Brooks’s Bookshelf was created in celebration of Brooks. The books are a way to share the joy of reading and spread awareness of Down Syndrome and other uniqueness. Handcrafted bookshelves are installed throughout the Hastings area, and surrounding communities. (Out of the 16 locations in Nebraska, 13 are in Hastings.) Each bookshelf includes books of all interests with specific books focused on kindness, inclusion, diversity, and understanding individuals with unique differences.

Funding from the Hastings Community Foundation’s grant program paid for the addition of a bookshelf in What The Dickens? bakery in downtown Hastings, and will keep the books supplied for the year.

“This donation helped us to provide another bookshelf for our community that is full of appealing, inclusive and educational books for the children of our town,” explained Kimberly Borrell, founder of Brooks’s Bookshelf. “Our bookshelves are well loved by families of all ages, and we are often asked for more location options.”

Books in Brooks’s Bookshelf range from picture/baby, up to early readers. The giving library is designed to foster an understanding of each child’s uniqueness. Children are welcome to take a book home in celebration of those differences and may keep the book or share it with a friend!