When librarian Sharalee Armitage Howard had to remove a huge, 100-year-old tree from her front yard, she knew just what to do with the stump. She decided to transform it into a dreamy Little Free Library to share with her community. (1)

Little Free Library

Little Free Library is a non-profit organization whose goal is to create access to books and foster community through free book exchanges. A Little Library is a space where people can both leave and take books for free. Little Libraries are often wooden boxes on posts, but some people choose to get creative when building theirs like Howard did. (2, 3)

Since the organization started, they have helped to register more than 90,000 book-sharing boxes in 91 countries. Little Free Library has a world map that shows all of their registered book-sharing boxes. People can find a Little Library near them where they can either take or drop off books, totally free. Users aren’t expected to return books after they borrow them, but the organization encourages both giving and taking books to keep the exchange going. (3, 4)

A Library Fit for Elves

Howard was disappointed when it became clear that her family would need to remove the large tree in front of her home. The 110-year-old tree was dying and dropping branches onto their lawn. Finally, one branch fell onto their son’s car, and they chose to remove the tree for safety. (5)

But Howard had plans for the stump of the tree. She and her husband paid about $5,000 for a tree removal company to take it down. But they left quite a bit of the stump and hollowed out the inside. The core of the tree had rotted so much, Howard told The Washington Post, that “all we had to do was reach in and pull out the soft insides.” (5)

Howard, who works at the local library in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, had decided to convert the stump into a Little Free Library. She had made one for a school fundraising auction two years before and wanted one in her yard. (5)

Howard designed the book-sharing site herself. It looks like a house fit for elves, with a peaked roof that is covered in cedar shingles. Stone steps lead up to the door, which is made from an antique window she found on eBay. A light, installed by a neighbor, sits above the front door, illuminating the library at night. And the finishing touch comes from tiny books that Howard and her kids made out of wooden tiles. They hand above the door and include Call of the Wild, The Hobbit, and Little Women. (5, 6)

The Most Popular Spot in Town

Unsurprisingly, when Howard posted a photo of her tree Little Library on Facebook, it quickly went viral. The photo has been shared over 100,000 times and has more than 13,000 comments. (1)

Howard’s Little Library is also popular in real life. Hundreds of people regularly visit to exchange new books. And there’s enough turnover that the family doesn’t have to worry about restocking it. They just keep it organized and make sure all of the spines face out. (5)

“I’m shocked at how many people I’ve heard from these past several months,” Howard told The Washington Post. “It’s really caught on, maybe because it crosses over into a lot of different passions: nature, books, libraries and people who just appreciate community projects.” (5)