Brown’s new Little Free Library.
It’s painted bright green, with bright graphics showing illustrations from Shel Silverstein’s children’s classic “The Giving Tree.” In tune with the book, it’s located under a big shade tree on her property at 218 Webster St., in Ithaca. There’s even a tire swing hanging off a big branch for readers who wish to get comfortable.
“We had it in our mind we wanted it in front of that tree. Because of the strong root system, the gentleman who came to install it decided to pour a little cement foundation down there to put it deep in the ground. Before he did that, he told me I might have to find another place for it. I told him, ‘I can’t! This is where it needs to be!’” Moomey-Brown recalled with a laugh.
The location of the Little Free Library, which was installed on Mother’s Day, is great for another reason, too. Moomey-Brown lives just a stone’s throw away from Ithaca’s South Elementary, where many young people and their families walk by every day en route to class.
Her son-in-law, Kent Whitford, is a kindergarten teacher at the school. After the library was installed, he brought his class over to see it, and they stocked it full of their favorite texts.
“It was very helpful that they did that, because I didn’t have a lot of kids’ books there at the time,” Moomey-Brown said. “Of course, it was very exciting to have them come over. They were a lot of fun and extremely energetic. Afterward, I told Kent with a laugh, ‘I have no idea how you do that five days a week.”
Moomey-Brown’s library now includes books for kids, teens and adults. She plans to continue decorating the library by painting bricks in the style of book covers for each of her family members, and laying them around the shade tree.
Little Free Libraries are an idea that has gained traction over the past decade or so. They function as small, community-run book exchanges, where anyone can take a book or leave a book to share. They are often small, often wooden boxes, but can also be made of other materials.
A Minnesota-based nonprofit called Little Free Library operates a website which has a map of every library that registers with them. According to the nonprofit, there are more than 200,000 registered Little Free Library book-sharing boxes in 128 countries worldwide.
Moomey-Brown appreciates the value of reading in the life of a young person. She is a retired typist from the Gratiot-Isabella Regional Education Service District’s special education department, while her daughter, Jennifer Whitford, is a high school teacher in Hemlock.
“My whole family likes to read,” she said. “It’s been something you can always go to — if you’re feeling down and need a lift, a book can take you anywhere you want to go. For that reason, it’s so important to get kids reading young.”[private] /