Stay Home and Read a Book Ball on February 18 to raise funds for the Knox County Public Library's Storybook Trails

Friends of the Knox County Public Library encourages the community to read for a cause during its third annual Stay Home and Read a Book Ball on Saturday, February 18. Funds raised during this non-event will be used by the Knox County Public Library to maintain their Storybook Trails and seasonally rotate the story panels.

Storybook Trails provide an active reading experience where families can walk the trails and read together. Each story encourages a love of reading, imagination, movement, and the outdoors as readers move from panel to panel (like reading a page in a book) along the trail. Panels contain Spanish language translations, and select panels provide prompts for movement and/or thought.

The first permanent Storybook Trail was installed in West View Park in September. Two additional Storybooks Trails have also been installed in Collier Preserve Park and Ijams Nature Center.

The Honorary Chair for this year's Stay Home and Read a Book Ball is children's author and illustrator Deb Pilutti, whose book Old Rock (is not boring) is the first book featured on the Collier Preserve Storybook Trail. Ms. Pilutti said, "Staying home and reading is my idea of a party! I have always found comfort in the pages of a book.

"I am grateful to public libraries for making good stories accessible to all, and to Knox County Public Library for choosing Old Rock (is not boring) to be featured on the Collier Preserve Storybook Trail. Two of my favorite things are reading and being in nature, and a Storybook Trail perfectly combines the two. Old Rock is right at home on the trail, among the trees and rocks and animals. It makes me happy to think that children will read Old Rock while experiencing and wondering about the natural world around them."

Donations to the Stay Home and Read a Book Ball can be made online at https://www.knoxfriends.org/news-events/book-ball/ or by mailing a check to the Friends office at 500 W. Church Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37902. Participants are encouraged to share a photo of the book they are reading on social media on February 18, using the hashtags #bookballKnox and #stayhomeandread.

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