The power and magic of books!The Starobilsk English Club is still immersed in the gift of books from Toledo. We counted 92, more than half of them children's books, all welcomed. Members have been reading them, savoring them, translating them.
What great tools for learning English! Even better than I thought. We’ve spent lots of time translating titles and authors, for example, writing them inside the book cover on the title page, and making lists in English and in Russian. Weve spent a lot of time with dictionaries. We learned how difficult it is sometimes to translate meanings from one language to another. For example: Cel
ebration of "You-ness," or Tuck Everlasting, Hot Fudge Hero, The Cat Who Tailed a Thief, The Hanged Man's Song, Oh Pray My Wings are Gonna Fit me Well.
What great tools for learning English! Even better than I thought. We’ve spent lots of time translating titles and authors, for example, writing them inside the book cover on the title page, and making lists in English and in Russian. Weve spent a lot of time with dictionaries. We learned how difficult it is sometimes to translate meanings from one language to another. For example: Cel
ebration of "You-ness," or Tuck Everlasting, Hot Fudge Hero, The Cat Who Tailed a Thief, The Hanged Man's Song, Oh Pray My Wings are Gonna Fit me Well. This exercise alone has been remarkably effective, and fun. It will also make it easier for the librarians to catalogue everything, the original intent.
Best of all, everyone is reading! I gave each of them the chance to choose a book to take home, and to return it at our next meeting. I've had many requests to have the books for a little longer. "I'm only half-way through," Vlad noted of his attempt to read Harry Potter in English.
Olga and Tonya the teacher are both reading children's books, Tonya for her classes, and Olga for reading practice. In fact I've found that everyone likes the children's books; they are short and easy to read, as well as beautifully illustrated, and they give a sense of accomplishment.
Best of all, everyone is reading! I gave each of them the chance to choose a book to take home, and to return it at our next meeting. I've had many requests to have the books for a little longer. "I'm only half-way through," Vlad noted of his attempt to read Harry Potter in English.
Olga and Tonya the teacher are both reading children's books, Tonya for her classes, and Olga for reading practice. In fact I've found that everyone likes the children's books; they are short and easy to read, as well as beautifully illustrated, and they give a sense of accomplishment. Some members, though, have taken on some challenging reads. Maria is grappling with Black Beauty, and Alina, who's about 14 years old, with Little Women. Sveta took a book of poems, and Anton is bravely plowing through To Kill a Mockingbird. He had heard of it, and I told him it was one of my favorite stories.
I had a lovely encounter with Alina on the street the other day. I was doing errands in town and she was walking home from school. I stopped to say hello, and saw she had a book tucked under her arm. "What's the book?" I asked. She smiled and held it up: Little Women!
Who would have thought that a young school girl in Starobilsk, Ukraine, would be walking around with Little Women. It's heartwarming. Thanks again Toledo!
We can't wait to get more books. We welcome dontated books, if you can somehow come up with the postage. Also, I have just submitted a Partnership Grant to the Peace Corps so you will be able to make tax-deductible donations for the project as soon as it's approved. It will be an "enduring resource" for the community, as I wrote in the grant. I'll keep you posted.
If you can donate books, send them to Francine Cary, c/o Vera Flyat, A/R 14, Starobilsk, Lugansk Oblast, Ukraine 92703.
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