Welcome to Worlds of Words. You will find many useful resources on this site for building bridges between cultures. These resources include multiple strategies for locating and evaluating culturally authentic international children’s and adolescent literature as well as ways of engaging students with these books in classrooms and libraries. Use the blue navigation bar at the top of the page to browse or search our growing database of books, to read one of our two on-line journals, or to learn more about our mission. We encourage you to take time to explore the many resources on this site and to return often as we expand to include more voices like yours.

What’s New at WOW

WOW Currents

As teachers we look for, and often struggle with, finding relevant literature for our classrooms. It becomes even more difficult when our students are from culturally diverse backgrounds significantly different from our own. Sandy Kaser, on Mondays in August at WOW Currents, shares a poignant and powerful journey she experienced in her own classroom with literature by Francisco Jiménez that resonated with her students’ cultural identities.

WOW Books

Each Wednesday, we spotlight an entry from our WOW Books database and ask you to provide insight about the book by leaving a comment.

Reading literature about children and adolescents from other parts of the world simultaneously invites explorations of cultural differences and explores understandings of common dreams and values. During September WOW Books will focus on the world of bi-lingual books. Join Wow Books as it explores how navigating across languages changes the looks and sounds of the text.

Muu, Moo!, by Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy, is our first book for the month of September. The authors provide English translations to a number of Hispanic nursery rhymes that strive to keep the original rhythmic patterns intact.

WOW Review
WOW’s latest issue of WOW Review invites readers to visit communities and cultures across the globe. This issue focuses on the Middle East and South Asia. As a region, this is one of the most culturally misunderstood areas of the world. While much of the recent literature provides a promise of enhancing our understanding of the region, some of the literature, our reviewers found, reflects the difficult task of writing accurate and authentic portrayals unless raised as part of or, at least, thoroughly and completely  immersed in the culture.

WOW Stories

Investigate our first issue of our third volume of WOW Stories with a focus on reading critically through global inquiry. In this issue of WOW Stories: Connections from the Classroom, we present 7 vignettes in which students create intercultural connections by exploring cultures from around the world and cultures closer to home that are different from our own. A real highlight is a classroom in China exploring Western perceptions about them.

WOW Highlights

∞ Open Reading Hours: Saturdays – 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. & Mondays through Fridays – 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
∞ Make a quick and easy online gift to WOW! Your contributions help our programs grow.
∞ Longview Foundation awarded WOW a significant grant to improve, update, and innovate our website so we can bring you new interactive features. We are excited about what our e-future holds!
∞ WOW Stories and WOW Review are accepting submissions. Our two online journals are available to you without subscription, membership, or fee requirements. We are proud to offer these journals and want to hear from you. E-mail us with questions, feedback, and submissions.