The Children’s Book Bank is a dream of a book store. The stock is diverse and plentiful. Colourful mobiles hang from the ceiling, lounging is encouraged in the overstuffed chairs, an art corner beckons with markers and posterboard, and posters of classic literary characters adorn the walls. Children are running around, excitedly choosing their next big read. However, one thing makes this book store not really a book store: all the books are free.
The bank’s founder, Kim Beatty, came up with the book bank concept–a community bookstore that offers free books to underprivileged children and families–while exploring different career options. Tired and directionless after a 20-year litigation career, Beatty wanted to do something meaningful. She wanted to make a difference and kept coming back to the one constant that remained with her while growing up, going to school, and starting a family of her own: books. “I’ve always been surrounded by books and reading material. When my children were growing up, we had many children’s books, always,” Beatty explains. “One thing lead to another, and I started thinking, everyone had a food bank, why not a book bank?” In 2007, she started collecting stock and scouting for a space. In May 2008, with a lease signed and 70,000 books in her basement, Beatty opened Canada’s very first book bank.
The Children’s Book Bank functions on a simple premise: book ownership fosters a lifelong love of literacy and bookstores facilitate this process by offering a welcoming environment. The bank may give away used books, but don’t think “used,” “free,” “dirty,” “second hand,” or “second rate” when you walk through these doors. The books are relatively new and are in excellent condition and the space is beautiful and inviting. “When you’re giving things away, particularly used things, if you do it from an inferior space, it conveys a sense of the value of what you’re doing,” Beatty said. “This is place is a celebration of books and literacy. Therefore, it should be a wonderful, captivating, and magical space that people want to spend time in.”
Regular field trips from local schools are scheduled, but other than that, the bank functions like a regular store. There are no after-school programs or literacy programs, as Beatty was adamant that the bank be a place children want to come, and, as a result, will associate reading with having fun. “We don’t want to turn this into a mini-school. The kids love to come here, it’s a place they’re happy to visit, and we want to encourage that,” Beatty said. “If they love to be here, it will foster a lifelong relationship with books.”
The Bank currently staffs nearly 50 volunteers and sees approximately 250 children per day. With so many children visiting, Beatty estimates that the bank gives away about 300 books daily. It’s a simple and beautiful cycle: children pick the books they want to read and take them home, and the volunteers put more books on display. There are no bestseller lists, inventory spreadsheets, or sales reports. Books come and books go. Beatty often fields request for the Harry Potter series, but acknowledges that because she’s giving away books for free, her stock cycle lags a few years behind the library or a traditional book store. If a child asks for a book they don’t have, Beatty and her staff are quick to introduce them to the wonderful world of the Toronto Public Library, conveniently located across the street.
With each visit, children are allowed to select one book and one book only, resulting in a lot of hemming and hawing, and mind changing. “The one book limit not only ensures that everyone who comes through the bank has high quality choice, it fosters taste. These children are figuring out what they like and what they don’t,” Beatty explained. “However, pink books are always very popular. And if it sparkles, even better!”
But those sparkling books are turning kids into readers, a process that should make The Children’s Book Bank and Kim Beatty proud.
The Children’s Book Bank is located at 350 Berkeley Street. Hours are Tuesday-Thursday 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m.-2 p.m. To find out how to donate books or support the bank, please visit their website.
Um, ever heard of a library? Books are free there too.
Way to tell them Colin, I agree! If something already exists, why would anyone ever create something remotely like it?
Moron.
What a wonderful idea. My kids and I cycle home past here every day and I didn’t even realize it existed. Can’t wait to pick out some books and drop them off.
Unfortunately Colin and Chris miss the point of The Children’s Book Bank. We are not in competition with the libraries. Rather, we are providing a distribution channel for the responsible recycling of children’s books. All of our inventory consists of books that families have outgrown or that organizations cannot use. We are simply connecting the supply of gently used children’s books with a demand for the same. As a result children who may not have owned books before get to experience the joy and pride of book ownership. There is a place for both libraries and book banks in a child’s world!! It’s all about building the love of reading!!!
There is a world of difference between The Children’s Book Bank and a library, namely that library books must be returned.
Aw, Chris — do I detect a note of sarcasm? Thanks for getting it.