A few months ago, I was passing a house at the end of our street, and I noticed a colorful box at the end of the driveway. The box had a window, and there were books inside. I stopped the car and peeked in at the books; some were for children, some for adults. Fanciful drawings of children’s book characters adorned the sides and back of the box. Above the window were the words,”LittleFreeLibary.org” and “Take a Book. Return a Book.” I thought, “What a great idea!”

I mentioned the box to Tina who said, “Oh, that’s the house of the great mom who’s always outside in the yard doing neat things with her children.” Hmmm… free books and a great mom. A possible article. So the next day, I saw the woman outside with her kids and asked if I could write about the little library. Happily, she agreed.

Zoe Reyes and her husband Manuel (“Manny”), a math professor at Bowdoin, moved to Maine from California seven years ago. The addition of Sofia, now age seven, and Daniel, age four, have helped them establish strong bonds in the community.

When I asked Zoe why she decided to have a box with free books by her driveway, she explained that Little Free Library is a nationwide organization and that there are a dozen boxes right in Brunswick. I later learned that the first Little Free Library was started by a guy named Todd Bol in Hudson, Wisconsin in 2009 as a tribute to his mother, a former teacher and lifelong reader. Today there are over 60,000 Little Free Libraries around the world. Wow, talk about the power of one small good idea! In addition to sharing free books, Little Free Libraries get neighbors talking to each other.

Zoe sent out flyers to introduce the neighbors to her Little Free Library, and it’s been a fun neighborhood fixture ever since. “I love going out there to see what books people have put in there,” she says, “and I’ve gotten to read some darn good books.” Incidentally, Zoe’s kids don’t just run a small lemonade stand in the summer; they run a snack shack with many tasty offerings.

“Why read?” I asked Zoe, tossing a softball right down the middle. “My mom read to me all the time,” she explained, “and those were my happiest memories.” Her favorites included such classics as “Anne of Green Gables,” “The Hobbit,” “Narnia,” and “The Story of Ferdinand.”

“Mannie and I read to our children every day,” she says. “because that’s one of the best way to build attachments. You’re sitting there in close physical proximity, looking at books, exploring the world together, breathing in the same rhythm. And you learn about what really sparks your kids’ imaginations.”

Speaking of imagination. Imagine if free books were available to every person in every country around the world. Imagine if all parents read to their children every night. Just imagine.

Zoe and her family — and her LittleFreeLibrary — have been a fine addition to our neighborhood. Happily, they love Brunswick, and they plan to stay here, ‘I like the seasons, the natural beauty, the size of the town, the farmers’ markets, and the College,” she says.

I thanked Zoe for her time and assured her that I’d be stopping by to add some books to her little library on a regular basis.

David Treadwell, a Brunswick writer, welcomes commentary and suggestions for future “Just a Little Old” columns at dtreadw575@aol.com.