StoryWalk®

StoryWalk® is a fun, educational activity that places the pages of a book along a popular walking route. The pages of a children’s book are placed in holders along a path. As you walk the path you discover page after page, and pretty soon after a short stroll you have read a full story.

Our StoryWalk® was placed in Lincoln Memorial Garden and Nature Center in April of 2021 as part of the National Endowment of the Arts (NEA) Big Read. That year's title was "Lab Girl" by Hope Jahren with key themes of nature, women in STEM, and climate change. This collaboration between Lincoln Memorial Garden and Lincoln Library was a way to highlight those key themes and to get the people and families of Springfield and the local surrounding areas out to enjoy and learn about the landscape and history of our community. Lincoln Memorial Garden is dedicated to preserving the native Illinois landscape, and it was a perfect opportunity for us to promote healthy activity, nature, knowledge, and literacy.

16 aluminum posts are installed on a paved and fully accessible walking path near the Nature Center and include a new display quarterly. Surrounded by beautiful wildflowers all spring and summer long, families can stroll along and read a story while being surrounded by native plants and then head off into the trails of the Garden once they're done.