CUMBERLAND COUNTY, N.C. — It’s National Library Week, and this year’s theme is “There’s More to the Story,” which celebrates different formats of books and the many kinds of media that can be borrowed from a library.
A perfect example of this theme is the new story walk at Lake Rim Park in Cumberland County: An interactive outdoor reading experience that helps kids engage with books.
When you think about reading a book, you probably wouldn’t picture running, jumping, twirling and screaming, but Faith Phillips, the director of Cumberland County Public Libraries, does.
“Really, story walks are all about getting out in the outdoors and engaging with the environment in different ways, and it shows us that literacy is all around us, books are all around us,” Phillips said. “It’s a great way to get interactive in just a different way.”
It’s that sort of interactive reading Phillips says sparked her love of books at a young age and inspired her to make a career out of it.
“One thing I remember from my childhood is that my mom would spend time reading with me, and there was this one book, and it was called ‘How the Spider Saved Halloween,’ and it was this great story of this spider and how he dressed up like a pumpkin and saved their Halloween party,” Phillips recalled. “And I remember how she would do voices, and she would draw pictures, and the way we engaged with it, it just made it come alive, and it’s still one of my favorite books.”
The story walk at Lake Rim Park is the second one in Cumberland County, and it’s been giving families a unique way to do some reading.
“At the library we do story times. We do all kinds of programs. We do craft programs, literacy programs,” Phillips said. “What makes this one different is that you can go at your own pace, and you can run and jump and twirl and be outside while you’re reading a story.”
And while it may look like it’s all fun and games, there’s more to the story than that. These story walks promote science, technology, engineering, arts and math too, making it the perfect pairing of learning and fun.
The story walk will change out books throughout the year, giving families a chance to explore several books. The story walk at Lake Rim Park is open daily during normal park hours.
