By Ann Yanchura

Worlds of Words is a nonprofit out of U of Arizona whose mission is to build bridges across global cultures through children and adolescent literature. Sound familiar? That’s why A to Z applied for a grant from this organization and have been awarded money to support three middle school book clubs here in Crystal Lake. These students are reading and discussing multicultural literature together, then sharing these books with first graders at one of our elementary buildings. I wish you could have seen our first reading visit last week: middle school and first grade students huddled over books, reading, laughing and learning. These book clubs are led by A to Z volunteers who work for the school district; we are grateful to the schools, teachers and administrators of D47 for their support of this literacy partnership. In addition, we will be sharing our learning and the books with the teachers of Chisiko School in Chumba Valley, one of A to Z’s partners in Zambia. This project will last all school year, so stay tuned for more information!