By Celeste L.H. Trimble, St Martin’s University, Lacey, WA

There is a common misperception that picturebooks are only for early elementary students. Secondary students and even students in upper elementary often miss out on the particular artistry and poetry that come through the picturebook form. In this month’s WOW Dozen, I bring together examples of global picturebooks that can be explored and enjoyed in secondary English Language Arts as well as the content areas. Books in this list can be used as models for writing, artworks for practicing analysis, avenues for identity development as well as exploration of the experiences of others, inspiration for creativity, tools to deepen content knowledge, and so much more. Of course, picturebooks are vital additions to the classroom library in any secondary classroom, just for the pleasure of reading.

WOW Dozen features a list of 12 global books for children and adolescents around a theme, topic, issue or personal favorites. Each Dozen consists of ten newly-published titles with two older “must have” books. Please share or recommend additional books that fit the theme in the comments section or on social media using #WOWDozen. Use the printer icon in the upper left corner of this post to print or save this list as a PDF.

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• Themes: Alexandra Litvina, Anna Desnitskaya, Antonina W. Bouis, Baba What Does My Name Mean, Celeste Trimble, Deborah Smith, Duncan Tonatiuh, Frané Lessac, Gita Wolf, Hear My Voice/Escucha Mi Voz, Heather Gale, Ho’onani: Hula Warrior, I Am the Subway, Irene Latham, Issa Watanabe, Jeff Scher, Karim Shamsi-Basha, Kim Hyo-eun, Lamaa Jawhari, Marlena Myles, Migrants, Mika Song, Miranda Paul, Rifk Ebeid, Subhash Vyam, Thanku: Poems of Gratitude, The Apartment, The Cat Man of Aleppo, The President Sang Amazing Grace, Traci Sorell, Undocumented, Warren Binford, Water, We Are Still Here, Yuko Shimizu, Zoe Mulford
• Descriptors: WOW Dozen