Introducing Key Biscayne’s First Little Free Library

The Little Free Library at the Key Biscayne Presbyterian School (Asia Sherman/Key News)

Once upon a time, not long ago, people read for pleasure, a pastime that Key Biscayne resident Bruna Iasi wants to see more of on the island.

“People are no longer reading for fun. We are losing the ability to see reading as something that is important. Reading is powerful,” she says, going on to extoll the social and educational benefits.

Enter Key Biscayne’s first Little Free Library, a petite pinewood box tucked inside the central garden of the Presbyterian School on Harbor Drive. On the bottom shelf are picture and “I Can Read!” children’s books. The top shelf is reserved for adult reading in various languages.

It is one of 90,000 neighborhood book exchanges in over 90 countries that make up the Little Free Library network, which calls itself “the world’s largest book-sharing movement.” The mission is simple: to build community, spark creativity and inspire readers. An interactive map on the organization’s website helps readers locate their closest Little Free Library.

The Presbyterian School’s Little Free Library kit cost $600 and arrived complete with a two-story gable model, a library post and charter. As the designated stewards, Iasi and school director Anne Rothe are responsible for keeping the book selection curated and tidy. 

Iasi assures that although it is not immediately visible to the public from the street, the Little Free Library is open to the entire community and visitors looking for some vacation reading. 

“It is good for the community and for tourists. There are no bookstores on the island, and tourists do not have a library card,” she says, adding that the book exchange does not have any overdue notices or waitlists. People do not have to return books but are encouraged to donate their favorites.

Putting Key Biscayne on the Little Free Library map was a passion project for Iasi — PTA president, a full-time mother and transplant from Sao Paulo, Brazil — who has just returned to avid reading this year and credits it with improving her family’s English proficiency. 

On the last day of the year, she was finishing the twentieth book on her 2019 reading list and says Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover is the best book she’s ever read. She also recommends The Read-Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease on how to read aloud to children and The Price of Privilege by Madeline Levine about how parental pressure and material advantage are creating a generation of disconnected and unhappy kids.

And, this may not be the only Little Free Library for the Key. Iasi has already received an encouraging response from the Village for a proposal to set up others on the Village Green and in the Key Biscayne Beach Park and believes there is potential for private initiatives.