Consider the most stunning library you’ve ever seen. Do you notice any Victorian flourishes or statues atop Hellenistic pillars?

Do you have any antique shelves with card labels on small metal holders with cursive writing on them?

These public libraries are all lovely in their own way, but there is one in Idaho that is much smaller than the rest and nevertheless offers up a world of enchantment and fantasy.

A library in Coeur d’Alene has given new meaning to ‘The Giving Tree.’ Outside Sharalee Armitage Howard’s house, a 110-year-old cotton tree sat. When the tree had reached the end of its natural life, we were told it was time for the tree to go.

Howard told Bored Panda that when the tree deteriorated, it began dropping branches all over the area. They saw it as a danger, particularly when one of the branches fell on her son’s automobile.

Cutting it down and using the wood for something else was a simple option. The librarian, painters, and former bookbinder, on the other hand, had other ideas.

That tree, she noticed, was still alive. She sensed a window of opportunity for change. She eventually discovered a way to combine two of her greatest passions: art and books.

She told the Bored Panda that there are a lot of things you can do with a tree stump, but that you wouldn’t cut down a perfectly healthy tree for it. Now that she’d found the ideal specimen, Howard got to work.

They carved shelves into the inside of the tree.
Then they chopped off the top of the tree and replaced it with a roof to finally get rid of the ‘occupational hazard.’ They also added lights to the shelves and placed a lovely lantern under the tree.

Cotton trees can live for 40-50 years, she told the Bored Panda, but the tree kept giving even after it had lived twice that long. On the entrance, they even carved tiny book carvings with iconic titles like ‘Call of the Wild’ and J.R.R. Tolkien’s ‘The Hobbit.’

They converted the tree into a mini-library by stacking books on the shelves. The tree has a magical quality to it.

It’s an excellent companion to fairytales and other fantasy works that will pique one’s interest. Other books, on the other hand, are acceptable.

The Little Free Library currently has the Little Tree Library registered. Through reading, the non-profit group hopes to educate and empower people.

People can use shared books 24 hours a day, seven days a week thanks to their initiative. On their global map, the Idaho cotton tree library can be spotted.

Howard was grateful for the kind welcome.
‘Thank you so much for all of your positive remarks on our little free library!’

In a Facebook post, she added, ‘It’s fantastic to know that there are so many individuals out there that understand how art (in any form) simply makes the world a better place to live in.’

It’s magical to see a library like this one, but it’s even more magical to realize that a century-old tree still has a lot of stories to tell.