Tag Archives: StoryWalks

Storywalks 2025

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Are you smiling? After a long, cold bitter winter, we’re finally showered in sunshine and taking in not just green but all colours! If you can’t wait to go hiking, before you go, please don’t forget to check out the cool services that Vaughan Public Libraries offer – they may bring you more fun experiences and help you save some money.

First and foremost, our annual Storywalks are back to take your reading outdoors! Each spring, we put out beautifully designed storyboards of critically acclaimed picture books in our city parks and trails so you can read while you hike during the summer months. This year, we have eight Storywalks as outlined below, plus one pop-up Storywalk that you’ll have to discover in the city trails or events (it’s a secret for now, LOL). For details of these books, please keep on reading until the end of the post :).

Vaughan Public Libraries Storywalks 2025 at-a-glance

Second, Vaughan Public Libraries is introducing Birding Canada Backpacks this year in partnership with the City of Vaughan, Birds Canada, and Vortex Optics. These backpacks are designed to help you learn about local wildlife and enjoy the outdoors. Each backpack includes binoculars and a variety of resources to support both experienced birders and those trying birdwatching for the first time.

Third, we’ll be doing an Explore Your Trail program on July 5 at Marita Payne Park. Other than travelling the local trails with a high-tech twist, you’ll be introduced to the new Food Forest Community Garden at the park. This is a free-use vegetable garden for the community that is supported by the City of Vaughan. 

Of course, on top of these new initiatives, we continue to offer  Nature Backpacks and Ontario Park Passes. Check them out today and enjoy the outdoor fun!

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The Best of Two Great Worlds: Storywalks 2024

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Cover-image-for-French-book-Rikki- Rouquin-et-Rocco
Credit: Scholastic Canada

It’s Storywalks season! Now that summer is right around the corner, the annual tradition continues with a long list of participating parks and nature areas to enjoy. For those who may be unfamiliar, a storywalk is like a deconstructed dessert. What’s that you say? What do I mean by that, you say? Well, buckle in and let me tell you. Imagine a picture book that’s been unbound and turned into a series of two-page spreads. Then, picture these spreads turned into boards, rods inserted in the bottom and artfully arranged along one of Vaughan’s beautiful nature trails. It’s the best of both worlds (to borrow the parlance of our dear Hannah of Montana) — relaxing, getting exercise outside, and reading a story all at the same time. What follows is a comprehensive list of the selected stories and their corresponding locations. They will all be in place by mid-June! Maybe this year there’s an enticing book at a park you’ve never been to? There’s plenty to choose from below. Or, here’s an outlandish idea, what about a storywalk tour of all seven parks?

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Explore Vaughan with StoryWalks!

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It’s almost officially summertime, and StoryWalks are back! In partnership with the City of Vaughan’s Department of Parks, Forestry and Horticulture and five Canadian publishers to bring a selection of picture books to local Vaughan trails, where park visitors will be able to piece together stories one page at a time as they make their way along the trails. It’s a great way to explore the great outdoors while fostering a love of reading. You’ll find one picture book in each of Vaughan’s five wards, plus a sixth book at the Kortright Centre!  Read on for a taste of what to expect this year at our local parks. 

Ward 1: Mackenzie Glen District Park 

Little readers can follow the friendship journey of Emma and Frank at the Mackenzie Glen District Park, where we’ll be reading Friends for Real by Ted Staunton and illustrator Ruth Ohi (IG: @ruthohi / Twitter: @Ruth_Ohi). Mackenzie Glen is the perfect place to meet a new friend, whether it be on the soccer field, at the splash pad or playground, or maybe at one of the many concerts and events that take place on the park grounds (see The Caverners: Tribute to the Beatles on July 26!). This relatively flat parkland means it’s easy and accessible for families with little ones, and a parking lot and onsite public washrooms make picnicking a breeze. As part of the Bartley Smith Greenway (a 15 km trail running from Steeles Ave all the way up to Teston Rd) the park also has easy trails situated conveniently within a subdivision. 

Friends for Real is provided by Scholastic.

Ward 2: Nort Johnson District Park 

In Sometimes I Feel Like a River by Danielle Daniel (IG: @danielledaniel) and illustrator Josée Bisaillon (IG: @joseebisaillon), readers can follow short poems about nature that invite mindfulness as they stroll through the park. Young readers are encouraged to use all their senses to fully experience the world around them and connect with nature. With the poems spread throughout Nort Johnson District Park, travel the easy 1.5 km trail along the Humber River and focus your attention on the rushing water, the trees, the sunshine, and the birdsong as you make your way through the book. Located near the Woodbridge Pool & Memorial Arena, pop by Nort Johnson District Park after a swim for a picnic, or hit up the Woodbridge Village Farmers Market throughout the summer! Parking is available at the arena.  

Sometimes I Feel Like a River is provided by Groundwood Books.

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