October is National Book Month, a celebration of reading, writing and the transformative power of books. In Chicago’s North Lawndale neighborhood, Open Books brings that celebration to life every day, ensuring youth and families have equitable access to the tools and spaces they need to become lifelong readers.
This nonprofit partners with communities across Chicago to break down barriers to reading, offering libraries for schools and daycares, literacy programs, large-scale events, and choose-your-own-price community bookstores.
Open Books has been active for nearly 20 years, with its North Lawndale programming space at 3812 W. 16th St. officially opening in 2023. It is part of the North Lawndale Reads campaign that promotes grade-level reading and makes books widely accessible throughout the neighborhood through initiatives like Little Free Libraries, book nooks and community events.
Chelsea Ridley, director of Community Engagement, leads literacy programming and partnerships across Chicago neighborhoods, overseeing initiatives like North Lawndale Reads. A dedicated advocate for community-engaged art and education, she also co-founded the Lawndale Pop-Up Spot, a community museum celebrating local history and creativity.
“Since we launched, we’ve given away about 160,000 books in North Lawndale alone. That means every family, and every person in North Lawndale should have at least one book, if not many more. We’ve been steadily chugging away at this work for the past few years,” Ridley said.
Open Books North Lawndale location is a free bookstore and programming space offering hands-on, creative out-of-school activities for youth and families. Tuesdays and Thursdays are open to 4th–8th graders after school, while Saturdays welcome all ages for drop-in reading, writing, and play. No registration is required, and all books and programs are free.
By placing books at the heart of North Lawndale and other neighborhoods, Open Books fosters a love of reading, strengthens community connections and opens doors to lifelong learning for readers of all ages.
“We’ve gotten a lot of middle school boys invested and interested in our programs. They come every week and participate fully. It’s an amazing accomplishment because people are always asking, ‘How do we get boys involved in something other than sports or video games?’ We’ve seen a lot of success with that in our 16th Street programming space, and we’re super happy about it,” Ridley said.
According to Ridley, North Lawndale has been outpacing Chicago Public Schools in literacy score improvements since Open Books began its work in the neighborhood. She emphasized that this progress is the result of strong collaboration with local organizations, including the North Lawndale Community Coordinating Council and the Quality of Life Plan. Ridley added that it’s rewarding to see both Open Books’ and the community’s efforts paying off in support of children’s education.
Ridley describes North Lawndale’s Open Books space as a small but lively hub filled with free books and creative activities. The space offers a welcoming, non-school environment where kids can drop in after school to read, play games, do art projects and connect with peers.
“When you walk in, you’ll see rows of bookcases lining the back wall, filled with free books, from baby books all the way up to adult titles. We want to make sure books are always present and available, so when kids come in, they’re like, ‘Yay!, books!’ We want them to feel that it’s normal to be surrounded by books all the time,” Ridley said.
Ridley believes the location serves as one of the few “third spaces” in North Lawndale where youth can simply feel safe, supported, and free to be themselves.
“There aren’t many third spaces, what we call places outside of home and school, in North Lawndale where youth are truly welcome to just come in and be. Through this space, we’re able to gently introduce literacy programming and assess kids’ literacy needs without it feeling like school,” Ridley said.
For North Lawndale Reads, the focus was message saturation and community engagement. The program shared pro-literacy messages throughout the neighborhood, via ads on the Blue and Pink CTA Lines, buses, bookmarks, and magnets, highlighting that North Lawndale is a community of readers. It also hosts the signature Back to School Lit Fest, which draws over 600 attendees each year.
“The first thing Open Books always does is ensure what we call book access. Every child should have access to high-quality books that are engaging and relevant to their lives. We receive nearly a million books donated to us annually, and we sort them so that the best-quality children’s books go directly to North Lawndale, Little Village and our other priority neighborhoods,” Ridley said.
Ridley explained that books are distributed to classrooms, book nooks, Little Free Libraries and community events, including a Christmas giveaway. She emphasized that the goal is to ensure kids have access to books they actually want to read.
““We’re never going to give a kid just one book and say, ‘Here, this is the book you have to read.’ We always bring plenty of books so kids have choice and agency, allowing them to pick what they actually want to read. We include graphic novels, comic books, and all the types of books that interest them, because they won’t read if they’re not engaged,” Ridley said.
Open Books also promotes adult reading by providing adult books in all of its spaces, encouraging parents and caregivers to read alongside their children to model positive reading behavior. Beyond providing books, the organization’s education team works to ensure both physical and metaphorical access to reading, helping families engage with books meaningfully.
They offer workshops for parents and caregivers on how to make reading an enjoyable experience for children. Additionally, Open Books staff work directly with first- and second-grade students in North Lawndale schools, providing one-on-one support to foster reading skills and a love of books that are engaging and reflective of the community.
Open Books relies on partnerships with organizations and community members to carry out its programming and mission. As the nonprofit prepares to expand its campaign to Little Village, it invites local groups and individuals to get involved, offering opportunities to connect via coffee meetings, Zoom, or email to support lifelong learning for residents of North Lawndale and Little Village.
