Harlem Public Library's StoryWalk Is Back in Session
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Harlem Public Library launched its first StoryWalk® for the season at the Harlem City Park on June 23. The theme for the library's Summer Reading Program is "All Together Now," a theme that harmonizes well with the idea of kindness, according to Assistant Librarian, Carly Vauthier.
The current book on the StoryWalk is Try a Little Kindness by Henry Cole. This walk is comprised of nineteen panels, each telling a portion of the story. For example, towards the end of the book, Cole invites readers to reflect on each day and to plan for the next: "Think of new good deeds to do, and some nice things to say. Then you'll know why kindness counts, and look forward to each day."
Other titles scheduled for the StoryWalk are 12 Days of Kindness by Jenna Lettice, All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold, and The Circles All Around Us by Brad Montague, which is the debut picture book from the creator of Kid President. Several of these titles were donated in the memory of former Turner Public School's eighth grader Preston Egbert.
"All of our StoryWalk books are related to kindness this summer, and they've been lovingly donated in memory of Preston Egbert by an individual who wishes to remain anonymous," Vauthier reported.
On June 29, Vauthier took down the current book with plans to replace it with the second title either this week or the next. Collaborating with the grounds keepers at Harlem City Park, Vauthier doesn't want the book displays to interfere with the lawn mowing schedule. As a result, every other week a book is scheduled to come down and another will go up.
Vauthier's goal is to install a StoryWalk in Turner in time for the Big Flat Fun Day-Car Show & Fly In, which is slated for Saturday, July 22.
StoryWalk was an idea conceived by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, Vermont, and developed with the help of Rachel Senechal, formerly of the Kellogg-Hubbard Library. It was shared by the State Library during the COVID-19 outbreak so that libraries in Montana could maintain their outreach efforts. "It's something that we wanted to continue," Vauthier stated.
Because StoryWalk is a program that intends to combine physical activity with literary, the pages from a children's book are laminated, attached to wooden stakes, and installed along an outdoor path in the community. In Harlem, those panels run parallel to a sidewalk on the City Park's southern boundary. As strollers move down the path, they can read each page in the story.
The last panel on the StoryWalk expresses gratitude to the City of Harlem Staff and Public Works Crew as well as to the Town Pump Charitable Foundation for making the StoryWalk a reality.
