Historic Deerfield invites visitors to take a walk and enjoy the story of the Ox-Cart Man, a Caldecott Medal winning children’s book by Donald Hall, during “StoryWalk® Day” on Saturday, November 7, from 1 p.m.  – 4:30 p.m. at the History Workshop, 110 Old Main Street, in Historic Deerfield.  The StoryWalk at Historic Deerfield will also be open on Sunday, November 8, from 12 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

StoryWalk combines the pleasures of reading wonderful children’s books aloud with all the joys and benefits of walking together outdoors. StoryWalk is a fun, educational activity that places the pages from a children’s story along a popular walking route in your community. You may have seen one placed on posts around a library or along a path in a park, on storefronts down Main Street, or on the walls of a long hallway. Conceived as a way to inspire parents, teachers, and other adults to take young children outdoors to enjoy reading stories together, StoryWalk helps build children’s interest in reading while encouraging healthy outdoor activity for both children and their grown-ups.  StoryWalk was created by Anne Ferguson in Montpelier, Vermont, when she worked for the Vermont Department of Health. Anne was thinking about ways to prevent or lessen the impact of chronic disease on adults and children by increasing physical activity. She wanted to find something that was fun for families to do together in natural settings.

Published in 1983, Ox-Cart Man is “a lyrical journey through the days and weeks, the months, and the changing seasons in the life of one New Englander and his family…He travels over hills, through valleys, by streams, past farms and villages. At Portsmouth Market he sells his goods, one by one – even his beloved ox. Then, with his pockets full of coins, he wanders through the market, buying provisions for his family, and returns to his home. And the cycle begins again.”

For more information, contact Faith Deering, Museum Educator, at (413) 775-7116 or email fdeering@historic-deerfield.org.