Mt Lees Reserve StoryWalk®

Manawatū Community Hub Libraries have worked with Gecko Press and children’s author Juliette MacIver to create an Outdoor StoryWalk® at Mt Lees Reserve.

The StoryWalk® was officially opened by Feilding Mayor Helen Worboys on the 3rd December 2022.

This is a must-see activity, and it is in a beautiful spot shaded with large trees and it has lots of fun things to climb all over in the adventure area. You will even find a few swings and it's the perfect place for a picnic.

StoryWalk® is a fun and interactive way for children and adults to engage with an outdoor environment, whilst reading pages of a book. The StoryWalk® Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, Vermont and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library.

The concept of a StoryWalk® took off in New Zealand during the first COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. Libraries throughout the country put up temporary signage boards with book pages laminated to them for people to read on their walks.

It is a great opportunity to help enhance literacy and add a fun element to it, and what better way than to read a story as you walk through the reserve.

Juliette MacIver - Author of The Grizzled Grist Does Not Exist! has been brought to life with this StoryWalk®. The book is beautifully illustrated by Sarah Davis which can be seen on each board you find.

The Grizzled Grist Does Not Exist! is one of Stuff's 22 of the best books of 2022.

At the very end of the StoryWalk® there is a surprize! An amazingly carved 'Grizzled Grist' to find that was created out of a labour of love over 20 hours.