NORFOLK, Va. — Libraries are closed, but bookworms can still indulge in their own backyard. Little Free Libraries started in Hampton Roads neighborhoods a few years ago and there may be one close to your home.
“Ours stays pretty stocked,” said Bayview neighbor Carmen Marascalco. “We have a really great support in our neighborhood.”
Marascalco hosts a Little Free Library out front of her home in Bayview. It’s a colorfully painted box where she puts books that visitors can call their own.
“I am just making sure I have a lot of books for all the different reading levels, from baby books all the way up to teens,” Marascalco said. “There are even some novels that adults have dropped off.”
The libraries are part of a national nonprofit to inspire the love of reading. Marascalco said it’s the perfect way to keep the kids engaged while practicing social distancing.
“We’ve seen some new faces, my little boys will keep look out the front window,” Marascalco said. “They will say, 'Mommy someone is at the Little Free Library' and I will come out and say hey. Of course, we are being respectful of the distance right now.”
Little Free Libraries are spread throughout Hampton Roads. People can visit littlefreelibrary.org and search for library boxes nearby.
Marascalco said families can make a scavenger hunt out of it, or dive into the area’s growing rock art trend.
“People are painting beautiful rocks and leaving them at the bottom,” Marascalco said. “So, that can be another project if you want to paint rocks with your kids. Paint a rock, leave a rock.”
She’s even seen people share home goods in their libraries.
“Toilet paper would be a good thing to share if you have extra and just some canned goods, and stuff,” Marascalco said.
Visitors don’t have to leave a book to take a book and she hopes the stories can bring positivity to the community.
“Feel free to get creative,” Marascalco said. “People can leave little cards and other people can take them. You know, just really positive things that we can share during a time like this.”