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A Walk and A Book
Written By: Deena Bouknight | Issue: June 2023
Cashiers’ Village Green features an irresistible stroll through the magic of story telling with StoryWalk.
Reading outside – on the beach or on a park bench – requires a book or device.
However, increasingly popular and widely accessible, in many towns and cities, is StoryWalk. Colorful, weather- proof signage-like presentations of each page of a children’s picture bookare affixed on posts and then installed in order on some sort of walking path or trail.
For a while, StoryWalk has been a fixture on Cashier’s Greenway Ramble, a winding network of trails, sidewalks, and pedestrian-friendly roads that connects in-town parks, commercial districts, and community buildings. Families with children often venture to the Greenway Ramble to enjoy reading the latest book together. StoryWalk is an opportunity for school-aged children to practice reading and for parents and guardians to talk about featured stories with children.
Presently on display on the Greenway Ramble is Run, Little Chaski! by Mariana Llanos. Albert Carlton- Cashiers Community Library’s Branch Librarian Serenity Richards explained the story’s plot: “It’s an Incan story about a young messenger on the Inca Trail and his adventures trying to deliver an important message. The book and activities are bilingual.”
Two recent books on StoryWalk were Frozen, based on the Disney movie, and The Mitten, by Jan Brett; it is a retelling of the Ukrainian folk- tale where several animals sleep snugly in character Nicki’s lost mitten, until the bear sneezes.
Richards noted that StoryWalk will continue to be updated throughout the summer. “In the latter part of June, we’ll be installing Luz Lucero, Niña Astronauta by Zadia Hernandez. The book tells the story of the first kid astronaut. It is also fully bilingual.”
Officially, the StoryWalk project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, Vermont, and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library. StoryWalk is a registered service mark owned by Ferguson.
Gradually, the concept caught on so that now there are StoryWalk books installed in all 50 states and in 13 countries. In fact, the Story Trails of North Carolina site provides a map indicating all the spots in the state where StoryWalk’s children’s books are on display. As the State Library of North Carolina site touts: “These programs are a wonderful family-friendly activity that promotes early literacy development and outdoor adventures.”
A Greenway Ramble map is downloadable on the cashiersramble.com site. The map shows exactly where StoryWalk is located and indicates the trails to take to get there.
