Malika Gottfried '25 Brings the Story Stroll Back to the Outdoor Gardens

Due to the success of last year’s inaugural story stroll that was on display in the gardens outside of Lyman as part of the Botanical Exploration summer exhibit, a story stroll will return to the gardens this year! Botanic Garden Student Educator (BoGSE) Malika Gottfried ’25 took this on as her spring student project, and it will be installed in the Systematic Garden within a couple of weeks.

“A story stroll is a fun and interactive way for people to enjoy books together,” Gottfried said. “Every page is on a different stake that will wind through the Systematics Garden, letting visitors feel more immersed in the book by activating all senses. While the book is targeted for kids, story strolls are meant to be enjoyed by everybody!”

This year's book is called "Call me tree/Llámame árbol.” Written and illustrated by Maya Christina Gonzalez, this bilingual English/Spanish story of self-discovery is told by a child who explores the world and the people within it through imagination. It's a captivating children's story with gorgeous illustrations that lends itself well as a story stroll, especially one that is on display at a botanic garden. 

In addition to the book, the stroll will also include an interactive component—pamphlets with prompts and activities—that visitors can follow along with. They will be available at the start of the stroll, which will be located near the front of Lyman Plant House.

Gottfried worked on this project under the guidance of Manager of Education Sarah Loomis, and with the help of Assistant Gardener and Assistant Curator Dave Dion in building the signs. “With Dave’s help I learned how to use many different power tools to build these signs, which was a really fun experience,” shared Gottfried. An unexpected educational component of taking on this project!

Part of the work of being a BoGSE is creating an end-of-the-year project that incorporates educational materials into the visitor experience. BoGSEs contribute to the educational projects at the botanic garden in order to help connect more people to botanic garden—work which benefits from the contributions of a diversity of students.