Permanent StoryWalk installed on Safford multi-use path

Photo Courtesy Lesley Talley: Safford Safford City-Graham County Library Early Literacy Coordinator Retha Russell stands next to one of the StoryWalk boards installed on the Safford multi-use path. Boards are placed along the paths so people can read and get some exercise.

Contrbuted Article/Courtesy Safford Library

The first book on the StoryWalk is ‘Llama Llama Loves to Read.’

SAFFORD – The Safford City–Graham County Library, in collaboration with the Safford Parks Department, has installed a permanent StoryWalk along the Safford Cemetery loop of the multi-use path. The book starts near the Mount Graham High School parking lot and follows the loop heading North. 

StoryWalk is a wonderful way for adults and their young children or grandchildren to combine literacy skills and healthy exercise as they walk roughly 1.5 miles to each of the 20 reading stations along the walking path. The activity combines exercise and reading to further enhance health and literacy in children and adults. StoryWalk is a free activity for all visitors to the walking path. There are water fountains and benches located along the story path. 

The first installment of the Safford StoryWalk features “Llama Llama Loves to Read” by authors Anna Dewdney and Reed Duncan, and illustrator JT Morrow. This story celebrates the joy that comes with learning to read. With its rhythmic presentation and vivid illustrations, “Llama Llama Loves to Read” is sure to be a big hit with children and adults alike.

After success with a temporary holiday StoryWalk along Main Street, the library is pleased to offer this long-term project to the community. A new book will be added each month. Support for the Safford StoryWalk is provided by a grant from First Things First, Arizona’s early childhood agency, which funds early learning, family support, and children’s preventive health services to help kids be successful once they enter kindergarten. 

For information about the wide range of library services available to all county residents, visit: www.saffordlibrary.org, or follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/saffordlibrary, and Instagram @saffordlibrary.

 The StoryWalk Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, Vermont, and developed in collaboration with the Vermont Bicycle & Pedestrian Coalition (VBPC) and the Kellogg Hubbard Library.