(Chelsea Update would like to thank Keegan Sulecki for the information in this story.)
Chelsea District Library (CDL) recently announced the opening of a StoryBook Trail at Baker Woods Preserve, 11914 Trinkle Road in Lima Township.
With support through a grant from 5 Healthy Towns Foundation (5HF) and in partnership with the Washtenaw County Parks & Recreation Commission (WCPARC), this trail combines the joys of reading and the outdoors. Families are invited to walk the 0.5 mile trail, where they can read a book one page at a time. Each page is displayed in a permanent sign frame and also provides suggested activities to keep families engaged throughout the story.
The first title featured on the trail will be Life on Mars by Jon Agee in honor of CDL’s 2019 Summer Reading theme A Universe of Stories and will be on display throughout August.
The Storybook Trail installation allow stories to be swapped out regularly, so families are encouraged to come back often for a new experience.
Updates about the Trail can be found at www.chelseadistrictlibrary.org/storybook.
September will feature the book The Busy Tree by Jennifer Ward, illustrated by Lisa Falkenstern. This title was chosen to help support the WCPARC Junior Naturalists program and is an example of the great partnership that has grown between CDL and WCPARC over the course of this project.
“This project wouldn’t have been possible without Washtenaw County Parks & Recreation and they are a joy to work with,” said Keegan Sulecki, head of Information Services at CDL in a press release.
WCPARC provided support by cutting a new trail and installing the wood posts that support each frame and of course by allowing Baker Wood Preserve, located in Lima Township, to be used for this purpose. “We are so happy to partner with CDL and to introduce Baker Woods Preserve to library users. The StoryBook trail is a new and exciting opportunity to experience this beautiful landscape,” says Allison Krueger, stewardship manager at WCPARC.
While the trail is available each day to enjoy from dawn to dusk, CDL and WCPARC will both provide programs to get more families out to discover this new resource.
A Not-Too-Scary StoryBook Trail on Oct. 28 will be a partnership program and a special walk families can enjoy in costume.
Baker Woods Preserve Storybook trail was funded through a grant from 5 Healthy Towns Foundation. Visitors to the trail can offer support by sharing their feedback. At the last station of the trail, visitors will find a special link to share their thoughts and be entered into a drawing for a chance to win an animal finger puppet and seasonal book.
There will be a drawing for each new title on the trail so participants will have an opportunity to give their feedback and have a chance to win with each new book.
