WOW Dozen: The Magic of Reading, Libraries and Stories
Picturebooks help readers explore the power of stories—inspiring, comforting, educating and bringing people together. This WOW Dozen shares a common theme: a deep love for books, libraries and the magic of reading. Many of them highlight the role of libraries and librarians in fostering a love of reading; others focus on the personal and transformative experiences that books can offer individuals—whether it's a child discovering the joy of storytelling, a librarian bringing hope to a war-torn town or a book itself traveling through many hands and lives.
In short, these books are love letters to reading, books and libraries, celebrating their importance in individual lives and communities.
Set in Kentucky during the Great Depression, Edith, a pack horse librarian and her horse Dan traverse Appalachia in a storm to deliver books to children.
A town struck by bombs gets renewed hope by a librarian who sits in front of the rubble of the library every day and reads to the community.
A French snail from the Escargot series goes to the library and doesn’t find a book representative of him so he sets out to create one.
Through storytelling an unlikely friendship develops between Emma and Owen who are living inside a whale.
Book-loving chipmunk Piper Waterstone is taught the magic of book-sharing by a librarian.
Hana grows curious about life and sets out on a mission to read all the books and find the answers to all her questions.
An incredible journey begins as a book passes from reader to reader, creating a special magic.
A story told from the perspective of the book itself who is frustrated by being judged by its cover.
This story is about a book-loving cat named Clarisse who finds a library and even figures out how to sneak in.
A diverse group of children share what they love most about reading such as books that make them sleepy and learning about new people.
This rhythmic book highlights how the books we read as children stay with us throughout our lives.
A young girl named Pari from Afghanistan helps her mother on a library bus that brings books and education to villages now that girls are allowed to read and learn.
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.
What a wonderful tool and suggestions for teachers to access to celebrate and appreciate libraries when they are currently under attack. Thank you!
Marilyn Carpenter