The giant children's book appearing outside Winnipeg libraries this summer

StoryWalk on display outside Bill and Helen Norrie Library. (Source: CTV News/Jamie Dowsett)

WINNIPEG -

An interactive and safe way for families to share stories is popping up outside Winnipeg Public Library branches this summer.

StoryWalk originated in Vermont and has since spread to hundreds of libraries worldwide. Winnipeg Public Library is participating for the first year as part of the TD Summer Reading Club.

This summer's StoryWalk book is The Thing Lou Couldn't Do by Canadian children's author Ashley Spires.

The book's 32 pages have been transformed into oversized panels outside library branches around the city. The panels are fastened to library windows or affixed to wooden stakes and spaced out at six-foot increments.

"It's physically distanced, but if we want to look at it in a more positive way, it's a physically active way to share a story," Karin Borland, Winnipeg Public Library's youth service administrative coordinator, told CTV News.

Borland said readers stroll to the next panel instead of turning pages, which creates more conversation during storytime – and speculation about what's going to happen next in the book.

"It's a simple idea, but a really impactful way to read together," Borland said.

StoryWalk is on display outside five Winnipeg library branches: The English version is outside Bill and Helen Norrie, Fort Garry, and Windsor Park, while a bilingual version is outside the Transcona and St. Vital branches.

Next week, StoryWalk will move to five different branches and will continue to travel throughout the city in the following weeks.

Locations and other details are available through the Winnipeg Public Library website.