Book Treasure Trail
Looking out at torrential rain and grey skies, I thought I would do a wrap-up on our fantastic Book Treasure Trail which took place during the hottest days of the year at the beginning of September when the Steam Rally was on. A reminder of sunshine and heat might give us all a lift.
Take a look on Google Drive t.ly/eJLol at the excellent photos of all the window displays taken by Ina Ivanova who braved two walks around the village in the blazing sunshine to capture them all. The photos will also be on display at our Library 20th Anniversary Party on Saturday 4 November, if you are coming along.
So, here’s how the Book Treasure Trail unfolded, the brainwave of the very imaginative and hard-working Robin Gildersleeve. We sent out a Facebook request in early July for volunteers to place a book of their choice in their window, children's, adult, fiction or non-fiction. A staggering 58 households stepped forward and many created amazing displays to complement their books. No title was repeated.
The challenge was to visit all 58 displays, find the “hidden” 20 alphabet letters and solve the anagram to reveal the title of a well-known children's book. A Book Trail map was distributed for sale in the Arts Centre, Cherry Tree, Library and Spar. We also had some superb publicity from Mandy, the editor of the Village Voice, with the front page and inside pages displaying some of the window photographs (copies are attached to this post).
A dozen people correctly identified the book title: 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt' by Michael Rosen, which was the book in Harnwell Butchers’ window. Many congratulations to Maxine Swinden who won the draw for a £20 book token generously donated by Topping Bookshop, Ely.
The event was a great success. We sold almost 50 trail maps at £1 each (with many people sharing), plus further donations to give us a grand total of £100 which will go on new books for the library. MANY thanks to all who supported the Book Trail so actively: the book displayers, map sellers, Ina, Mandy, Topping Booksellers, and the many villagers young and old who took on the Trail challenge.
