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 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. During February we focus on books about war. The books we highlight present different perspectives about war and will appeal to a variety of age groups.

Our first war-themed book is Why War is Never a Good Idea, by Alice Walker. In this picture book, Walker personifies the power and wanton devastation of war through evocative poetry. Stefano Vitale’s compelling paintings illustrate this unflinching look at war’s destructive nature and unforeseen consequences. Tell us what you think of Why War is Never a Good Idea by leaving a comment.

WOW Currents

Each Monday during the month of February, WOW Currents contributors Jeanne Fain and Julia López-Robertson interview children’s author and illustrator Yuyi Morales and will finish the month featuring students interacting with her work. Additionally, Jeanne and Julia address your questions and comments, so let us hear from you.

Join us for a month of Mondays in January with WOW Currents contributors Andrea Garcia-Obregon & Carmen Martínez-Roldán.

WOW Review

WOW’s latest issue of WOW Review invites readers to visit communities and cultures across the globe. Rich with insights to books you may have read or will want to add to your reading list, this issue’s theme of “Hope Amidst Conflict” offers a universal glimpse of the strength of children across many nations. What is most interesting in the titles reviewed here is the source of hope — a reminder that humans are surrounded by evidence of hope in their daily lives.

WOW Stories

Check out our third issue of our first 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 17 vignettes that share the belief that readers have the social responsibility to negotiate personal and cultural meanings from literature that create the possibility for social change in both their immediate and global communities.

WOW Highlights

∞ Open Reading Hours: Saturdays – 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. & Mondays through Thursdays – 9 a.m. to 4 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.