Encouraging a love of nature…and reading!

Friends of Bachman Lake has always been an advocate for a clean and enjoyable park where people can easily access green space here in Northwest Dallas. We promote biking and walking trails, pedestrian safety, clean and well-maintained park facilities, and a host of other matters that demonstrate our love for Bachman Lake Park. Soon we will be adding READING to that list! JP Morgan Chase is generously donating TWO Little Free Libraries to be placed around the park.

All of us here at Friends of Bachman Lake believe education is one of the most important factors in producing engaged citizens who advocate for themselves and their communities. Reading is the core foundation to a solid education, and books can engage and transport readers in ways that nothing else can. Little Free Libraries is a nonprofit whose mission is to put a Little Free Library in every community with a book for every reader. Little Free Libraries champions diverse books that represent all genders and races while promoting understanding, empathy, and inclusion. There are over 150,000 Little Free Libraries in over 110 countries. Little Free Libraries continually works with community partners to bring books to underserved and high-need areas, and Bachman Lake Park will reap the benefits of this endeavor.

According to The Power of Reading: Insights from the Research (2004), children who are provided an informal environment to choose what they read show improved reading and literacy skills. An established and well-stocked Little Free Library in the park will provide just that - the perfect spot to sit under a tree, feel the cool breeze off the lake, and get lost in a book. A study by the U.S. Department of Education in 2022 revealed that children who are read to by a parent or caregiver are twice as likely to score in the top 25% in reading. Free books that families can access whenever they visit Bachman Lake Park provide opportunities for the whole family to read together. They can take books home and replace them whenever they visit the park again. No special trip to the library required! Author and educator Carolyn Meggitt, in her book Child Development, says that kids who read regularly have better language skills, larger vocabularies, and higher cognitive skills than non-readers. The likelihood of children becoming thinkers, advocates, and contributing members of society is greatly increased if they foster a love of reading and, therefore, education.

Many thanks to JP Morgan Chase for choosing our park. Be on the lookout for two brand new Little Free Libraries coming soon. Take a book, leave a book, and Happy Reading!