In the middle of a residential neighborhood just off Ceasar Road, is a small structure in front of the home of Elaine Voss where her neighbors can find a good book for free.

It’s called the Little Free Library, and a few have already been established within Pearl River County. One can be found near the First United Methodist Church of Picayune, while another can be found along Carroll Street.

This newest one can be found on Ridgeway Drive and was the idea of Voss’s daughter, Gabriella.

Elaine, who is a member of the Pearl River County School District’s Board of Trustees, ran with the idea to build literacy in her area and applied for a grant with the Little Free Library organization.

After writing the grant in August of this year, she was alerted the next month that the grant, worth about $500 in supplies, was awarded to her and the neighborhood.

In all about 25 people in the neighborhood had a hand in erecting and decorating the newest addition to the community. Voss said that children still stop by to add little touches of paint to its wooden exterior.

Now that it’s up, she said it’s supporting literacy in the area.

“I can’t tell you the number of times that people were out here reading books,” Voss said.

While some of the books that fill the library came from extras books from the school district, those who use it have also contributed to its catalog, since the theme is to take a book, leave a book.

With a rocking chair and bench situated near the county’s newest Little Free Library, Voss said that an elderly woman who lives nearby plans to hold story time once a month where she will read to the neighborhood children.