The Wyatt family found a way to promote literacy from their front yard in SE Wichita and their neighbors used it all the time.
"You leave a book and you take a book," said neighbor Archer Henning.
Lots of kids loved the Little Free Library, but no one more than Karina Wyatt's four-year-old step daughter Alex.
"She donated a lot of her Clifford and Barbie books," said Wyatt.
Early Thursday morning someone set the library on fire. Karina says explaining that to her young daughter wasn't easy.
"I said 'Yes honey, the books are gone' and she just got really quiet. She didn't know what to say," said Wyatt.
Wyatt says the library was full of books but now all that remains are burnt pages that are flying around the neighborhood.
"It's kind of devastating," said Wyatt.
Katie Henning brings her son Archer by the library about once a week to swap books.
"It's a really cool thing they did for this neighborhood," Henning said, "and now somebody has just completely disrespected it."
Henning hopes the vandalism will not ruin the reading cycle going strong on their street.
"I think the neighborhood will watch out a lot more from now on."
The Wyatt's built the library from donated materials after last April's tornado totaled their home. They are determined to rebuild.
"This isn't going to bring us down. We're sad but it's not going to bring us down," said Wyatt.
This is the second time the Wyatt's library has been vandalized. They are moving this weekend and plan to rebuild at their new house.
