This is the overwhelming feeling that floods your senses as you enter the Ben Carson Reading Room at Francis W. Parker Montessori School in Indianapolis, IN. Built in the west section of the library, the afternoon sun flows in to warm the students as they relax in truly cozy settings. The entrance to the Reading Room area of the library is reminiscent of the 60s, since the “wall” that separates the library from the Reading Room is made similar to the bead curtains of that era. The only difference is instead of beads on the strings, there are colorful circles, interspersed with rings on the ceiling to floor strings, in teal and lime green.
The rope hammock in the corner cubbyhole has just enough room to sway, since a book might take the reader on a ship on the high seas! The vermillion catcher’s-mitt-shaped stuffed chair, not only fits like a glove, but feels like a hug! Under a low shelf next to the hammock’s cubbyhole, is a perfect hideaway for a sojourn to a place limited only by the imagination released by a book!
Lined with flat cushions on the floor and a bolster cushion for the student’s head, where the student can lounge, there is another smaller circle-and-ring curtain to give the child a bit of privacy to feel as if they are in their own private little world as they read.
We especially thank the Indiana University School of Medicine for their generosity and support in making this Reading Room a reality!
