Worlds of Words: Center of Global Literacies and Literatures

Open a book . . .

Open a mind . . .

Change the world!

Worlds of Words: Center of Global Literacies and Literatures builds bridges across global cultures through children’s and adolescent literature.

Book the WOW Center for field trips, tours or event hosting! Use the green navigation bar to find field trips for more information.

WOW News
Two women look at postersFor the first time in the U.S., the traveling exhibition “The Colourful World Beyond the Seven Hills” invites people to experience or re-experience the tradition of folktale illustration of Grimm Brothers’ tales from Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Posters of illustrations from the book collections of the International Youth Library in Munich, Germany, are now available for viewing in the Worlds of Words Center of Global Literacies and Literatures of the UArizona College of Education. Read More…

Two women looking at framed art on table easelsWorlds of Words acquired original illustrations from 55 picturebooks after a recent crowdfunding campaign and donations of art by Mary J. Wong and others. The new pieces are from classic, award-winning, and global children’s literature and include works by illustrators visiting for the Tucson Festival of Books. Read More…

See our complete listing of all WOW News announcements.

WOW Currents
Look Up! Covers for the English edition (yellow) and Korean edition (white)This month, Yoo Kyung Sung offers her lens on one avenue for bringing together languages and cultures across contemporary nations through global children’s books. Through an exploration of award-winning Korean picturebooks, she hopes to foster young readers’ curiosity and desire to explore literature from around the world.

See our complete listing of all WOW Currents entries.

WOW Dozen
A dark-haired woman floats in the air in a spaceshipBiography and autobiography is a form of nonfiction that allows children to understand history and significant events by stepping into another person’s shoes and see the contributions others have made to the world and the resilience, persistence and courage needed to do so. By incorporating biographies of Latinx people in STEM into the curriculum, children learn that Latinx people belong in STEM and have a long history of successful STEM engagement. This WOW Dozen presents a collection of picturebook biographies for Latinx people in STEM.

See a complete list of Dozens in our WOW Dozen archive.

∞ WOW Stories, WOW Review and WOW Libros are 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. E-mail us with questions, feedback and submissions.

WOW Stories
Image of a group of four young children rolling balloons in a tray of flour. In the back are two red balloons, while the children closer to the camera ar eusing green (left side) and white (right side).WOW Stories: Connections from the Classroom is a regular on-line publication of Worlds of Words containing vignettes written by educators about children’s experiences reading and responding to literature. If you would like to submit to WOW Stories, please see our current call and guidelines. ISSN 2577-0551

See our complete listing of all WOW Stories issues.

WOW Review
A young girl with curly hair sits on the floor, writing in a notebook.WOW Review: Reading Across Cultures 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. If you would like to submit to WOW Review, please see our current call and guidelines. ISSN 2577-0527

See our complete listing of all WOW Review issues.

WOW Libros
Cover of Maria la dura en: no quiero ser ninja depicting a girl with short brown hair in a yellow karate gi, one hand extended to chop the viewer. She is in space and in the background behind her is a large ball of fire.WOW Libros: Leyendo entre palabras is a regular on-line publication of Worlds of Words containing Spanish-language reviews of Spanish-language books. If you would like to submit to WOW Libros, please see our current call guidelines.

See our complete listing of all WOW Libros issues

Journey through Worlds of Words during our open reading hours: Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Exceptions include holidays and UArizona closures.

We respectfully acknowledge the University of Arizona is on the land and territories of Indigenous peoples. Today, Arizona is home to 22 federally recognized tribes, with Tucson being home to the O’odham and the Yaqui. Committed to diversity and inclusion, the University strives to build sustainable relationships with sovereign Native Nations and Indigenous communities through education offerings, partnerships, and community service.