For a group of fathers in Atlanta, the library has become a meeting place for books, bonding and friendship.

The group, known as the Library Dads, grew out of Khari Arnold’s regular trips to the library with his infant daughter, Araya. Arnold said he started taking her to build a meaningful connection and make reading part of their routine.

“After doing it for a year, I decided it would make sense to get other dads involved in learning how to bond through books, through going to the library, and we from there built a brotherhood,” Arnold said.

Arnold later posted an Instagram reel about their library visits and invited other fathers to join. Local dads soon began turning up with their children for gatherings the group calls “Library Link-Ups.”

The meet-ups include story time, one-on-one reading sessions between dads and their children, and what the group calls “tickle time.”

For Arnold, the group is also about support between fathers.

“One of our favorite sayings is, ‘It’s one thing to have men in your circle; it’s another thing to have men in your corner,’” Arnold shared.

That message connected with fathers including Cassell Scott, who recently attended with his 3-year-old daughter, Amale.

“I think it was eye opening to see other dads like myself who are engaged, actually motivating as well,” Scott said.

The group’s focus on reading comes as educators across the country look for ways to improve literacy at an earlier age. Studies have found that more than half of adults in the United States read below a sixth-grade level.

Research from Ohio State University found that children who are read one book a day hear about 300,000 more words by age 5 than children who are not regularly read to by a parent.

Arnold said he has already seen the effect with his own daughter. By 18 months old, he said, she had a working vocabulary of 250 words.

“We want to bond through books and build a brotherhood,” Arnold said. “One of the things we want to do here is reduce that feeling of isolation and also reverse the literacy crisis.”

The push for early reading is also getting backing in Georgia. Lawmakers recently passed the Georgia Early Literacy Act of 2026, which will fund literacy coaches in elementary schools and strengthen dyslexia screening requirements.

Read more from Sunny Skyz.