Happy Reading Aldershot!

Check out the latest member of the Little Free Library family! This lovely LFL can be found on Church Lane East in Aldershot and is hosted by Park Church. The lovely LFL is opposite St Michael's Junior School and is set to be a great resource for the local children.

Headteacher of St Michael's, Steph Tyler, said, "Reading is such an important life skill that opens our minds to opportunities we might never otherwise explore.  I don't know where I would have been without books over the course of my life.  Sharing a book with young children is such an important aspect of child development and is the start of a journey which will hopefully stay with them for life."

Happy Reading Aldershot!!

London resident dedicates Little Free Library to the memory of her story telling mother

London resident Jane Farrell grew up listening to her mother's amazing stories, many of which came from her love of Greek myths and legends. When Jane's mom sadly died, she decided to share her love of stories and story telling by dedicating a Little Free Library to her mother.

Jane asked us to build and decorate the book sharing box and on Saturday 12th May we came along and installed this very special Little Free Library outside her home. Jane, pictured above, has spent many years as a school teacher and is hoping that the striking artwork will inspire young people in particular to stop by and pick up a book.

Jane is planning an official launch event in June (more details to follow) where her local community, family and friends will join her to help celebrate the opening of London's newest tiny library.

Don't look into Medusa's eyes!

Pegasus getting ready to take flight

Built by elves in the Little Free Library Project's magic workshop, we enlisted local artist Emma Scutt to add the artistic decoration to the Little Free Library.

Find out more about Little Free Libraries on our Facebook page. Happy reading!

The TARDIS has landed at Abbey School

Having travelled through all the worlds of literature collecting stories, the Little TARDIS Library has finally materialised and come to rest at Abbey School in Torquay. Filled with over 100 books for children of all ages, the TARDIS invites Abbey School's students to take, read and exchange books with their friends.

We stopped by Abbey School's daily assembly today to officially open the Little TARDIS Library. Children's book illustrator, Lauren Tobia, cut the ribbon and opened up the book exchange to the excited faces of Abbey's pupils. Lauren also read from one of her books and donated several signed copies.

We can't be sure how long the TARDIS will be here for before it vanishes on another adventure, but for now it appears to be here to stay. Happy reading Abbey School!

To find out more about Little Free Library UK please visit our website here.

Royal Holloway University set to launch Little Free Libraries

Royal Holloway University boasts one of the most beautiful campuses in the world. Founder's Building welcomes visitors as they enter and tree lined paths connect academic and social spaces where students from all over the world come to study.

Founder's Building, Royal Holloway University

This month (January 2017) we delivered four Little Free Libraries, which were funded by the university. Two LFLs will be installed on campus and two donated to partners within the community, including a local school.

The LFLs will be artfully decorated by students and Alumni and then filled with books to be shared across campus. With students from all over the world studying at the university, there is sure to be an international mix of titles being exchanged, shared, and read amongst the leafy surroundings of Royal Holloway.

Happy Reading!

London's Little Free Libraries

We're building Little Free Libraries for communities all across the UK, but in today's post we share photos of some of our favourite Little Free Libraries from around the capital. Happy reading!

A TARDIS, some foxes and telephone boxes. Stop by, take a look and pick up a book. Great Portland Street Phone Box Little Free Library; Foxes in Wapping and Walthamstow; and a Little TARDIS Library, landing here, there and everywhere.

Investigating something new in the neighbourhood. Clapton, Hackney.

Johnny Rotten and Samuel Plimsoll came both from here, so we thought they should meet on the Prah Road Little Free Library, Finsbury Park.

"If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need." Cicero. Finsbury Park.

Peacock inspired Little Free Library Holland Park.

Books in the playground at Heathmere School, Roehampton.

Read a book by the river in Wapping.

Roar! Red Lion Lane, Shooters Hill/Woolwich.

Lost in a book in Walthamstow Village.

Pick up a book on your way home from school in E17.

Magic Forest Little Free Library, Highams Park E4.

Happy reading in Wanstead.

Follow the white rabbit... to Walthamstow.

Share your stories & photos with us

If you're out and about and you pick up a book, send us your photos and we'll take a look.

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The Little Free Library map of Waltham Forest

We're installing Little Free Libraries in communities all over the UK. From Bradford in the north to Brighton in the south and lots of wonderful communities in between. One community in North East London (Walthamstow) has really embraced the Little Free Library movement and now has 25 LFLs in and around the area, the largest neighbourhood network in the UK.

The first one was installed on Garner Road in May 2014, with the most recent opening it's tiny door on Springfield Road on Monday 28th September. The map includes LFLs installed throughout the borough, including Leyton, Leytonstone and Highams Park. To celebrate this Little Free Library landmark, we've created a Waltham Forest Little Free Library map. Happy reading!



If you live in London and love to read books, why not take a tour. The LFLs are always brimming with books, but equally always need new donations too. Children's books are particularly welcome!

Special thanks to all of Waltham Forest's brilliant LFL hosts, all of the tremendously talented artists and all the groups, organisations and businesses that have helped fund this project. Find out more at www.lflproject.org 

Parklife: sharing books with London communities

This month we've been busy installing Little Free Libraries in the places where communities congregate and children play: in or near some of London's parks. 

We worked with artist Hannah Adamaszek to create this peacock themed Little Free Library, taking inspiration from the beautiful birds that roam freely throughout Holland Park. Opposite the entrance to Holland Park on Abbotsbury Road.

Inside Finsbury Park, this Little Free Library was decorated in partnership with the Finsbury Park Arts Club and is covered with inspiring literary quotes to encourage passersby to stop and

pick up a book.

The second of our Finsbury Park Little Free Libraries can be found close by on Prah Road and depicts former local residents Samuel Plimsoll and Johnny Rotten.

Located outside International Students House (ISH) on Great Portland Street near the Euston Road entrance to Regents Park. A full size phone box replica full of books. Built in partnership with ISH.

Happy reading!

Just installed with decoration by East London artist Gabriela Castellanos, this garden themed Little Free Library is already getting some attention.

Located at the Daubeney Fields Community Garden opposite Clapton Park,

"If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need." Cicero.

Happy reading!

Little Free Library UK

Sparks fly as Hackney's latest Little Free Library is installed

Set to be officially opened on Saturday 26 September, our latest creation was yesterday welded into position at Daubeney Fields community garden opposite Clapton Park in Hackney.

The Little TARDIS Library has landed

At around 9.30am Greenwich Mean Time on Sunday 6 September a Little TARDIS Library landed in the UK on Brighton beach. Following an investigation of the library's memory circuit we discovered that it had returned to our dimension after journeying through all the worlds of literature. From Lilliput and Narnia to Middle Earth and Wonderland, the Little TARDIS Library has explored all of literature's fantasy worlds and filled it's small shelves with the many stories told at each location.

The Little TARDIS Library will now embark on a tour of the UK sharing stories with children and young people to help promote their love of reading. Stocked with hundreds of classic books (because the Little TARDIS Library is bigger on the inside) it will be landing in schools, libraries and parks across the UK.

The Little TARDIS Library is an official Little Free Library built and created by Little Free Library Project UK, a registered educational charity.

Here are just some of the wonderful books that the Little TARDIS Library will be bringing to you:

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll

The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett

Winnie the Pooh, A.A. Milne

The Phantom Tollbooth, Norton Juster

The Hobbit, J.R.R. Tolkien

Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson

Peter Pan, J.M. Barrie

The Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling

The Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl

Black Beauty, Anna Sewel

Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck

The Adventures of the Wishing Chair, Enid Blyton

To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee

Charlotte's Web, E.B. White

The Suitcase Kid, Jacqueline Wilson

The Wizard of Oz, L. Frank Baum

Cinderella, Charles Perrault

The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The Snail and the Whale, Julia Donaldson

A collection of Oscar Wilde titles

A collection of Charles Dickens titles

A collection of Shakespeare's plays

Find out more about the Little TARDIS Library and how to arrange a visit to your school or community by contacting us at contact@littlefreelibraryproject.org.uk. You can also follow @TARDIS_LFL on twitter to keep up with our adventures. Happy reading!

Books and flowers: the roof garden Little Free Library

One of our recent creations! The roof garden Little Free Library. It reminds us of an Oscar Wilde quote: "With freedom, books, flowers and the moon, who could not be happy."

The Little Free Library will be hosted by author and school librarian Lucy Ivison outside her home in Acton, West London. We hope that the unique design will attract and engage readers from across the community.

Visit our website for more on our recent projects.

Swindon's first Little Free Library

Every Little Free Library is completely unique and Swindon's first is no different. We were lucky enough to work with the supremely talented Lynette Thomas of Artkore Mosaics, who has created a stunning artwork that will be on show, and offering free books to the community, outside Savernake Street Social Hall in Swindon's Old Town.

The project has been created in partnership with the Eastcott Community Organisation who run a range of community events at the Savernake Street venue including a Free Shop and a regular reading group. Find out more about upcoming events here. The LFL was made possible by a grant from Swindon Borough Council.

The Little Free book exchange was launched on Sunday 12 July at the communty's Big Lunch and Neighbourhood Party event and people began to take and donate books straight away.

The intricate mosaic art makes use of recycled pottery and china including cups, plates and even old teapots, which are broken into colourful pieces of varying size to create the beautiful design. As far as we know its the first ceramic mosaic Little Free Library in the world and will take pride of place on the Little Free Library world map in due course.

"This is the first, but we're hoping to create many more Little Free Libraries in Swindon and the South West of England." said Nick Cheshire, Director of Little Free Library UK. There are currently two Little Free Libraries in Bath and one set to open in Torbay later this summer with work underway for a Bristol project too.

"I have really enjoyed creating the Little Free Library mosaic." said artist Thomas. The hosts agreed on a nature theme and Thomas did the rest. Stunning!

www.littlefreelibraryproject.org.uk

Central London's first Little Free Library

To help celebrate their 50th anniversary, International Students House (ISH) has worked in partnership with us at Little Free Library Project to create central London's first Little Free Library.

A full scale replica phone box, full of brilliant books, was officially opened on 14 May by author John Rogers. John's book, This Other London: Adventures in the overlooked city, tells the story of John's journey to discover some of the more overlooked and unusual aspects of our wonderful international city, like our latest Little Free Library.

Central London's first Little Free Library is located outside International Students House at 229 Great Portland Street, London (opposite Great Portland Street tube station).

Little Free Libraries take many forms, from small house shaped boxes with various artistic designs to phone boxes and even a TARDIS. They are installed in front gardens, cafes, pubs and community spaces and of course, now, outside International Students House. Here are a few of our other Little Free Libraries.

Walthamstow, art by cartoonist Tim Reedy

Hackney, art by urban artist Hannah Adamaszek

Woolwich, art by illustrator Emma Russell

Find out more at www.littlefreelibraryproject.org.uk. Happy reading!

Little Free Libraries and the promotion of free public art

“Imagination does not become great until human beings, given the courage and the strength, use it to create.” Maria Montessori.

Books open us up to a world of imagination, but before a person chooses to pick up, open and read a book, they may need to be inspired to do so. If books are fuel for the imagination, then the places where the books reside should inspire us too. That's why all of our Little Free Libraries are decorated with vivid and engaging art.

As well as being free book sharing venues for communities, each Little Free Library is a one-of-kind piece of inspiring public art. We work with a hugely talented variety of artists, from traditional contemporary artists and book illustrators to street artists, tattoo artists and many more besides.

Below we feature some of our most recent Little Free Library creations and shine a light on the fantastic artists that helped turn each into a magical and inspiring art installation.

Gabriela Castellanos has worked with us to create two beautiful artworks. The first is installed on Garner Road in Walthamstow. Above, Gabriela adding colour to the second, Epping Forest themed Little Free Library, installed on Overton Drive in Wanstead.

Above: Oliver and Freddie celebrate after their Little Free Library is installed outside their home in Wanstead.

Above: The Urban Fox Little Free Library in Stoke Newington by Hannah Adamaszek. Hannah is well known within the street art scene for her female portraits, which have brought a painterly style often found within contemporary art. In 2013 she created a stunning urban fox mural as part of the Mural on the Marsh project in East London. She has now added her urban fox design to two of our LFLs, which have both become very popular. How could you walk past this without stopping to take a book?

Pictured above, the nature themed Little Free Library by artist Leticia Molera Vasquez (pictured right) and below at work in her tattoo studio.

Artist Emma Scutt worked with us on one of our very first Little Free Libraries, pictured below left. She has been a great supporter of our charity through her collaboration and has added her beautiful, engaging art to three Little Free Libraries.

Above right: Emma brings a night owl to life. Emma has created a wide range of stunning murals as part of her portfolio and her LFL designs now form permanent art installations for communities to enjoy. We'll be installing two Little Free Libraries on Wingfield Road in Walthamstow, London on Friday 3rd October. The first pictured above right and the second will be unveiled on Friday, which is themed especially for children and of course filled with wonderful children's books.

The Red Lion Lane Little Free Library will be roaring into life on Saturday 4 October in Woolwich, South East London. The red lion design was created by illustrator Emma Russell. This is the second Little Free Library that Emma added her unique and inspiring art to.

Above: Emma Russell adds her illustrations to the Hear, Bear Pear Little Free Library. You can listen to Emma talking about how she came up with the design on London Live.

On one of our most recent projects we have been working with a very unique artist with a craft that dates back to the 15th century. Russell Frost of Hooksmith has added a one of a kind book cover to one of our Little Free Libraries, which will be installed at the Wanstead Tap in Forest Gate, London on 18 October.

Pictured above from left: Russell next to his printing press; letters inset within the press; and the top of the Little Free Library with the printed words "Once upon a time at the Wanstead Tap".

Letterpress printing was the normal form of printing text from its invention by Johannes Gutenberg in the mid-15th century until the 19th century and remained in wide use for books and other uses until the second half of the 20th century. We'll be announcing the launch event for the Wanstead Tap Little Free Library very soon. Check our website or follow us on Facebook to stay up to date.

Kiko Honda-Powell studied architectual and interior design in Osaka, Japan. Now a resident of London she has added her interpretative artistic stylings to two of our Little Free Libraries. Pictured above bluebells, trees and sunlit leaves subtly encourage passers-by to stop in for a book.

Above: a recent coffee morning meet-up at community cafe Albert and Francis in Leyton, East London, where the Little Free Library has become a popular feature.

Johnny Rotten and Samuel Plimsoll (who were both born in the area) have a chat on one side of the Finsbury Park Little Free Library, while a child points passers-by in the right direction on the door. The wonderful illustrations were created by Islington based artist Teresa Robertson. The LFL is stewarded by a wonderful community of book lovers in the Plimsoll Road area of Finsbury Park.

We'll be posting more pictures and featuring more artists soon. In the meantime you can keep up with our progress around the country on Facebook, Twitter and on our website.

Little Free Library Project UK

Registered charity no. 1158557

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