The Storybook Path at Weiler Park features "Corduroy" by Don Freeman, a story of a department store bear who's missing a button on his overalls. The path was made possible by a micro grant from the Community Foundation for South Central New York, and a collaboration between The Place, the City of Norwich Youth Bureau, and the Guernsey Memorial Library. (Submitted photo)

NORWICH — The Place has collaborated with the City of Norwich Youth Bureau and Guernsey Memorial Library to bring their first "Storybook Path" to Weiler Park, located at 33 Borden Avenue in Norwich.

"The Storybook Path is just an outdoor opportunity to share books with youth and families and get them outdoors and active," explained The Place Executive Director Sharon Vesely. "So they can be put up in really any type of environment; it could be downtown in the city as long as you can get the pages of the book upright and vertical. But we have such a beautiful area that we live in, there’s plenty of opportunities to get use of the green spaces that we have and get families and youth outside and doing a little bit of reading, and physically active."

The book selected for the first Storybook Path is "Corduroy" by Don Freeman, the story of a department store teddy bear who's missing a button on his overalls. Corduroy is passed over by shopping children due to the missing button, until a little girl named Lisa sees him in the store and loves him the way he is.

"It’s a good heartwarming story about somebody who finally finds a place to be home," said Vesely. "Even having a little bit of a difference, you’re always able to find your own space, which is the story of ‘Corduroy.’"