After 40 years as a public school teacher, I decided to retire at the end of last school year and pursue some of my other interests.

A couple of those interests include reading, of course, and acrylic painting. After so many years of reading books for young adults so that I could make wise reading recommendations for the middle schoolers at the school library, I’ve gone back to reading mostly books written for adults. When I have a good chunk of uninterrupted time, I like to go down in my basement and dabble with my collection of acrylic paints and not worry about the mess.

So, my very thoughtful and observant daughter and son-in-law cleverly combined my interests and presented me with a beautiful Little Free Library book-sharing kit as a retirement gift. They suggested I paint on it before I assemble it. Three sides of it are now embellished with whimsical bookish paintings, varnished to protect it from the weather, assembled and installed at the end of our street in our neighborhood.

For those of you who are not familiar with Little Free Libraries, it is a nonprofit organization that promotes the sharing of free books to all who love to read. Rather than ordering and assembling the kit, some handy folks build their own and set them up in areas where families tend to gather.

I’ve seen them on beaches, near parks, at entrances to schools, and on busy street corners all around Maine. Now that you know about them, you’re apt to see them when you least expect and in the most unlikely places. The idea is to recycle gently used books so that others can enjoy reading them. They simply function on the honor system. No rules, no money, no check-out system. I have taken books from Little Free Libraries that I have noticed on walks when I’m vacationing somewhere new, and I have donated books to them — especially when I finish reading a good one.

It has been fun to watch our neighbors discover the Little Free Library near our home and to pull out a book for their child or to stuff a few books in it. It makes me smile to walk by it and hope that others will find a book or two that they find interesting — perhaps a book that will keep them company during the cold, dark winter nights ahead.

Promoting books and reading has always been my passion as an educator and school librarian, and now, with my Little Free Library installed and packed with books for all ages, I can continue to do so (albeit on a much smaller scale). The next time you are strolling through your neighborhood or happen to be in someone else’s, keep an eye out for a book-sharing box of some kind nailed to a post or a tree. It could be cleverly disguised as something that camouflages with the surroundings.

It might just be your day to access some free books. Take a few or leave a few.