Books available for tomorrow’s leaders

Concerning Lorie Burress’ letter about books for tomorrow’s leaders:

I am a big believer in owning books. I was in the business of selling books in Blytheville for almost 40 years. Books are good friends.

Having them around is comforting, evoking memories and providing opportunities for rereading.

We are fortunate that our bookstore, That Bookstore in Blytheville, has morphed into the Blytheville Book Company thanks to Erin and Andrew Carrington.

The Chamber’s Dolly Parton Imagination Library Books from Jan offers a book a month mailed to enrolled children until their fifth birthday.

The Rotary Club of Blytheville annually gives books to second graders in the county.

While owning books is not always practical, access to books is essential.

Effort would be well spent helping children learn how to use programs that are already in place.

The Mississippi County Library System has seven branches spread throughout the county. Library cards are free and are the passport to thousand of books--free to the reader; just check out and return when read.

Every school has a library and some classrooms have small libraries.

Some churches also have libraries.

You may have noticed those brightly painted blue and yellow boxes on post around Mississippi County. Those are 35 Little Free Libraries purchased, installed, and stocked by the local Rotary Club with the help of a grant from the International Rotary Foundation.

Readers are free to select a book--swap a book, read a book, repeat.

Summertime offers extra daylight hours for reading.

Let’s take advantage of what we have in place right now to assist those future leaders.

— Mary Gay Shipley

Blytheville