StoryWalk at Chet Hobert Park - Clarke County Education Foundation

Visit the StoryWalk™ at Chet Hobert Park

The CCEF is proud to sponsor a literacy initiative for the whole family in our community! Read a children’s book while you enjoy a nature walk at Chet Hobert Park. The StoryWalk™ Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, VT and developed in collaboration with the Vermont Bicycle & Pedestrian Coalition (VBPC) and the Kellogg Hubbard Library. This project is being funded by the Clarke County Education Foundation as a gift to the Clarke County community in celebration of the CCEF’s 30th Anniversary. The StoryWalk™ has 20 signs placed along the 2-mile fitness trail, each with a page of the book to read and discussion prompts. The signs are a permanent fixture in the park and will be changed at least three times per year for the community to enjoy.

Visit our latest Storywalk™

Izzy Gizmo

by Pip Jones & Sara Ogilvie

A young Black girl builds confidence in her engineering skills as she helps an injured crow fly again in this vibrant, STEAM-infused tale of determination, ingenuity, and friendship.

Izzy Gizmo’s inventions are marvelous, magnificent…and often malfunction. Despite the fact that she loves to invent, it never seems to work out in her favor. But when she finds a crow with a broken wing, she has to help!

Izzy tries again and again to build the crow a new pair of wings, but nothing is working. Can Izzy overcome her failures? Or is her friend destined to live as a crow who can’t fly?

Author Pip Jones tells an inspiring story of creativity and perseverance in the face of failure while spotlighting friendship and intergenerational relationships. Bright, zany art from the acclaimed Sara Ogilvie adds to the zeal.

Past StoryWalks™

Winter 2023

Fall/Winter 2023

Winter 2022/Spring 2023

Summer 2023

Fall 2022

Upcoming StoryWalks™

Fall 2024 - Wonderfall by Michael Hall

This beautiful and informative picture book follows a single tree through the fall season, from the end of summer to winter’s first snowfall. A great read-aloud for home and the classroom by the New York Times–bestselling creator of My Heart Is Like a Zoo and Red: A Crayon’s Story.

Wonderfall follows a single tree through the changing of the seasons. People, animals, and vehicles pass in front of the tree, celebrating holidays, playing in its leaves, and getting ready for winter. Fifteen combined words (thankful + fall = thankFALL, plentiful + fall = plentiFALL) underscore the themes and concepts of the season, while the main attraction—the beautiful tree—drops acorns, loses leaves, and provides food and a home for a pair of scurrying squirrels. Two full spreads at the back of the book offer additional information about the animals featured in the book, as well as the science behind squirrels, acorns, and saplings.

Winter 2024 - City Shapes by Dianna Murray

Hunt for shapes of all kinds on this journey through a bustling city, illustrated by four-time Caldecott Honoree Bryan Collier!

From shimmering skyscrapers to fluttering kites to twinkling stars high in the sky, everyday scenes become extraordinary as a young girl walks through her neighborhood noticing exciting new shapes at every turn. Far more than a simple concept book, City Shapes is an explosion of life. Diana Murray’s richly crafted yet playful verse encourages readers to discover shapes in the most surprising places, and Bryan Collier’s dynamic collages add even more layers to each scene in this ode to city living.

Spring 2025 - The Lion Inside by Rachel Bright

A funny rhyming story about a meek little Mouse who sets out on a journey to find his roar.

In a dry dusty place where the sand sparkled gold, stood a mighty flat rock—all craggy and old. And under that rock in a tinyful house, lived the littlest, quietest, meekest brown mouse.

Fed up of being ignored by the other animals, Mouse wishes he could roar like Lion. But, as he discovers, even the biggest, bossiest people are scared sometimes…and even the smallest creatures can have the heart of a lion!

A modern classic, The Lion Inside has been translated into over 30 languages worldwide.

Summer 2025 - Superbat by Matt Carr

Pat the bat decides to be special… a SUPERBAT! But he soon realises this is harder than it looks. All his bat friends have amazing hearing. All of them can fly. And all bats can find their way in the dark. Pat is starting to think that he will never stand out – until a family of mice see him for what he really is… A HERO! A hilarious, heart-warming and strikingly illustrated debut picture book by a brilliant new talent, Matt Carr.