Sugartree Farmette’s Little Free Library has been stocked with new books! Our theme for March is banned/challenged books (past or presently banned/challenged). There are books for all ages available! Here’s a little info about banned/challenged books taken from the American Library Association website: “According to the American Library Association, a banned book is a book that has been removed from the shelf of a library or school. A challenged books is a book that some people think should be removed, but hasn't been removed from the shelves of a library or school. The banning and challenging of books has, unfortunately, a long history throughout the world. It may surprise you that hundreds of books are challenged and banned each year in the United States alone. The American Library Association keeps statistics on those incidents which are forwarded to the ALA's Office of Intellectual Freedom. Parents are by far the largest group to request a book removed from a school library or reading list, or from the shelves of a public library. Books can be challenged or banned for many reasons. Most reasons in this country include obscene language or sexual descriptions, offensive language, unsuitable for age level, homosexuality, racism, and religion. Reasons for other countries to ban books may include charges that the ideas of the book speak against the interests of the state (i.e. political). In the United States, your right to read what you want is protected by the First Amendment. In a free society, the author and reader are protected.” And a few of my favorite quotes on banned/challenged books: “Banning books give us silence when we need speech. It closes our ears when we need to listen. It makes us blind when we need sight.” – Stephen Chbosky “There are no bad authors for children… because every child is different. They can find the stories they need to, and they bring themselves to stories.” – Neil Gaiman “We should be including MORE books about all kinds of topics in our public libraries to help our kids learn and make decisions for themselves. We can make this a place that includes all of us – a place where we are all free to thrive and support each other for who we are.” – PFLAG #readwithlove “Any book worth banning is a book worth reading.” – Isaac Asimov We hope you too find some true treasures to read in our Little Free Library this month! We’ll be adding new books each week! Also, we now have a pink folder labeled “Activities” with printouts of coloring pages, reading logs, book report templates, Bingo reading games, etc.! Help yourself to the printouts, but please leave the folder😊 Enjoy, and happy reading!

February is Black History Month! Taking time in our lives to study the history, join the activism, honor achievements, and dream of possibilities is so important and vital as a human race. Valuing diversity and equality, and practicing acceptance, understanding, inclusion, and compassion are some key concepts that come to mind that we will be reflecting on, this month and beyond. Along with our love-filled (Play Date With a Book/Blind Date With a Book) books for Valentine’s Day, we will be featuring some powerful books focused on Black/African American Lives and History for both kids and adults! We hope you enjoy these additions that will be coming to our Little Free Library later this week! As residents of Sugarland, “A land of history and magic!,” this is an especially important subject for our family to recognize and honor! And we ourselves are constantly learning! If you have any suggestions for books that would be great to feature this month (or any time for that matter!), please reach out to us here! Many thanks, and happy reading!

March 4th is one of our families' favorite days of the year for a couple reasons: First, it’s the only day of the year that forms a sentence (literally so cool- and yes geeky- if you're an English major)! And it is also known as a day to unify as people, reflect on past histories (e.g. human rights struggles), step out of our comfort zones, and move forward with new dreams/aspirations. So in honor of March 4th, our Little Free Library will feature challenged/banned books for ALL ages. This might sound scary, but I promise it’s not! You might be surprised that even these children's books (https://tinybeans.com/kids-books-and-childrens-books-that-are-banned-books/slide/1) are considered banned in some places of the Unites States. So, during the month of February, we'll be doing some research on challenged/banned books and gathering some for our library in preparation for March! Feel free to comment and recommend books that you think will be worth including!

We want to hear from you! What genres/topics of books would you like to see in Sugartree Farmette's Little Free Library (LFL)? What age groups are most relevant to you? How often do you visit our LFL? Do you usually find a book that interests you? We enjoy doing themes! Do you find these engaging? What suggestions might you have for our LFL? We look forward to hearing from you!

Hi there! Let's get to know each other! Our family moved to Sugarland Forest (in Poolesville, MD) in the fall of 2019. We moved to Poolesville from Clarksburg, MD to escape the noise/congestion and to find peace in the country. It has been one of the best decisions our family has made! Since moving here, we have established a small homestead we've named Sugartree Farmette, a nod to the rich and powerful history of this area. In 2020, we began gardening and raising chickens. In 2021, we started Sugartree Farmette's Little Free Library (LFL), a place where free books for all ages are always available to the community! In the coming years, we want to continue to expand our gardens, fruit trees, and homesteading activities! Our goal is to be able to give to the community and provide fruits/vegetables/fresh eggs for donation. About Laura: Laura grew up in Poolesville, spending much of her childhood on her family's farm at the time, Seneca Creek Farm in Dawsonville (sold to new owners ~1994). Laura spent her early years exploring the family's ~400-acre farm, swimming in creeks, running through corn fields, and raising pigs. At age 16, Laura moved to Sedona, AZ where she spent her time hiking through canyons, stargazing at the desert sky, writing poetry, and starting college. In the years ahead, Laura married and had two precious daughters, Asia and Della. In 2004, Asia (then 2 years old) was diagnosed with a Wilms tumor, childhood cancer of the kidney. Shortly after finishing a six-month regimen of chemotherapy, the cancer had returned on both of her lungs. Laura's family then moved to Memphis, TN where Asia was treated at St Jude Children's Research Hospital. In 2006, after many prayers, miracles, and the amazing work of doctors/hospital staff at St Jude, Asia was declared cancer free! Laura's family then decided to move back to her home state of MD. Once settled in MD, Laura continued her schooling and started her career in scholarly publishing at American Gastroenterological Association. In 2007, Laura and her then-husband divorced. A few years later, she met Miguel, and the couple were married in 2013. That year, their family also moved from Boyds to Clarksburg. In 2017, Laura and Miguel welcomed their rainbow baby, Caiden, to the family. Laura earned her masters in writing from Johns Hopkins University in 2018. And that leads up to 2019, when Laura and Miguel decided to take a big leap and move to the country (and back to Laura's childhood hometown)! It's funny how life can bring you back home after so many years, but Laura's sure glad it did! About Miguel: Miguel was born in San Juan, Puerto Rico but spent his early years living in the remote town of Castañer in Lares (central mountain region of the island). In 1989, Miguel and his family moved to the small town of Yabucoa (his mom’s hometown) in Southeast PR. And in 1992, they designed/built a house on a coastal hillside on the outskirts of Yabucoa (Fun Fact: If you’re ever traveling to Puerto Rico and are looking for an amazing place to stay, Miguel’s mom hosts an Airbnb, and we promise it’s one of the most beautiful places on the entire island!). Although Miguel was not interested in gardening in his childhood/teen years, his parents both came from families that worked the land all their lives. Miguel’s grandfather raised cows, goats, and chickens, but Miguel was not really interested in farming at that time and so he didn't gain much experience. After high school, Miguel attended the University of Puerto Rico and earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He then joined the US Army as a Medic where he served for seven years. During those years, Miguel was stationed in Oklahoma, Texas, and upstate New York. He also did a 15-month deployment to Iraq. After his deployment ended in 2007, he moved to Fort Detrick in Frederick, MD where he worked on base. He met Laura through a mutual Army friend, and the couple married in 2013. Miguel retired from the Army in 2012 and shortly after began working in the children’s clinic at National Institute of Health. In 2017, Miguel and Laura welcomed their son, Caiden, into their family. Miguel and Laura purchased their home in the community of Sugarland Forest (on the outskirts of Poolesville) in 2019. Shortly after settling in, the family decided to start planting fruit trees, gardening, and raising chickens. Miguel was excited to have an opportunity to experience country living hands on after not being that engaged in it during his childhood. In these past couple years, he’s found joy and passion in all his outdoor/farming activities! Miguel and Laura both look forward to honoring the land and growing Sugartree Farmette in the years to come! Now, feel free to share a bit about yourself! Where are you from? What are your interests? We look forward to chatting! Image is of Laura and Miguel planting their "trademark" Weeping Cherry Tree

We want to engage with you! Here's a place you can ask or discuss anything, whether it be about raising chickens/ducks (or other farm animals!), gardening, homesteading, Poolesville events/happenings/history, the Ag Reserve, books, or any other topics you find relevant!