Welcome to Li’l Winchesters’ Li’l Library!

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I built this library because I love books and sharing stories with people. I hope you enjoy it! Here are some guidelines for using it:

  • The basic rule is take a book, leave a book. If you don’t have a book to leave, that’s okay. If you have a few books to leave, that’s okay, too.
  • Most of the books have stamps in them. This isn’t because I need you to return them (though if you enjoy it, it would be nice to share with others), but more to show that it’s been here, like a visa stamp in a passport. Feel free to keep the book or donate it to another little library if you want!
  • The left cabinet is for non-fiction, like biographies, histories, technology, cooking, science, etc., mostly for teens and older. The middle cabinet is for young adult and adult fiction, and the right cabinet is for kids’ books (both fiction and non-fiction), from board books through middle grade. If you are dropping stuff off, putting things in the proper cabinet helps everybody!
  • If you want to drop off some books but the cabinet is full, there are a lot of other little libraries and other places to take books. If you want to find other little libraries, check out the Little Free Library map here.
  • This library is for great books. Please don’t put trashy books, badly beat up books (though a little wear is fine), sales or proselyting pamphlets, or propaganda in the library. If you’re not sure, ask me. I make the final decision on what is appropriate for the library.
  • As you can see, I’ve also added a few bookmarks and stickers in the library, too, so feel free to leave that sort of thing here. We’d also accept reading glasses (cleaned), hand sanitizer, and good school supplies.
  • Kids! Keep an eye out on the chalkboard of your door for CHALLENGES with PRIZES! I’m going to randomly put a little challenge here on this website. If you complete the challenge, come to my door (we’re in the blue house on the left, not the blue house on the right) until you find me at home and I will give you a prize!
  • If you notice broken parts or leaks or other issues, please let me know as soon as possible so I can fix it.

Thanks for your support!

The Library Will Be Closed in October

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Did you know that wood and paint don’t like the weather?

That’s why the right door on the little library sticks in the winter, and why the unicorn keeps spinning, and the strip along the bottom comes loose sometimes.

So, to address some of these issues, make it a little more weather-tight, and just freshen up the look, Mr. Tarp is going to be coming back in October and the library will be closed for maintenance. I don’t know how long it will take, but as I need to repaint the doors, it will probably be closed most of the month.

If you want books during that time, don’t worry! I will have the books in boxes in my house. Just knock on the door and you can look for what you want, or drop stuff off.

Thanks for your patience and understanding!

Challenge #4: BACK TO SCHOOL!

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School is back!

Sometimes school doesn’t seem fun. But being with friends and doing new things IS fun, and those are a lot of the things we do at school.

And here’s the coolest part: the more you learn, the more fun things you can do! Whether that’s learning a sport or a game, or how to make cool things, or reading stories or learning about animals or any of a ton of things!

So for September’s challenge, I would like you to tell me what you are most excited about learning this year. It doesn’t have to be a thing you learn at school, though it can be.

Every kid who writes up a paragraph on what they are most excited about learning this year and delivers it to me before September 30th will get a pop-it notebook!

CLOSED Challenge #3: EASTER

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Pysanky Easter eggs from Ukraine

Do you like the Easter eggs in that picture? They are pretty amazing! They are a type of Easter egg traditionally made in Ukraine called pysanky or pysanka. You can learn more about them, including how to make them, here.

Lots of people traditionally celebrate Easter, which commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ, by decorating eggs. One explanation for why we decorate eggs is because the egg symbolizes new life (since baby chicks come from eggs), just like the new life we can have because of Christ’s resurrection.

There are a lot of problems in Ukraine right now, so a lot of people over there might be having trouble finding hope. Making pretty eggs may not seem important. So to show that we support them and to help them find hope again, let’s make some pysanky eggs! You can use the instructions in the link I gave above, or you can use a clear or white crayon and regular dyes if those materials seem hard to find.

If you live around here, show me the eggs you make. Every kid who does this before Easter (April 17th 2022) will get a prize!

CLOSED Challenge #2 (HALLOWEEN!)

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Good stories make us feel things. Some people like to be SCARED, especially at this time of year!

For this challenge, you don’t even need to write things down. All you have to do is, when you are trick-or-treating, come trick-or-treating to my door. I will give you your regular treat no matter what (I usually give away toys instead of candy), BUT if you also tell me you are doing the challenge and tell me a scary story, you get an EXTRA treat! It can even be a really short story!

CLOSED Challenge #1!

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We’re just starting out, so I will make this one easy. ☻

Tell me about your favorite story.

I do prefer that you do it in writing if you can, at least 1 paragraph. You can even grab a Dr. Seuss pencil from the library to write it if you want. Tell me why you like that story, and what makes it special!

Every kid who does this and gets their entry to me before the end of October 11th will get a PRIZE!!!

How do you submit an entry? Easy! write it on a piece of paper and bring it to me. I live right there in the house behind the library (to the left, the gray-ish house). Come to the front door (please don’t step on the bushes or flowers!) and ring the doorbell to give me your entry and get your prize. If I’m not home, try later, because I’m home most of the time.

If you have questions, use the contact form here or knock on the door to ask me!

Are you ready for a CHALLENGE?!

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Hey!

This isn’t just about reading. This is also about finding the FUN in reading. A lot of that is just about finding books that you like, but sometimes it’s easy to get stuck.

So every couple of weeks, I’m going to put a challenge on the blackboard of the Kids’ book section. Kids (and anyone who wants to do it) who finish the challenge by Saturday evening of that week and bring me the results will get a prize or a treat!

If you don’t want to check the library every day for new challenges, you can come to this site and click the ‘Challenge’ link at the top for updates!

If you have ideas for challenges, use the form on the right to send your ideas to me.

F.A.Q.

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Got a question?

Q: Your name is Munson. Why is this named “Li’l Winchester’s Li’l Library?”

A: Every year I participate in a big, fun, international scavenger hunt called GISH. A few years back, I put up a quick & dirty little library for that, but it started falling apart, so I decided to update it this year. But wood prices were crazy, so I asked around for help. My GISH team–Li’l Winchesters, named after the Winchester brothers from the show Supernatural–donated more than anyone else but me. So I named it after them. 🙂

Q: So, can I just take books? This is totally free?

A: Yep! I DO ask that you be kind and respectful, and if you can donate nice books, that helps, too. I made it because I love books and I love sharing stories, and because I know that the more people read, the better our community is. So if you want to read a book, take it and read it!

Q: I don’t like some of the books in there and don’t think they should be in there.

A: If you have a concern about some of the materials in the library, please let me know (knocking on my door works, or you can use the contact form on this site). Because the library accepts donations, all kinds of things can end up in there.
Please DON’T take it upon yourself to remove or dispose of any of the books. If you let me know and it is still there after a day or two, I decided it was okay to have there. You don’t have to read anything there, and this is a service I do, so I get to choose. I try to be fairly open-minded and try to have all sorts of books in there, so there will hopefully be something for everyone, but not everything will be loved by everyone.

Q: I have some ideas for content/contests/decorations/etc.!

A: Awesome! If you have books you think should be there, you can add them! If you can’t afford them, let me know what it is (like a request) and I could add it to the Amazon wishlist (which is linked there on the right) so that supportive people may buy them and they will eventually show up in the library. I am open to ideas for contests and decorations, too! Just knock on my door or use the contact form on this site to reach me! Just know that I don’t have to time or money to carry out every good idea, so please don’t feel bad if I can’t do it.