Book Strolls inspire joy in play, reading and nature

On a sunny Tuesday afternoon, parents smile as their children dash around the Aburi Botanical Gardens, nestled in the hills of Aburi just outside of Accra, Ghana’s capital. Throughout the lush greenery, wooden easels display enlarged prints of picture book pages. Children move across the grass from one easel to the next, engrossed in stories about the lives of Ghanaian youth. Others enjoy puzzles scattered on tables, jump around in colorful bouncy houses or play lively games of Scrabble with oversized, larger-than-life tiles.

The activities and immersive picture book experience — known as a “Book Stroll” — are part of “Party in the Park,” a family-friendly event hosted by local media house Joy FM with programming support from the Accra-based nonprofit Mmofra Foundation. The foundation’s name, “Mmofra,” means “children” in Ghana’s Akan language. Founded by Efua T. Sutherland, the late Ghanaian writer, children’s advocate and cultural activist, Mmofra Foundation is dedicated to enriching the cultural and intellectual lives of children through play, books, the arts and experiential learning. 

The foundation’s commitment to fostering play and learning echoes Sutherland’s 1960 photo essay “Playtime in Africa,” which she co-authored with Willis E. Bell. The groundbreaking book pairs poetic verses with photos of Ghanaian children at play in the outdoors. Published in the wake of Ghana’s independence from British colonial rule, the book documents the rich play culture that Sutherland championed as central to a child’s development.

Just as Sutherland’s book captured the essence of outdoor play and joy for Ghanaian children in the 1950s, Mmofra Foundation’s Book Strolls create an outdoor, child-centered space for learning, where play and literature once again intersect. A component of the foundation’s “literacy in public spaces” initiative, Book Strolls invite children to dive into stories celebrating African culture and heritage while moving between the pages.

Photo courtesy of Mmofra Foundation.

“For children whose primary experience of reading is in a formal classroom context, a Book Stroll outdoors feels much more like reading for fun,” explains Amowi Phillips, founder and president of Friends of Mmofra, an organization based in Spokane, Washington, that partners with Mmofra Foundation. “There is room for movement and expression — sometimes the easels are randomly placed to challenge children to find the next page.”

Book Stroll stories are carefully chosen to help build a sense of identity and self-discovery within the child’s own physical and cultural context.

“While the storytelling possibilities of Book Strolls are endless, a thoughtful choice of theme can help to connect children to their outdoor environments,” says Phillips. “Given their focus on being outside in nature, ‘Suma Went Walking’ by Nana Dadson and Eugene Offei, and ‘Gizo Gizo’ by Emily Williamson were intentional choices for the pioneering Book Strolls.”

Together, Friends of Mmofra and Mmofra Foundation advance child-centered projects, like Book Strolls, in both the United States and Ghana. They also advocate for public spaces, such as urban parks, where children and families can safely enjoy the well-documented physical and mental health benefits of spending time outdoors.

In 2014, the partners transformed an underutilized green space in Accra’s Dzorwulu neighborhood into a child-centered playspace. The project, called Mmofra Place, was designed to nurture the imaginative, outdoor play that was depicted in Sutherland’s “Playtime in Africa,” as well as to provide a safe, kid-friendly public green space for children amid the highly urbanized Accra. Now, Mmofra Place is also the site of Book Strolls.

“The proof of concept is clear — people love these strolls,” reports Amowi Phillips. “Our goal is to create a range of stories in multiple languages, which can be displayed in rotation in pop-up or permanent locations around the country.”

By creating immersive outdoor environments where children can explore literature and engage in play, Mmofra Foundation honors Sutherland’s legacy while addressing contemporary needs in Ghana’s urban landscape. The success of Mmofra Foundation’s Book Stroll events demonstrates the enduring value of nurturing cultural and intellectual growth in children while promoting time spent outdoors.

Mmofra Foundation’s Book Stroll project is supported by HealthBridge Canada’s Livable Cities Program, and is inspired by numerous examples of similar Book Stroll or “Story Stroll” programs throughout the U.S.

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