By Julia Beauregard
Hometown Weekly Editor
Late last month The Dover Town Library (DTL) placed a new StoryWalk at the lower level entrance, near the children’s room for little readers and their families to enjoy. The book selected for this StoryWalk was Say Something by Peter H. Reynolds.
This powerful, eighteen paged children’s story is about teaching children how to find their voice and how to use it to make the world a better place. The story encouraged the reader to use their voice in a variety of ways, such as: standing up for themselves, creating, and most importantly, to use their voice to speak their truth. It contained simple language, lively illustrations, and a very important message for all of the young readers to take in as they continued to read along on their stroll outside of the library.
Within a StoryWalk, an illustrated children’s book is taken apart, page by page, and displayed along a walking route. This StoryWalk began near the lower level entrance and weaved through the front of the library, by the main entrance, and reached its ending by the patio in the rear of the building.
This movement exists to promote literacy skills and encourage physical activity. Not only this, but the vast majority of StoryWalks are displayed outdoors, so it brings these children outside to enjoy nature. It encompasses everything a parent could possibly want to engage their kids in.
After reading a single page, the child is enticed to walk over to the other page to read on. The completion of the StoryWalk provided double satisfaction as the child can relish in completing the quest to finish the story and completing their walk.
When asking a local child how they felt about the StoryWalk, upon completion, she stated: “the only thing that I didn’t like was that I wished it was longer. I did like the ending of the story, though.”
The StoryWalk project was created by Anne Feurgerson of Montpelier, Vermont. The project was developed in collaboration with the Vermont Bicycle & Pedestrian Coalition and the Kellogg Hubbard Library.
To check out this StoryWalk, head down to the Dover Town Library! Be sure to check out their website for the variety of programs and activities that they offer to the community: http://dovertownlibrary.org/
