Sharing Love of Reading with a Little Free Library

There’s a new place in Reston where readers can pick up a book or share one with their neighbors.

It’s not Reston’s Used Book Shop or the return of Barnes & Noble. It’s the newest Little Free Library, located on Salt Kettle Lane in South Reston.

The Little Free Library is a movement that began five years ago. Todd Bol of Hudson, Wisc., built a model of a one room schoolhouse as a tribute to his mother, a former teacher who loved reading.

He filled it with books and put it on a post in his front yard. His neighbors and friends loved it, so hebuilt several more and gave them away, the Little Free Library website says.

The idea caught on with community folks who loved reading, and now there are several hundred nationwide, including in Northern Virginia.

Reston resident Kurt Rose thought a Little Free Library would make a great birthday gift for his wife, Dianne. He sent away last month for one of the Little Free Library kits, which come in more than a dozen styles, including a British phone booth or a Contemporary home.

Rose wanted to keep his Little Free Library in the style of his cedar-sided Colonial. He even painted the library box red with white trim like his house and checked to make sure the post was moveable in keeping with Reston Association rules.

But more important than the decor is the content, Rose says.

“Sharing books seems like such a great thing in this era where everyone is so into technology,” he said.

Rose says the main rules are “Leave a book, take a book.” So no dumping a whole crate of hardbacks in the driveway. Books for all ages are welcome.

Know of another Little Free Library in or near Reston? Tell us in the comments.

Photo of Kurt Rose and his Little Free Library on Salt Kettle Way/Credit: Kurt Rose