Worlds of Words Center of Global Literacies and Literatures recognizes our global lives.
Open a book. . . Open a mind. . . Change the world!
No matter where we live, our daily lives interconnect through global mobility and rapid economic, social and technological changes. Knowledge of the world and an understanding of global perspectives have thus become a necessity, not a luxury. Children no longer have a decision about whether they will lead global lives — but they do need to decide how they will live in a global society — and literature can play a role in opening their options.
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The Worlds of Words Center is located in the University of Arizona College of Education, Room 453.
Featured Research
WOW Stories is a regular on-line publication of Worlds of Words containing vignettes written by educators about children’s experiences reading and responding to literature.
WOW Review is a regular on-line publication of Worlds of Words containing reviews of selected books to be published quarterly. The reviews are careful examinations of the books, primarily focused on the cultural authenticity of the text and illustrations.
An analysis of international books published in the United States and collected by Worlds of Words and USBBY
We're Accepting Submissions!
Our 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.
Current Calls, Guidelines and Submission Instructions:
WOW Blog Features
Check out our latest blog collections for insights, updates, and expert perspectives.
The Dynamic Biliteracy Maleta Project shares blog posts on their work in New Mexico throughout the month of November. Read about how they use biliteracy and bilingual education in elementary classrooms with the help of global children's literature.
This month's WOW Recommends tells the little known story of Aristides de Sousa Mendes, a Portuguese diplomat who helped save refugees fleeing Nazis during World War II.
Explore how languages dance together in this set of a dozen translingual picturebooks! Weaving together two or more languages, these books celebrate language, culture and how they shape connections within families and communities.
Former chef turned prolific author and editor Daniel Nayeri shares his thoughts on writing, reader relationships and the various ways he plays with structure and content when creating his books.
Looking for more?
Browse our resource collection for book recommendations and teaching tools.
Global Children’s and YA Literature Initiatives
Our students live in a global world. The opportunities we offer through literature in our classrooms can invite them into the richness of cultural diversity and global communities. To globalize the text exemplar lists included in standards documents that guide instruction in many states and countries, we developed global book lists of recommended fiction and nonfiction books organized by themes within K-12 grade level bands.
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