Hattiesburg Pocket Museum brings storybooks to life with StoryWalk®

HATTIESBURG, Miss. (WDAM) - Exercise both your body and mind through the joy of reading as you walk through downtown Hattiesburg at StoryWalk®.

Created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, VT, the StoryWalk® Project transforms the pages of a book into signs laid out on a trail inviting families, children, caregivers, teachers and others to follow the path of pages. The internationally popular literary events have taken place in all 50 states and beyond - Germany, Canada, England, Bermuda, Russia, Malaysia, Pakistan and South Korea. Many of these installations are permanent or semi-permanent.

The Hub City’s StoryWalk®will run from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on May 20 at the Hattiesburg Pocket Museum. It will feature the book “What I Like About Me” by Allia Zobel Nolen, with illustrations by Miki Samamoto.

Stacy Creel, an associate professor in The University of Southern Mississippi’s School of Library and Information Science, spearheaded the move to bring StoryWalk® to Hattiesburg through the support of a community collaboration.

The first 300 children arriving for the Hattiesburg StoryWalk® will be eligible to receive a free, brand-new and age-appropriate book for their reading pleasure.

Although StoryWalk® is designed for younger children, older kids and adults can have fun too with other activities as they experience the joys of reading and exercise in the uniquely creative environment the Hattiesburg Pocket Museum offers.

Participants will also receive information about the summer reading program at the Library of Hattiesburg, Petal and Forrest County, along with a free book from the Hattiesburg Area Council on Literacy.

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