Visalia’s first Storybook Walk will officially open with a ribbon cutting at 9 a.m. on Friday, May 8 at Stonebrook Park, 1200 W. Hemlock.
Major Brett Taylor will be on hand to lead everyone around the path to read the story. The path features 15 kiosks, each with an enlarged page of a book so families can enjoy reading an entire story while walking through the park,
The story will be changed at the beginning of each month, so families can visit monthly for some outdoor exercise and enjoyment of a new reading adventure.
The project was proposed by Read for Life board member Ann Brodersen after she took her 2-year-old grandson to a storybook walk on the Rucker Army Base in Alabama.
“He had been there before, so he ran right to it,” said Broderson.
Last summer, her grandson and family had moved to Colorado Springs, and they found another storybook walk at the library there.
Broderson contacted the Visalia Parks & Recreation Department, which was excited about the idea, chose the location and installed the kiosks purchased by Read for Life.
“We appreciate the support of the Visalia Recreation Department and donations from those who support our goal of reading to young children,” said Ann. “We hope many families will enjoy the outdoor activity and reading together as a family.”
While Broderson was installing the book pages, she got several comments from people checking out the Storybook Walk.
One lady said, “I thought my grandkids might be a little too old for it, but they loved it.”
One adult told Broderson that she enjoyed reading the story herself and can’t wait for the next one to be put up in June.
Read for Life is a non-profit organization that works to provide books to young children who might not have access and to break the cycle of illiteracy through early intervention and community awareness. They collect gently used books to distribute and will have information at the ribbon cutting about their book boxes where people can drop off books for ages 0-7.