Eye candy of the week

Property: Little Free Library at 142 Cowley Ave., East Lansing

Owner: Joseph and Liesel Carlson

Surprise! Amongst the garden foliage, a little free library has taken root in the front yard of an East Lansing home just north of Michigan Avenue. Stationed like a small literary sentry, this library is open rain or shine and simply asks: Take a book, return a book.

Leisel Carlson, a volunteer at the East Lansing Public Library who lives at 142 Cowley Ave, hosts the diminutive library near her mailbox. It’s based in an upcycled (the process of converting a waste material or useless product into a new material or product of higher quality) lantern chosen for its ability to accommodate books of all sizes, as well as its aesthetic character that complements the house’s massing and gables.

Carlson sees the library as a great way to build community and literacy in the Lansing area. “I love the new people I have met because of the library,” Carlson said. “It is exciting to see what new books will show up!”

Filled with nearly 20 books — including children’s novels, magazines, fiction and non-fiction — the little library is one of over 2,000 registered “Little Free” libraries worldwide. The Lansing area boasts three others and residences and an elementary school.

To learn more about the little free library movement or to host your own library, visit www.littlefreelibrary.org.