The Saturday Book Corner | Góc sách sáng thứ Bảy

When Linh moved to a new street, she noticed that children often waited outside a small community hall while their parents shopped nearby. There was nowhere quiet for them to sit. Linh asked the hall manager if she could put a box of books beside the entrance on Saturday mornings. He agreed, but he wanted the doorway to remain clear. Together they chose a corner next to a wide window. Linh called it the Saturday Book Corner.

At first, Linh brought twenty books from home. She asked neighbours for more, but she did not accept every book they offered. Each one had to be clean and complete. A story with missing pages could disappoint a young reader. Her friend Bao helped sort the books into three groups: picture books, short stories and books about nature. They used different coloured labels so children could find a group without reading a long list. Bao also repaired a low shelf that the hall no longer used.

The corner opens from nine until eleven every Saturday. Children may read there for free, and an adult volunteer stays nearby to help. Books must stay inside the hall; this is a reading corner, not a lending library. Visitors can suggest new titles by writing them in a notebook. Linh reads these suggestions at the end of each morning. When the room is busy, older children sometimes read aloud to younger ones. Linh says this is helpful because the volunteer cannot sit with everyone at once.

After a month, Linh changed one part of the plan. Some parents said their children wanted to draw scenes from the stories. She added paper and pencils to a small table, away from the books. Food and drinks are still kept outside to protect the collection. Linh now hopes to open the corner on Sunday mornings too, but she needs another volunteer first. She is pleased that a simple box of books has given neighbours a reason to talk to one another.