I have read my whole life; I have always been a bookworm," said Kelly Hersh, who is the steward of Captain's Bookshelf Little Free Library (LFL), which was recently installed at the family home in Mohnton. "This LFL first came to life almost 10 years ago at our old house, but it never had an official name. We finally ... set it up here in Twin Valley, and I decided it needed an official name. I named it after our German Shepherd, Captain, who is one of the lights of our lives."

As part of the LFL initiative, visitors are invited to "take a book or share a book." In addition to books for children, young adults and adults, Captain's Bookshelf LFL also contains a little drawer of gifts that are free for the taking. "It is little knickknacks - seed packets, painted rocks, bookmarks and crocheted dish scrubbies that I made," Hersh noted.

Hersh explained that the LFL, which is bright blue/green in color, was first located at the family home in New Holland. "My husband and I worked at a furniture store. This cabinet came from a custom kitchen they were doing, and they were going to throw (the cabinet) out, so we took it," she said. "It worked perfectly for a library. We painted it and set it out."

Hersh noted that the family adopted Captain (formerly known as Sheldon) from Pitties.Love.Peace (PLP), a nonprofit organization based in Elizabethtown that rescues pit bulls and bully breeds.

She said that the family first connected with PLP in 2019 when it adopted its pit bull, Greta. "In 2021, they found an 8-week-old male German shepherd named Sheldon. He came from a puppy mill," she said, noting that the dog had several medical issues. "PLP got him cleaned up, properly medicated and settled into a foster home."

The dog's "Gotcha Day" - when the Hershes adopted him - was July 17, 2021. "We met him a couple of times before bringing him home to ensure he was a good fit for the family," said Hersh. "We renamed Sheldon to Captain, and he was officially ours. Captain's Bookshelf will definitely celebrate his Gotcha Day."

Hersh shared that she has always had a soft spot for German shepherds. "German shepherds stole my heart decades ago when my family raised two shepherds named Paulie and Cheyenne for The Seeing Eye. Neither dog graduated from the program to become a guide dog, so they returned home to be family pets," she stated. "Paulie passed away in 2008, and Cheyenne passed away in 2020. Both dogs were a major part of my life."

The grand opening of the Captain's Bookshelf LFL was held on March 15, Captain's fourth birthday. "Captain is such a blessing to our lives that I wanted to dedicate my Little Free Library to him, the German shepherds that previously blessed my life and all the future German shepherds of my life," said Hersh.

Captain's Bookshelf LFL is located at 65 Wesley Road, Mohnton, just off Route 10. Because of safety concerns, Hersh asks that visitors park in the driveway, not on the roadway or grass. For more information, search for "Captain's Bookshelf Little Free Library" on Facebook.

Information about other LFLs in the area is available at http://www.littlefreelibrary.org/map.