Anoosha Syed

WOW Dozen: Understanding the Power and Beauty of a Unique Name

By Janine M. Schall, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley

Several months ago I posted a WOW Dozen called Multiple Perspectives on Names and Naming. While I was collecting picturebooks on names in preparation for writing that post, I realized that while the books connected to the topic in a wide variety of ways, a large percentage of them focused on children learning to love their unique or unusual names. Because there were so many excellent books with this focus, I decided to do a separate WOW Dozen post. Continue reading →

A Dozen Books on Activism

By Deanna Day-Wiff, Washington State University, Vancouver, WA

Children and adolescents are taking action and making a difference in their communities and across the globe each day. This WOW Dozen highlights titles around the theme of activism. Each picturebook or novel shows how young people are working for change on causes that matter to them such as: saving a lending library, turning a vacant lot into a natural space for butterflies or creating light for a community in the dark. Other titles may inspire readers to speak up for climate change, demonstrate peacefully or sing for transformation. Reading aloud these titles could encourage K-8 readers to think about the needs or changes in their own communities to change our world. Continue reading →