A family-friendly outdoor multilingual program that combines reading with the outdoors kicked off Monday and will go through May 10 at nearby Franklin Park, the Hyde Park Library and Iacono Park in Hyde Park.
The city’s second StoryWalk series will be held at Franklin Park, the Hyde Park Library at 35 Harvard Ave. and Iacono Park at 150 Readville Street and features “Augustus and his Smile” in both English and Spanish as well as library activities.
At the park locations there will be a multicultural “board book” that lets young children explore the area. The board book’s bold illustrations show children the people and animals they will meet, and objects that they will see and hear during the outdoor park experience. Laminated pages from children’s books are attached to wooden stakes and installed along outdoor paths. As visitors stroll through the park, they are directed to the next page in the story.
According to the Boston Public Library, “Augustus goes on a journey to find his lost smile, and discovers so much about the natural world: shiny insects, birds, mountains, fish, and even a rainstorm. Celebrate the beauty of nature with this gorgeously illustrated tale.”
Over at the Hyde Park Library there will be Facebook Live craft videos posted that participants can watch asynchronously for the duration of the Storywalk installation
The Boston Parks and Recreation Department teamed up with the Boston Public Library, the Highland Street Foundation, the New England Patriots Foundation, and Xfinity to produce the series of these StoryWalk installations at 10 neighborhood parks across the city.
After completing the StoryWalk, City of Boston residents are invited to scan the QR code and enter their information to enter to win one of five grand prizes of a Kindle with a three-month Kindle Unlimited subscription courtesy of Xfinity.
The StoryWalk Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, Vermont, and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library as an innovative way for children and adults to enjoy both reading and the outdoors.
The distance between stations will naturally support social distancing, but visitors are reminded to stay six feet away from those who are not members of their own household. Face coverings must be worn in public parks. If participants find the StoryWalk to be crowded, they are encouraged to come back another time or choose a different StoryWalk location.