Children are encouraged to explore the outdoors while reading pages of a book. Photo: Supplied
A StoryWalk will allow kids and adults to explore the outdoors while reading this summer.
Manawatū District Libraries, in conjuntion with Gecko Press and children's author Juliette MacIver, is bringing its StoryWalk concept to Mt Lees Reserve.
A StoryWalk allows children and adults to engage in the outdoors while reading pages of a book scattered around a location.
The StoryWalk Project was first created in the United States by Anne Ferguson and the Kellogg-Hubbard Library.
It took off in New Zealand during the first Covid-19 lockdown in 2020, when libraries around the country put up temporary signage boards with book pages laminated to them for people to read on their walks.
Manawatū's StoryWalk will feature Juliette MacIver's picture book The Grizzled Grist Does Not Exist.
It tells the story of a school trip to the hills that goes awry until one child with a special skill saves the day.
Library programmes leader Marie Willis said Juliette did a reading of the book at the Coach House Museum in August as part of the Story Lines Story Tour and the children who attended loved the story.
"We asked if she would be keen to be involved with the StoryWalk concept and she was right on board."
"We love the idea of bringing The Grizzled Grist Does Not Exist into the outdoors both because it really relates to the book, and also because it encourages children to discover the fun of reading in a way that is novel and child-centred," Julia Marshall, founder of Gecko Press, said.
Visitors to Mt Lees will be able to enjoy the StoryWalk following its unveiling on Friday 2 December while another semi-permanent fixture could be installed at Feilding's Kōwhai Park in 2023.