Before you say it, no, not at the Deep. As our swapping stuff correspondent Angus Young reports, it’s in a little box of joy up Bev Road.
Theoretically, you could lift up one of The Deep’s Gentoo penguins but only if you happen to be an expert bird handler employed at the visitor attraction. Instead, here at Curiosity we recommend you set your geo-tracking device to the HU6 7JH postcode and head for Beverley Road in Hull. On arrival you will find one of 90 Little Book Stops recently launched across the country by those nice people at Penguin Books, the UK’s largest book seller. It works as a community bookshelf, offering people the chance to exchange books and is overseen by a volunteer steward who keeps things nice and tidy while ensuring it’s also well stocked with good books for all ages to enjoy.
The initiative is a partnership between Penguin and the non-profit organisation Free Little Library which started book exchange boxes in America and now operates them around the world. It’s also part of Penguin Books’ 90th birthday celebration this year.
“Widening access to books is at the heart of Penguin’s original story,” said Rebecca Sinclair, chief brand officer at Penguin. “Books and reading are a wonderful way to build connections and create communities and we hope our 90 Little Book Stops will enable that in locations lucky enough to have one.”
Little Free Library chief executive Greg Metzger said: “We believe everyone has the right to read and we hope these book-sharing boxes will build community, inspire readers and expand book access where it is needed most.”
Author-illustrator Kim Hillyard said: “Stories are born to be swapped and shared. Community book-sharing offers a beautiful way to build bridges between us. Leaving your favourite book for someone to discover is like leaving open a door into your heart.”
Celebrated children’ s author Jacqueline Wilson added: “I am delighted that the Story of Tracy Beaker has been included in Penguin’s 90 Little Book Stops. A chance to share and choose books in your own community seems like a great idea. Happy reading everyone!”
The Beverley Road location was selected from over 2,000 applications and is the only one in Hull and East Yorkshire. There are three Penguin Little Book Stops in Leeds, one in Scarborough and one in Wakefield. Open 24/7, you can take a book and leave one on each visit.
However, in addition there are also a couple of long-established local neighbourhood book exchange schemes in the area. There’s a book box in Wold Road next to the Oddbottle pub while another in King Street in Cottingham is looked after by a local resident living in an adjacent cottage.
Angus Young