The new library is now open for adventure at Turtle Cove.
LITTLE LIBRARY ERECTED
WHITE LAKE – In a dedication ceremony Oct. 22, Susie Gooden Prevette, member of the Friends of the Bladen County Public Library, welcomed guests around the new Little Free Library at Turtle Cove in White Lake.
This international initiative was created to bring literature to underserved communities and to open up a new world of reading in that world where books are accessible. At this point, The Little Free Library is a box in which you may place a book or borrow a book on the honor system.
Jane Tilden Applewhite, a longtime educator, bibliophile, and lifetime Bladen County resident, suggested the Little Free Library for the White Lake area.
Allen Johnson, Applewhite’s son, spoke about his mother. “One of my mom’s favorite quotes is by Jackie Kennedy Onassis. There are many little ways to enlarge your child’s world. The love of books is the best of all.”
Johnson continued, “My mom was always reading. Every night, when my brothers and I were young, she was reading to us. Mom just loved to read.”
Friends of the Bladen County Public Library member Terry Briggs expressed the importance of the Little Free Library. “Bladen County is so large. It is hard to reach so many people. The library boxes are a way to leave a book or take a book.”
“The books are free,” stated Gooden, “but the boxes are not. The Friends of the Bladen County Library is a nonprofit organization that uses donations to purchase the library boxes.”
The newly installed box was assembled specifically for Turtle Cove by Emereau Middle School Beta Club member, Grayson Leggett, and in honor of Applewhite.