StoryWalk® at Porter Memorial Library will feature a new beloved children’s book each month. At the end of their StoryWalk® at Porter Memorial Libary, visitors will find a healthy recipe inspired by the featured book that they can make at home. 

In October 2023, Healthy Acadia, Maine SNAP-Ed and Porter Memorial Library teamed up to launch a StoryWalk® on the library grounds in downtown Machias.

StoryWalk® is a literacy-boosting project that places an illustrated children’s book, taken apart and displayed page by page, along an easily accessible community walking route. The StoryWalk® at Porter Memorial Library features a different book each month, carefully selected to be woven with themes tied to the season.

A StoryWalk® is an innovative and interactive way to engage with a children's storybook while enjoying the outdoors. It combines the joy of reading with physical activity and the beauty of nature. The pages of a picture book are spread out sequentially along a walking path or trail. As visitors stroll along the path, they can read the story.

The project was initiated by Healthy Acadia Maine SNAP-Ed Nutrition Educator, Shannon Cherry, in partnership with Porter Memorial Library. In addition to offering healthy cooking and nutrition classes in schools and community settings, Maine SNAP-Ed Nutrition Educators also support local food projects throughout the year. These PSE (Policy, Systems, and Environmental) Change Projects help to increase community access to healthy, fresh food. 

Stop by the library this December and enjoy the StoryWalk.® Special thanks to the Wooleez of Maine for their sponsorship of our December 2023 book of the month!

To learn how to support the StoryWalk® at Porter Memorial Library, please contact Shannon Cherry at shannon.cherry@healthyacadia.org or (207) 255-3741.

The StoryWalk® Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, VT, and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library. Storywalk® is a registered service mark owned by Ms. Ferguson.