This Boca mom has really gotten back into reading during the last few months. I joined a book club with some friends and started downloading novels with the only agenda being: to escape. It feels good. When I was a child, I read a ton. There was no internet or cable TV at my house growing up. The Sweet Valley twins and Babysitters Club were my besties once I graduated from checking out picture books from the Boca Raton Public Library with my mom each week. She truly cultivated my love of reading then, and now, I’ve taken on the same mission with my own daughter.
The best part is that the City of Boca Raton seems to want to help me and other local parents with that mission through the launch of recent projects such as a new StoryWalk and three new Little Free Libraries.
The new StoryWalk is located in beautiful Patch Reef Park near the popular Pirate’s Cove. This is the third StoryWalk in the City of Boca Raton (two others are located at Serenoa Glade Preserve at George Snow Park and Pondhawk Natural Area adjacent to the Spanish River Library). All were funded by the Friends of the Boca Raton Public Library to help build children’s interest in reading while encouraging healthy activity. As a parent, I am 100% for this arrangement!
Also funded by the Friends of the Boca Raton Public Library, three new Little Free Libraries can be found at Sugar Sand Park, Patch Reef Park and the Swim and Racquet Center. The Little Free Library stands are filled with books for all ages donated by the Friends of the Library bookstore. Community members are encouraged to “Take a Book, Leave a Book!” Did you know through the Little Free Library nonprofit organization more than 250 million books have been shared since the first book sharing box was built in 2009? For locations and information about Little Free Libraries, visit www.littlefreelibrary.org.
This spring, take your family to “read between the pines”…or palm trees, if you will, at one of Boca Raton’s beautiful parks. Your child’s own literary journey is just beginning.
Michelle Olson-Rogers is a mom of one and the founder of Modern Boca Mom, an award-winning lifestyle website for the stylish & modern South Florida Mommy. She can also be found on Instagram at @modernbocamom.
