Families soon will be able to read with their children while taking a walk in a Franklin park.
About 20 pedestals will be installed at the urban forest, south of downtown Franklin, with pages of a book on each stand. The story walk will lead people from one pedestal to the next, so families will read the entire book by the time they get to the end of the trail.
Books will be swapped out every few months, said Johnson County Public Library Director Lisa Lintner. The pages will be laminated and protected from the weather, she said.
The books along the story walk will be geared toward preschoolers or children starting to learn how to read, Taylor said.
The first book will be “Duck on a Bike” by David Shannon, which represents the summer reading theme of fitness, health and wellness, but also incorporates the agricultural side of Johnson County, Franklin library branch manager Sarah Taylor said.
The story walk will cost about $5,000 to install, with half being covered by a donation, Lintner said. About five years ago, the Franklin branch received a $2,500 donation from former Franklin College professor Micah Ling who won a statewide author award.
The story walk will be unveiled June 6, which also will kick off the summer reading program, Lintner said.
