235. Rockford, MN, Public Library, Great River Regional Libraries

I do like small-town libraries, and perhaps part of the reason is little touches like floral centerpieces on the study tables! No, the flowers aren't real (I don't think), but they add a comfortable touch. Just beyond the two study tables was a small browsing area, with the basics: a couch and a window (see below).

There seemed to be a good selection of "Fiction for Children" and "Juvenile Non-Fiction" and series books on labeled shelves. The youngest patrons have a large wooden train set on a low table, and their accompanying adults have a rocker for watching or reading to the young engineers. Most of the library is carpeted, but the area for the little ones is tile, with a number of bright rugs. Very practical! There are  lots of picture books, a nice bright blue child-sized picnic table, and bright posters on the walls. Nearby there are coloring sheets and crayons.

I was pleasantly surprised to see a modest collection of "Easy books in languages other than English," with small numbers in French, Spanish, Russian, Italian, Japanese, and German, plus one each in Arabic, Hebrew, and Chinese.

The Young Adult area had a poster about Book Jacket Poetry, suggesting that young people create an example and share it on Facebook. Nearby is an attractive community mosaic created in a Workshop in 2012.

The Rockford Area History Society has provided a "make and take" activity, with biodegradable rice pots, dirt, and lettuce seeds.

For more about the Rockford library, go to http://www.griver.org/locations-and-hours/great-river-regional-library-Rockford

4/24/14, car

This is inside the big window you see in the first picture.