The Charlotte Helen Bacon Foundation is organizing a free StoryWalk in Sandy Hook Center, Saturday, February 22, 2 to 4 pm.

The leisurely walk will stop at local businesses where guest readers will greet listeners and read from the pages of the children’s book Good Dogs, Great Listeners — The Story of Charlotte, Lily, and the Litter. The book, which was published by Sandy Hook residents Joel and JoAnn Bacon, was released on February 22, 2015, and is celebrating its fifth birthday.

“Everyone at the CHB Foundation is excited to bring this free event to Sandy Hook and celebrate five years of the excellence of Good Dogs, Great Listeners,” said JoAnn Bacon, who co-founded, with her husband, the foundation honoring the short life and bold legacy of their daughter. “It’s going to be a fun day bringing the community together as we read together and stretch our legs in this outdoor winter activity.”

The walk will begin and end at Newtown United Methodist Church, 92 Church Hill Road, with 15 stops looping through Church Hill and Riverside roads. The final stop will be at the church, where free copies of the award-winning book will be given to the first 50 families. Families will also have a chance to meet the authors and interact with local therapy dogs.

The walk should take most families about 40 minutes to complete, with reading times starting at the first stop every 5 to 10 minutes. The final reading will begin at 3:30 pm.

Good Dogs, Great Listeners — The Story of Charlotte, Lily, and the Litter is an endearing children’s book that captures important themes such as friendship, loyalty, imagination, and being a good listener. Special attention is given to the human-canine relationship and literacy.

The book’s summary offers the following: “Charlotte has the pesky habit of abandoning a book in favor of a distraction. Paired with her dogs and her bold imagination, that distraction has a way of turning into a grand adventure. But when her dog, Lily, gets hurt on one of their adventures, Charlotte relies on her imagination and heart to find a way to love Lily back to health… and discovers a love for reading along the way.”

StoryWalk is an innovative way for children and adults to enjoy reading and the outdoors at the same time. Laminated pages from a children’s book are attached to wooden stakes, which are installed along an outdoor path or streetscape. As participants stroll down the trail, they are directed to the next page in the story.

StoryWalk was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, Vt., and was developed with the help of Rachel Senechal, Kellogg-Hubbard Library. The program has been installed in 50 states and 12 countries.

The Charlotte Helen Bacon Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. It establishes and supports programs that share Charlotte’s passion, kindness, and tender care for animals, children, and families.

Learn more by visiting charlottehelenbaconfoundation.org.

Additional information about the Sandy Hook StoryWalk is also available at the foundation’s website.