Don’t have the time? Well, you don’t have to go too far. Try Batu 11 Cheras where the wooden houses lining its narrow roads feel like you’ve stepped back in time.
In fact, there’s a community library here called Little Giraffe Story House where you read a book while enjoying a meal in their in-house café called Always Lapar.
Little Giraffe Story House’s director, Lee Soon Yong, 35, told FMT Lifestyle the library was started in 2011. “A group of women wanted to provide children in the village a space where they could read and listen to stories,” he said.
Originally called the Little Giraffe Book Club, the library was housed in a shipping container and the books were donated by the public. Club members also held storytelling sessions inside the library.
Lee was studying architecture in Taiwan when he learnt about the initiative through social media. He had lived in the village until he was about three years old, and often returned to visit the people he knew.
“They treated me like their own son and gave me food and drinks,” he said, adding that he loved the strong sense of community there.
When he returned to Malaysia for good, he decided to help out with the library. Later, when he became its director, he realised the need for a bigger space.
There was a rather rundown house nearby, but Lee, now a practising architect, saw potential in it. Batu 11 Cheras was once a Chinese New Village and the wooden house, believed to be about 70 years old, was like most others there.
Lee knew that a little sprucing up was all he needed to give the house a new lease on life. He was thrilled when four friends, who were architects and interior designers, volunteered to help.
They resigned from their day jobs to spend six months renovating the house.
There were people who were shocked that they would leave their jobs. “But if you believe in something,” Lee said, “just do it. People will see the results later. Someone has to start it.”
True enough, people joined in to help in various ways, from cutting the grass to building bookshelves to contributing materials such as bricks and metal.
“We opened a platform for everyone to feel involved in the community,” Lee said, adding that some of the helpers weren’t even from the village.
The place was renamed Little Giraffe Story House after the renovations. That was in 2017.
Children now use the library as a place to read or to borrow books from. The library also organises storytelling sessions and movie nights.
There are about 3,000 books here, from picture books to novels to encyclopaedias. While some books are in Malay and English, most are in Chinese.
According to Lee, even parents from urban areas bring their children here. Some want to give their kids the chance to taste the simpler life. They come for the kampung vibe and also the delicious food – asam laksa, mee Jawa and nasi lemak – served at the in-house café.
To ensure the library’s future, however, Lee knows it’s important to keep up with trends.
“I keep reminding myself that times keep changing. Don’t just be satisfied with what I’m doing now but keep observing how human behaviours are changing. What do they like right now? What are the types of events that I can organise to attract more people?”
But even with the changing tides of time, Lee believes in the timeless appeal of physical books. “You can touch, smell and sort through them. The feeling of a book is different.”
Indeed, even in the era of online books, the charm of reading real books and spending time in a community library never goes out of style.
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Little Giraffe Story House
114, Jalan 15
Batu 11 Cheras
43200 Cheras Selangor
Opening hours: 10am-6pm. Closed on Wednesdays.