Thank 7-year-old for new Little Free Library in Hawthorn Woods
Thanks to a 7-year-old girl who wanted to share her love of reading with her neighbors, Hawthorn Woods residents have a new place to get free books.
With her parents, friends and village leaders looking on, Maya Schultes on Thursday cut a red ribbon to mark the opening of a Little Free Library in the Acorn Acres subdivision's Sandman Park.
“I've been wanting to put up a Little Free Library since I was 4 years old,” Maya told the crowd. “I hope it makes Acorn Acres a happy place to live.”
The wooden, house-shaped box is in a shady spot near the intersection of Acorn Drive and Bruce Circle North, a short walk from Maya's home. Maya's parents, Nicole and Ryan Schultes, paid about $200 for the structure and installed it on a post overlooking a scenic pond.
The box is loaded with books for children, some of which came from Maya's personal collection and some of which were donated by friends.
Titles include classics such as “The Runaway Bunny” and “The Complete Adventures of Curious George.”
Ryan Blake, 4, was the first person to reach into the box for a book Thursday. He left with a board book by David Diehl called “Touchdown!”
No library card is needed to take a book, nor is there a fee of any kind.
The only request made to patrons — it's on a small sign on the structure's roof — is that they leave a book when they borrow one.
“I think everybody should read a book,” Maya said. “Reading a book helps you learn.”
More than 40,000 Little Free Libraries have been erected worldwide since 2009, according to littlefreelibrary.org, the website for the nonprofit group that launched the hobby.
Buffalo Grove, Grayslake, Gurnee, Lake Villa, Lake Zurich, and Mundelein are among the Lake County towns where Little Free Libraries can be found.
Hawthorn Woods' building codes didn't allow Little Free Libraries on public property until Maya went to a village board meeting in October and successfully lobbied trustees to change the rules.
Looking back, Maya admitted being “a little bit scared” when she spoke to the board.
“I thought they would say no,” she said.
“But once they said OK, we could do it, I was really happy.”
Mayor Joseph Mancino attended Thursday's ceremony and praised Maya for her dedication to the project.
“As a public official, it's exactly what we hope for — for someone to get involved in their community,” he said.
Nicole Schultes beamed proudly Thursday as her daughter talked with people about the project.
“It just shows me what a good heart she has,” Schultes said. “Her heart is so big for everyone. For the community, not just her family.”
The Acorn Acres box isn't Hawthorn Woods' first Little Free Library.
One stands at Lake Zurich Middle School North, and another is at Community Park.
An interactive map of registered Little Free Libraries can be found at littlefreelibrary.org/ourmap.