Let’s Raise The Conversation with a Book Walk
We are delighted to announce a new partnership with our friends at Storytime Trail for the Ministry Forum Book Walk Project! We look forward to bringing communities, just like yours, together - one page at a time.
When I was in congregational ministry, we partnered with Storytime Trail to engage not only our church folx but also the wider community just outside our doors… and it was a great experience. We had chats with people passing by with kids and local dogs and so much more. All ignited by our passion for books and reading. We’d love for other congregations across Canada to experience that same energy this summer and fall on their church properties.
Set for official launch in September 2026, the Book Walk Project is already gaining momentum, with successful pilot events held in Guelph, Mississauga, and Toronto. We are inviting congregations across Canada book their own events for this coming year NOW!
Developed in collaboration with Storytime Trail, the program transforms traditional reading into an immersive outdoor experience—encouraging reflection, conversation, and connection across generations.
What Is a Book Walk?
A “book walk” is a guided outdoor reading experience where pages of a picture book are displayed along a walking path. Participants move from sign to sign, reading the
story step-by-step while engaging in “live chat” and reflection. As noted by our friend and colleague, Laura Alary, Library Assistant at Knox College and author of over 20 children’s books:
“A book walk is a way of combining walking and reading… allowing children and adults to enjoy a story together at their own pace.”
Why It Matters
The Book Walk Project offers more than storytelling—it creates space for meaningful dialogue around today’s most important themes:
Environmental stewardship and sustainability
Mental wellness
Reconciliation and inclusion
Community belonging and identity
With over 25 curated book options—many by Canadian authors—each walk can be tailored to reflect the interests and values of individual congregations.
A Simple, Powerful Community Tool
Designed with accessibility in mind, the program is easy to organize and sustain. It also provides a unique opportunity for churches to engage with their surrounding communities in a welcoming, low-barrier format. By working with our friends at Storytime Trail, “we’ve tapped into a wide inventory of Canadian children’s books… on topics that are deeply meaningful to our congregants and communities.”
Signs and wonder
Each Book Walk includes optional digital enhancements such as QR codes linking to curated videos featuring authors and subject experts. Richard Clewes, our Project Co-ordinator, is a graphic designer who, with his partner Sonya White, developed Storytime Trail “from the ground up” during the COVID crisis. Richard says “outdoor ‘book walks’ had been around for a while but we brought in digital features like QR codes that link to our “curated” videos featuring books creators and subject experts. Says Sonya: “It’s as if the author and illustrator are standing right beside you. That’s a very different way to read.”
Real Impact, Already Visible
At Kortright Presbyterian Church in Guelph, a pilot event held in partnership with Rooted - Centre for Theology and Eco-Justice sparked meaningful engagement around land stewardship and environmental care. Participants described the experience as both reflective and deeply connected to place.
Rev. Dr. Konnie Vissers, Executive Director of Rooted, spoke with appreciation of the narrative of their book walk choice: “Outside You Notice” as it connected to their commitment to food security and environmental stewardship. She put it this way: “The story’s themes are perfectly intertwined with our work at Rooted. And learning while walking through our gardens brought the point home on an otherwise mucky spring Saturday!”
Each of our selections carry a “Laura Recommends” endorsement, with accompanying summaries and activity guides to support organizers. For this one, Laura builds on Konnie’s experience: “Outside You Notice” is a gentle and appealing invitation to go outdoors, get to know the trees and flowers up close. It might be interesting to read Psalm 8 which portrays human beings as simultaneously small yet precious and “Outside, You Notice” together and ask questions like: Do these texts make you feel like you belong to the Earth, or have control over other creatures? If humans always think we are the most important, what does that do to our planet, and other living things?”
Now Booking for 2026
Wouldn’t it be amazing if hundreds of Presbyterian congregations across Canada joined with us to bring this project to life this year! Think of it… inviting your neighbourhood to a community gathering on your church property where they can engage in an intergenerational conversation centred on an amazing children’s picture book title. Fostering storytelling, dialogue, and engagement that matters.
Orders are now being accepted.
We hope to see many congregations enjoying the experience of a book walk with friends and family and neighbours across Canada - we’d love to see your pictures and share your stories. Because together, books can take us places we have never been.