During the pandemic I have made walking in my neighbourhood a new routine. One day in May 2021, I stumbled upon a box in front of a house filled with books, which made me wonder: “What is it?”
And that was my first encounter with a street library.
It didn’t take me long to realise Street Library is a brilliant way to share joy with those around us (literally). And I want to be part of it!
Yet I faced one problem – I can paint, but I can’t build a box. What should I do?
StreetLibrary.org.au has this problem sorted. I purchased the most popular box “The Shed” from the offical website, and read about the inspiring story of the Men’s Shed. One discovery led to another. The journey of setting up a street library is fun and full of surprises!
The next question I faced was: “What to paint?” I wanted my street library to stand out, so people can see it from afar, but at the same time I also wanted it to blend in, so it wouldn’t look like a Stonehenge. Therefore I picked my favourite bright yellow (Hi-Vis) colour as my main colour, and covered it with Australian native plants and animals. Voila ~ a new library is born! (In Jan 2022)
I call my precious bundle of joy “The Happy Yellow Box”, because it made me happy, and I hope it will brighten up your day too ^^
The Happy Yellow Box houses books in multiple languages, for adults and children. It is specifically set up a bit lower for children to reach and pick their favourite books. While being firmly secured with concrete, the box will stand, today, tomorrow and forever.
Come visit, come read, come take a book, or a selfie. Whether or not you are an avid reader, I hope you will enjoy spending time at the Happy Yellow Box.
And most importantly, I hope it will bring you a smile, bring you joy and bring you hope ^_^