Stories
Reading happiness ahead: Airstream Library returns
October 10, 2025
A gleaming landmark has returned at Aspen Country Day School: the Airstream library. Once a symbol of travel and adventure, this vintage trailer has been reimagined on our Castle Creek campus as a cozy, light-filled reading nook on wheels — a place where stories spill from the shelves and imagination takes the driver’s seat.
What began as a community dream is now a polished silver hub of creativity, thanks to the generosity of a book-loving ACDS family, and to faculty and staff who helped bring this project to life. The library, a huge hit with Lower Schoool students, first opened last winter.
Inside, the curved aluminum walls glimmer with possibility. Cushions invite readers to curl up with a good book, and shelves brim with an ever-growing collection designed to spark curiosity in even the youngest explorers. From adventure and fantasy to science, history, and picture books, the Aardvark Library is packed with stories waiting to be discovered. You can browse the full catalog online here.
“I believe that a school library is where a student’s curiosity grows. It’s a place where students can nurture a variety of interests and discover new worlds while in a cozy nook within the walls of the Aardvark Library.”
– Trish Devine, Fifth Grade Teacher & Library Coordinator
Teacher Trish Devine has been the guiding force behind the project. “Books are one of the most essential tools for teaching lessons that nurture both academic and social growth,” she said. A self-professed bookstore enthusiast, she makes it a point to visit local libraries and bookstore children’s sections wherever she travels. Drawing from those experiences — and from her meticulous research, including into titles recognized by the Newbery, Caldecott, and National Book Awards — she curated a diverse collection of books that reflect a full spectrum of voices, genres, and experiences. The result, she says, is a “windows and mirrors” collection that allows students to see themselves in stories while also seeing into the lives of others.”I hope students look at the library as a welcoming place that belongs to them as they develop a lifelong love of reading.”
Additionally, the Aardvark Library offers teachers a wealth of resources: read-aloud selections for classroom use, titles that complement curriculum units, and books tied to holidays, monthly themes, and social-emotional learning.
The Aardvark Library welcomes ACDS parents and children after school on Mondays and Wednesdays from 3:20 to 4:15 pm to browse books together, settle in for a story, or simply experience this one-of-a-kind space that celebrates the joy of reading.
For Trish, the mobile library represents just the beginning of an even larger vision to help ACDS students grow into joyful, lifelong readers. Her hope is that the library will continue to evolve beyond the Airstream itself — with future author visits, student-led book clubs, and more community engagement centered around reading.
A student checkout system is currently being developed, along with a monthly newsletter featuring age-appropriate recommendations and seasonal themes. Keep an eye on @ the bridge for the latest book picks.