Big stories live in small boxes

Published 1:30 am Tuesday, December 9, 2025

EVERETT — Your next great read may be right around the corner — literally.

Nestled into the neighborhoods of Everett are more than a dozen Little Free Libraries. The size of a kitchen cabinet, passersby can find books and other goodies inside their colorful walls, free of charge.

The Little Free Library is a nonprofit based in Minnesota that aims to inspire readers and expand book access in neighborhoods. To join, mini librarians pay a $50 registration fee, and their library is assigned a unique charter number. Some choose to build their libraries from scratch. Others opt for a pre-made version.

From curating the selection to cruising secondhand markets for books, the people behind these libraries are dedicated to sharing the love of reading with their community.

Use the map feature at littlefreelibrary.org to find libraries in Snohomish County and beyond.

Anne Maria Jacobson’s Library

Hand-painted with flowers and a cheery bluebird, Anne Maria Jacobson’s little yellow library has been a neighborhood staple for nearly a decade. It’s so well-loved, Jacobson has replaced the door three times, and now has plans to build a new box this spring.

When Jacobson’s partner built their library, it had to be big enough to fit tall books and at a height kids could reach.

“I wanted it to not look like a generic library,” Jacobson said. “I made it pretty. He made it viable.”

Jacobson grew up a bookworm, spending summers competing in reading contests.

“I really see a strong value in reading and literature and just access to books,” she said. “It’s a simple thing that I can do to give back to my community.”

Over the years, the library has taken on a life of its own. While Jacobson keeps boxes of books on hand for when the shelves look sparse, for the most part, the library receives enough donations to be self-sufficient.

“There’s times where somebody obviously just cleaned out their bookcase, and you open the door, and books just fall out because they shoved absolutely everything in there,” she said.

During the summer, the library’s inventory will turn over a couple of times a day without her lifting a finger. Visitors can find books for all ages and from romance to westerns.

“I garden, so I’m in my yard a lot, and I’ll look up and there’s a really young kid who finds something in there,” Jacobson said. “They’re like, ‘Come on, we got to go home and read this.’ And that’s really neat that you can play a small role in bringing joy.”

Traffic to the library tripled during the pandemic when it took on a new purpose as a food pantry.

“I had dedicated part of my salary to stocking so much food per week in there because people really needed it during that time,” Jacobson said. “I’m glad that the little library system could help with that.”

Papa + Theo’s Library

When Abby Ferry and her family moved to Everett, their library made the 1,953-mile trip from Texas with them. Created by Ferry’s father and her then 2-year-old son Theo, “Papa and Theo’s Library” has become a family tradition, she said.

“We have a lot of libraries within a close proximity. So it is fun to go on a library walk around our neighborhood,” Ferry said. “Especially when ours gets a little too full, then we can go and kind of spread the wealth.”

What’s behind the doors of the red and blue library changes with the interests of Theo, now 5.

“He used to be really into trucks,” she said. “Now it’s moved more into sports.”

Ferry likes to get creative with her library, mixing things like puzzles in among the books.

“We love that we’re part of being able to give and take,” Ferry said. “I’m also a teacher, so it’s very near and dear to my heart to have as many kids reading and books in hands as much as possible.”

The Lehosky Library

Nikki Lehosky fell back in love with reading right before the pandemic. With her newfound love for books and no idea which of them were good, she would check out a wide range of genres from the Everett Public Library.

“I like just getting lost in a story before I go to bed,” she said.

When the library shut down due to COVID-19, she was at a loss of what to do until she saw a social media post about Little Free Libraries. While she started as a frequent patron, the wheels began turning for her own library.

“I asked my dad, who’s super-duper handy, and my husband, who’s not so handy,” Lehosky said. “I designed it, and they did all the hard work.”

Designed in the image of the bright blue house it sits outside of, Lehosky used leftover siding and paint to perfect the miniature look-alike.

Lehosky will frequently shop on apps like OfferUp and Facebook Marketplace in search of cheap or free books she can stock her library with. Visitors can find everything from children’s literature to college textbooks.

“One time, I had this huge set of romance novels, those Harlequin ones. I just thought they were just the funniest looking covers ever,” she said. “Everything goes in there, and everything eventually just goes away.”

Walsh Family’s Library

Timothy Walsh’s family has always been readers. During quarantine, they would travel from block to block, visiting Little Free Libraries in their Ballard neighborhood. When they moved to Everett four years ago, they wanted to bring the book exchange to their new community.

“As a Mother’s Day gift for my wife, the kids and I decided to get her a free library so that we can share the books that we love and no longer have space for with our neighbors,” he said.

Walsh often sees families with kids and strollers stop by their library to browse the selection of books his own children outgrew.

“We don’t keep a lot of books after we read them,” he said. “It’s kind of whatever the latest flavor is.”

It’s not just Walsh’s neighbors who uncover new favorites inside the library, which includes books for grown-ups.

“Someone put in a really nice copy of an illustrated Harry Potter into the library,” Walsh said. “My daughter, who’s now in second grade, she’s in love with the Harry Potter series, in part because she found the book in our library.”

Walsh hopes to see more little libraries.

“We can share our joy of reading and share the books that we love with the community and get to know each other a little bit better,” he said.

After a busy day, reading is a way to relax and escape for Walsh and his family.

“The constant cycles of media and the constant pinging on the phones, it’s nice to just put that stuff away and have a book to be able to take yourself away to a distant world.”

Jenna Millikan: 425-339-3035; jenna.millikan@heraldnet.com; X: @JennaMillikan

This story originally appeared in Sound & Summit magazine, The Daily Herald’s quarterly publication. Explore Snohomish and Island counties with each issue. Subscribe and receive four issues for $18. Call 425-339-3200 or go to soundsummitmagazine.com