The Iowa City Reading Tree, A Community Project

My wife, Julia, and I live at 312 Ronalds Street in Iowa City, Iowa, the first UNESCO City of Literature in the U.S. We both have Elementary Ed. teaching degrees, and we understand the importance of early reading. The Iowa City Reading Tree is designed to motivate children to read, to create a sense of community, and to inspire book exchanges around our city.

 

An 87-foot-tall white pine tree sat within 20 feet of our house in Robert and Rosalie Moninger’s yard. When the derecho came through in August 2020, the tree swung like a church bell, and we worried that it might crash into our home. The Moningers kindly agreed to have it cut down, and I asked that they leave the last 15 feet so I could build a mini library into the stump.

 

In addition to being a mini-free library, this is a community project, dedicated to bringing neighbors and visitors together around a folk-art sculpture. Plans for events include: readings by local authors, mini “porch performances” by local musicians of all ages, small gatherings that pop up spontaneously, local school outings, and more.

 

The Iowa City Reading Tree will allow children and adults to “give a book, take a book,” like any mini-library. The distinction is that this tree will “talk” to the children (through a Ring doorbell system) and ask them to pick a book, then come back to read to the tree. Pulling this off will be no easy feat!

 

Where Will Your Donation Go?

Over the past year, I have completed the roof on the top to protect the stump from rotting and a roof over the library to protect the books from getting wet. I have also carved 32 animal profiles into the rafter tips. With the help of a few friends, we now have a concrete deck around the tree.

The libraries for the adults’ and children’s books are partially done, though they still require several more refinements:

In addition, the project still needs the following:

Annually, we’ll need:

The wish list for this project includes items that will expand the use of the tree:

Your Donation Makes a Difference!

All contributions through GoFundMe will be used to support the final construction and general operations of the Iowa City Reading Tree. Every dollar donated through this project will keep the Iowa City Reading Tree blooming with more books for kids and fun community events for years to come.

 

Thank you for helping us spread the word about this exciting neighborhood project! We cannot wait for the final reveal! Check back for updates on the Iowa City Reading Tree!

 

A BIG thank you to our generous donors so far:

 

Thank you all,

 

Joe Hennager

319-594-6767