Want a fun way to celebrate Earth Week with the children in your life? Hit the trail at four Seattle parks while reading amazing picture books that are installed along the way.
From Tuesday, April 19 to Tuesday, April 26, StoryWalks® will be installed at Herring’s House Park (Tualtwx) in the Duwamish industrial area; Lincoln Park in West Seattle, Green Lake Park in north Seattle and Genesee Park in south Seattle.
If you’re not familiar with StoryWalks®, get ready to experience reading in a new and active way. A picture book is installed on signposts along a path, which allows children and their caregivers to read along as they walk and enjoy the outdoors. A StoryWalk® encourages reading, imagination, fitness and exploring your community.
The four StoryWalks® installed during Earth Week 2022 feature culturally relevant picture books that seek to highlight diverse characters and experiences while emphasizing our shared connection to the natural world through lively storylines and vivid illustrations. Here are the books you’ll find at each park during Earth Week.
- Herring’s House Park (Tualtwx), 4570 West Marginal Way S.W., Seattle. Offered in partnership with the Duwamish Longhouse. Book: The Tin Forest, by Helen Ward and Wayne Anderson
- Genesee Park (between the playground and community center), 4316 S. Genesee St., Seattle. Book: We Are Water Protectors, by Carole Lindstrom and Michaela Goade
- Green Lake Park, (near the community center), 7201 E. Green Lake Dr. N., Seattle. Book: Harlem Grown, by Tony Hillery and Jessie Hartland
- Lincoln Park (between the upper parking lot and the playground), 8011 Fauntleroy Way S.W., Seattle. Book: The Storm Whale, by Benji Davies
Seattle Parks & Recreation is offering other Earth Week activities, including a celebration at Denny Park, a guided walk and bird tour at Discovery Park, and a celebration at High Point Park. Find a list of activities and educational videos at the Seattle Parkways blog, or download a flyer listing activities.
The Earth Week StoryWalks® are part of a collaboration between Seattle Parks & Recreation and The Seattle Public Library that started in 2021 to promote reading, community and outdoor fun. Thanks to The Seattle Public Library Foundation for donating StoryWalk® books.
The StoryWalk™ Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, VT and developed in collaboration with the Vermont Bicycle & Pedestrian Coalition and the Kellogg Hubbard Library.
P.S.: Want to explore more Earth Week reads? Check out the Blue Planet book list, with reading suggestions for readers of all ages that relate to the Seattle Art Museum’s “Our Blue Planet: Global Visions of Water” exhibit (through May 30, 2022).
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