Time loops in the sweetest way when a dad realizes his daughter picked the exact book he once borrowed from the same school library.
Every once in a while, the universe drops a tiny miracle into your lap. The kind that makes you pause mid-scroll and think, “Wait… that can’t be real, can it?” This is one of those stories.
A father recently discovered that his daughter had borrowed the exact same book from her school library that he himself borrowed from the very same library 34 years ago. Same title. Same place. Different generation.
If that doesn’t sound like the plot of a heartwarming family movie, I don’t know what does.
Back to 1991: A Boy and A Book
So let’s rewind the clock.
It’s 1991. A young boy, Jacky Tan Kok Leong, wanders into his school library. Maybe he’s dodging homework. Maybe he’s looking for adventure that doesn’t involve algebra. The shelves are tall, the air smells faintly of paper and glue, and somewhere between the rows, one book catches his eye.
He borrows it.
He takes it home.
He reads it.
Then life happens. School ends. Years pass. The memory of that book fades into the background. It’s not gone, just tucked away somewhere in the attic of his mind.
Fast forward more than three decades.
That boy is now a father.
A Young Girl’s Journey to the Library
Years later, his daughter walks into her school library, likely the same one he once knew, maybe with fresher paint and newer chairs, but still holding that quiet magic libraries always have.
She browses.
She finds a book.
She borrows it.
And without realizing it, she picks up the very same title her father once held in his own hands all those years ago.
She takes it home, ready to lose herself in the pages.
When her dad discovers this, the moment hits him like a soft emotional punch. A strange, wonderful feeling of time looping back on itself, of seeing your child unknowingly mirror a tiny piece of your past.
He says he would “cherish this wonderful fate and read the book again.”
Honestly? Who wouldn’t? Clearly, the universe wants him to revisit the story.
Cue the Internet Melting
Naturally, once this story made its way online, people lost their collective minds in the best possible way. “This is so wholesome,” one person commented. “It’s like destiny,” said another.
Others started asking practical questions: How is the book still in such good condition? Is it really the same physical copy? Do school libraries even keep books that long?
And sure, it’s possible the library replaced the original copy over the years. Maybe it’s a newer edition. Maybe the old one was retired and reborn in a shinier jacket.
But that’s not really the point.
The magic lies in the continuity of the story. The fact that the same title, the same narrative, the same adventure was waiting on the same shelves, ready for the next generation.
That’s what makes this feel special.
A Metaphor for Parenthood
Parenthood is full of moments where you see yourself in your child. The way they laugh. The way they sulk. The way they hold a pencil or frown at homework.
But this? This is different.
This is a quiet echo of the past, a reminder that your child is now living in a world that once shaped you. It’s a reminder that while they may be growing up to be like you, you were also once like them. You might be older now, wiser, more sensible. But at one point in your life, you were just like them. The young kid, picking up a book, is learning for the very first time.
It’s also a reminder of the importance of stories. Proof that stories outlive us, that libraries are our own local time machines, and that something as simple as a book can bridge decades.
Libraries: The Unsung Time Capsules
Libraries are vastly underrated marvels, especially primary school libraries. They’re one of the few places where time doesn’t rush. Where stories sit patiently, waiting for the next person to dive in for their next adventure, guided by curiosity.
Every book on those shelves has lived multiple lives, and will continue to do so until the pages become unstuck. They’ve been carried in backpacks, read under blankets with lights, scribbled in by accident. Returned late. Lost. Borrowed again. Each time they’re taken out, the books gain stories. Their written story may not change, but the book’s story does.
And in this case, one book waited long enough to have visited the same family twice.
That’s kind of incredible.
A Valued Moment Between Parent and Child
Now this dad gets to do something special. He gets to say, “I read that one too.” He gets to compare notes.
He gets to hear what his daughter thinks of the characters, the twists, and the ending. He gets to remember what he felt when he first turned those pages.
It’s no longer just a book. It’s a shared experience across time. And one day, maybe his daughter will tell her child about it. “Did you know your grandpa read this when he was my age?”
And just like that, the story grows roots.
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Millie Ramm
Millie has been writing since she was a child, and has spent more time with her nose in books than anywhere else. She has been ghostwriting novels and editing for the past few years, and when not working she is curled up with her cats, looking for her next read.
