SHARING A STORY: Sandy Zell of the Bellingham Public Library (center) turns
the pages to the children's book "Mabela the Clever" as Whatcom Community
College students Nadia Ponkratova (front) and Nina Talbot (back) read the story
translated into Russian for the 25 students in Shannon Sampson's fourth-grade
and fifth-grade classroom at Columbia Elementary School Thursday morning. Zell
is gearing up for "We Share a Story," an international storytelling
event in which 560 classrooms across five Pacific Rim countries will read the
same children's story on Nov. 18 when the time is 9:15 a.m. in their respective
time zones. Zell, who helps create children's programs through the public library,
established the event. She said "Mabela the Clever," the tale of a
mouse that learned wisdom from her father, has been translated into foreign
languages and will be read in 82 classrooms in Russia, 170 classrooms in Australia,
42 classrooms in Japan, 28 classrooms in Chile and more than 238 classrooms
in Whatcom County. The event coincides with National Children's Book Week and
International Education Week, Nov. 17 through Nov. 22.
Classrooms interested in getting involved can contact Zell at the Bellingham
Public Library, 676-6864.
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