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LITTLE LIBRARY, BIG DREAMS: Gives community access to books in Lehigh

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LEHIGH ACRES, Fla. — The stars and moon on a Lehigh Acres little library show what bed time stories you may find inside.

"Es un sueño," Wendy Anicama, who created the library, shared.

She said the library, located near Homestead Road, is a dream come true for her.

Anicama described reading like a window.

She said, "Una ventana. Una ventana que no entiende conocer." (A window. A window that you don't understand and get to know.)

Anicama started the little library a year ago to help her daughter, Andrea, who struggled with reading.

A year later, Andrea can't put books down or stop reading to her little brother.

"I'm learning new things like new words and new vocab from the story," Andrea said.

The library is for all ages, levels and languages.

As a working mom, Anicama said it's hard to take her kids to the library, and she knows not everyone in Lehigh can get there, especially walking in the heat.

She said, "Los papás de pronto no tienen la misma posibilidad que el resto por tiempo por traslado por otras cosas que de pronto en las circunstancia no pueden llevar a los niños."(Parents do not have the same opportunity as the rest due to travel time, due to other things...they cannot take their children.)

The little library solves that problem for Anicama and her neighbors, so no one misses the opportunity to learn.

Anicama said, "Tuviéramos la capacidad de educar a nuestros hijos, es importante que alimentamos el conocimiento de nuestros niños." (If we had the ability to educate our children, it is important that we feed our children knowledge.)

The books also give Anicama a chance to practice English with her daughter.

"For people who don't know how to read books or doesn't have books or doesn't know what it is, they can start reading the books we have outside here," Andrea said.

Anicama said she sees people all the time stop by the library. She also sees her older neighbors take books as well to learn English.

"Sé que los niños tienen hambre de conocimiento," Anicama said. (I know that children are hungry for knowledge.)

She welcomes anyone to the little library as a place to come feed their mind.