Celebrate your child's love of learning

© Wondertime

A closet makes an inviting lair for a serious bookworm.

Five-year-old Lulu Kesin loves words. She loves reading them, she loves writing them, and she loves them best when she is administering them in an official capacity.

It started with the post-office game: She'd write urgent letters that had to have real stamps, and deliver them to the mailbox out front. "I find envelopes everywhere," says her mom, Holly. "I think the mail makes her feel important."

Lulu then decided her nightly story simply could not be read unless it had been checked out library-style, so she set to work putting index cards in all the books, which she would stamp with an imaginary ink pad.

To really hone her skills as a library scientist, she needed a place to manage her collection. So Holly, who says she's a "book freak" herself, decided to turn Lulu's closet into a space where she could have a library of her own or just settle in to read. She put a small desk and chair outside the closet where Lulu can preside over the library's circulation department, stamping books and suggesting titles to the patrons. (Her Holly Hobbie doll is an especially avid reader.) Inside the closet, bright floor pillows make a cozy reading nook where the librarian can retreat when she's off duty.

Lulu has taken wholeheartedly to the literary life. "She goes into her own little world in there," Holly reports. "She'll say, "I want to be alone now," and I'll find her sitting at her desk." Maybe next she'll get to work writing her first book — most likely a collection of letters.

The Librarian Is In
At the desk, Lulu catches up on her ever-mounting paperwork. A miniature desktop chest holds odds and ends — including stamps (Melissa & Doug makes a chest your child can decorate herself, $12 at ouraytoys.com). Magnetic-strip bulletin boards feature colorful postcards with book illustrations; they're a handy way to host a rotating selection of art without leaving a wall full of holes (velocityartanddesign.com sells colorful versions for $12).

Check It Out
Holly supplemented Lulu's index cards with a library kit that includes preprinted cards, self-adhesive envelopes, a date stamp, and an ink pad ($25 at knockknock.biz, though Holly recommends substituting the pad that's included with a larger one that has washable ink, $3 at stampandgo.com). Monogrammed pencils add a personal touch ($5 for 24 at orientaltrading.com; personalize with up to 30 characters).

Shelf Help
Unconventional shelving solutions keep board books and other odd sizes from getting lost. "I wanted to have the board books out, but it bugged me that all the bookshelves were too deep for them," Holly says. One fix was in her kitchen cabinet: an expandable spice rack with graduated steps just big enough to shelve chunky little titles ($12 at stacksandstacks.com).

An Illuminating Experience
A brightly colored bench offers storage space inside the closet — and serves as a handy footrest. (Lulu's is available at Ikea stores, $10; ikea.com sells a similar storage box/bench for $13.) When kids, small spaces, and fabric come together, lighting needs to be extra safe: Holly put in a tamperproof lamp (at Ikea stores, $10) that can be used with an energy-saving bulb that produces very little heat.

Another low-heat alternative is a kid-friendly camping lantern (not shown here), which brings a little high-adventure spirit to an afternoon of reading; Lulu likes the one from Coleman for Kids ($11 at coleman.com). A wall-mounted tap light also works (at hardware stores, about $6).


All Booked Up
The closet was already outfitted with library-ready built-in shelves on either side. (If you're not so lucky, a freestanding stackable shelving unit can be had for $22 at stacksandstacks.com; it's a closet-friendly 12 1/8 inches wide.) Front-facing book racks let Lulu see her favorites easily (this one from Pottery Barn Kids, $99 each at potterybarnkids.com; a less expensive alternative is a wall-mounted magazine rack, $35 at containerstore.com).

Curtain Call
To fancy up the place, Holly's mother made a valance for the closet rod from a bed skirt. She cut out the bed skirt's decorative ruffle (discarding the white fabric in the center); folded over the top, leaving an opening large enough to fit around the rod; and stitched a simple seam. For a more gathered look, Holly advises using a larger skirt — the one in Lulu's closet is king-size. (Bed skirts can usually be found on sale at T.J. Maxx or target.com; click here for detailed instructions for the valance.) A cheerful shower curtain is another option; a busy librarian can pull it closed for privacy.

A hanging sweater holder, turned sideways on the overhead shelf, creates extra storage for dolls, small toys, and more books ($20 at containerstore.com).

The Vinyl Answer
Small books, stuffed animals, and other keepsakes find a home in a clear plastic shoe holder mounted on the closet wall — though it could also go over the door, of course ($17 at spacesavers.com).

Lend Me an Ear
On the boom box Lulu listens to homemade books on tape that her grandmother, who's several states away, creates for her and her 8-year-old brother, Jasper. (She sends copies of the books too, so the kids can follow along.)