Participants study pages from "Creekfinding: A True Story" written by Jacqueline Brigs Martin and illustrated by Claudia McGehee as part of a StoryWalk activity put together by the Etna Library. (Courtesy Etna Library)
Participants study pages from "Creekfinding: A True Story" written by Jacqueline Brigs Martin and illustrated by Claudia McGehee as part of a StoryWalk activity put together by the Etna Library. (Courtesy Etna Library) Credit: —Courtesy photograph

Etna — Being outside and spending time with a book are two activities that are undoubtedly good for people of all ages. Now, a new StoryWalk exhibit at the Etna Library aims to join them together, allowing families to read a story while walking a trail on the grounds adjacent to the library.

“It’s something libraries are doing to make stories come more alive for children and to combine nature and books,” said Etna librarian Barbara Prince, who spearheaded the project.

StoryWalk is a program created by Montpelier resident Anne Ferguson, with assistance from Rachel Senechal, of the Kellogg-Hubbard Library in Montpelier. Laminated pages of children’s books are posted along a walking trail, allowing families to follow the story as they stroll along the path.

Bringing a StoryWalk to Etna was a natural fit since the library abuts the Hayes Farm Park and is near the Nan and Allen King Bird Sanctuary. Given that the library is surrounded by natural lands, Prince was keen to get more visitors into the outdoors and walking the nearby trail that cuts through the farm and toward the sanctuary.

“We’re right on these beautiful fields and the trail goes through orchards and along stone walls,” she said, adding that the library already has a focus on combining books and nature with conservation books and binoculars available to borrow.

“This is our niche,” she said.

Keeping with that theme, Prince selected the book Creekfinding: A True Story written by Jacqueline Briggs Martin and illustrated by Claudia McGehee. The book tells the story of a man who brought a creek back to life in the prairie, restoring the natural habitat.

“I wanted to find a book that really really went with the walk,” Prince said. “What could be more appealing to kids than nature and big machines?”

The walk is a fit for people of all ages, Prince said. She encourages adults with children to ask the kids questions about the book to draw them into the story and resist the temptation to just race from one page to the next.

Creekfinding will be on display through Aug. 17 and then another title will be selected for the StoryWalk. Although Prince hasn’t yet chosen a title, it’s sure to be something that combines nature and literature.

“They’re both so important to me,” Prince said. “Books open your mind to a whole world of ideas and being empathetic to people. Nature is so important: conserving and keeping what we have and instilling in children a love of nature as well, so they will want to preserve land for the birds and the pollinators.”

Editor’s note: The Etna Library is located at 130 Etna Road in Etna. For more information on the library and the StoryWalk, visit www.hanovernh.org/etna-library or call 603-643-3116.