”Juliette came and did a reading of the book at the Coach House Museum back in August as part of the Story Lines Story Tour and the kids who attended absolutely loved the story,” library programmes leader Marie Willis says.
“We asked if she would be keen to be involved with the StoryWalk concept and she was right on board, so it’s been a pretty quick process.”
Mt Lees was seen as the perfect location for a StoryWalk given some of the developments that are happening at the reserve, including the installation of a new adventure area.
“We saw an opportunity to help enhance literacy and add a fun element to it, and what better way than to read a story as you walk through the reserve, plus you may find a little surprise along the way,” Willis says.
Gecko Press founder Julia Marshall says she loves the idea of bringing The Grizzled Grist Does Not Exist into the outdoors, both because it really relates to the book, and also because it encourages children to discover the fun of reading in a way that is novel and child-centred.
“Hopefully they will come back to the library to read it again!”
- Mt Lees Reserve is at 199 Ngaio Rd, Halcombe.