The Arctic-themed alphabet book, Never Rub Noses with a Narwhal by Ruth Wellborn, is featured in a story walk at the Gateway Mall. (Alison Sandstrom/paNOW Staff)

By Alison Sandstrom

Literacy Day

Finding fun in literacy: story walk at the Gateway Mall

Jan 27, 2021 | 1:26 PM

A story walk at the Gateway Mall invites families to explore the pages of an alphabet book enlarged and pasted throughout the shopping centre.

Kara Thorpe, family literacy co-ordinator for the P.A. Literacy Network, says she hopes it provides families with an opportunity to learn and bond together.

“We want something fun and light in this time,” she told paNOW, explaining walking the mall and reading a book is a great “outing” for a cold day during the pandemic. “We want to celebrate being a family.”

The walk, which was set up on Saturday, is one of several events taking place across the country to mark Family Literacy Day, Wednesday.

Thorpe said the Literacy Network has received such positive feedback on the activity they’re considering seeing if they can make it a regular feature in the mall, switching out the book every month. In the meantime, no date has been set to take down the current story walk, so families should be able to enjoy it for the next several weeks.

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“Family fun kits,” which include a copy of the artic-themed alphabet book featured in the walk, along with board games and glow sticks for a “Northern Lights dance party” are also available for pick-up at the P.A. Literacy Network’s office in the Gateway Mall. Thorpe explained they had 10 kits left, as of Wednesday.

On Wednesday morning, the Saskatchewan Literacy Network hosted a live-streamed reading of the book featured in the story walk. A recording of the livestream is available online.

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alison.sandstrom@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alisandstrom