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Winter version of 'Story Walk' lines Powassan storefront windows

The library chose this time of year to introduce another Story Walk book because it wanted to add to the festive mood people find themselves in during this time of year
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Children in Powassan are getting to read a new Story Walk book with a Christmas theme. The pages are on display at 15 store fronts until mid December.

The success and popularity of a Story Walk project during the summer months has prompted the Powassan and District Union Public Library to bring back the reading program in a winter format.

Frank Longo, the library's programming and communications coordinator, says the library has laminated pages from the book Dashing Through the Snow. Each page has been placed in the storefront window of a Powassan business for children to read with their parents.

 In total, 17 pages were created and 15 businesses are taking part.

 Longo says Page 1 of the story starts at the newly created Little Library at the corner of Main Street and Memorial Drive and children follow the story through the storefront windows.

 Each participating business features one page of the book except for the local Home Hardware which is able to accommodate two full pages because it has larger windows.

 Dashing Through the Snow was written by Canadian author Helaine Becker and illustrated by Werner Zimmermann.

 It's a follow-up to an earlier book Becker wrote that features a wild cast of Canadian characters.

 In the follow-up, the characters take over Christmas and in the process, everyone gets the wrong Christmas presents.

 In terms of the timing, Longo says the library chose this time of year to introduce another Story Walk book because it wanted to add to the festive mood people find themselves in during this time of year.

 Longo says public reaction to what the library has done has been positive, with people saying “it's a great idea.”

 Longo says in addition to the public's positive response, the businesses were very open to the idea from the start.

 “It's nice to have partnerships with local businesses and it's also another way to get people to come downtown,” Longo said.

 Longo says to further engage the kids, the library created an awards program for children who read Dashing Through the Snow from start to finish.

 “We put together a question card the kids pick up at the library and they answer several questions about the book as they go from store to store reading the pages,” Longo said.

 “They then return the completed card to the library and receive a book from a Powassan author.”

 The Story Walk pages will be on display in the storefronts until mid-December.

 Longo says afterward they'll be stored away with the goal of using them again at some time in the future.

 Longo also says chances are good that in addition to the library having another Story Walk project next summer, it may have the winter one again, considering how well it's caught on and has been received.

 Rocco Frangione is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter who works out of the North Bay Nugget. The Local Journalism Initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.