Throughout November, the Community Foundation’s First Steps initiative worked with partners across the region to hold Book Walks featuring three classic children’s books: If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, If You Give a Pig a Pancake, and If You Give a Moose a Muffin. Imagine our delight when we heard from the author, Laura Numeroff, that she was excited to have her work featured!
“My reaction when I learned that my books were being used for Book Walks was pure joy! I was extremely thrilled to find out it wasn’t just one title but three of them,” said Laura. “I LOVE this format. Sharing picture books while enjoying fresh air is a top-notch combination. I wish they had something like this when I was growing up!”
The author of 47 books (and illustrator of nine of them), Laura published her first book in 1975 as a senior at Pratt Institute. She shared: “I took a class in writing and illustration picture books and ended up getting a homework assignment published by Macmillan before I graduated. I’m so lucky and blessed to be able to make a living doing something I absolutely love!”
Thank you for sharing your wonderful books with all of us, Laura!
About the Book walks
Placed at six locations around the New River Valley, each Book Walk featured pages of a children’s book spread out along a walking path that could be read as community members traverse the path. First Steps worked together with the Montgomery-Floyd Regional Library, United Way of Southwest Virginia, and Blacksburg High School DECA to develop the walks, and each one was generously sponsored by a local civic organization or early education provider.
Thank you to our sponsors who helped make this year’s Book Walks a success: Radford Child Development Inc., Giles Early Education Project, Virginia Tech’s Child Development Center for Learning & Research, Montgomery-Floyd Regional Library, Giles County Kiwanis Club, NRCA Head Start, and Rainbow Riders.
Spotlight on Our Blacksburg Book Walk
At Virginia Tech, the Child Development Center for Learning and Research hosted and sponsored one of the six Book Walks. This walk was placed around the Duck Pond and featured the book “If You Give a Moose a Muffin”. Watch the below video to learn more.