Byron Eggenschwiler

WOW Dozen: Picturebooks to Encourage Empathy and Helping

By Cherish Kisto (Gila River Indian Community), Tohono O’odham Community College, Haivana Nakya, AZ, with Rebecca Ballenger, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ

Our world is intrigued and distracted by the Internet and social media, which may desensitize children towards their peers. This list focuses on empathy because in the real world, plenty of us seem to lack, provide or teach it. Empathy here is expressed in multiple ways depending on the person and situation. Common topics that come up in this set are communication and play with people of varying abilities, community supporting one another using different helping methods and acknowledging and accommodating a character’s mental health. This booklist also includes stories of people working towards empathy through policy, societal change and inclusion of communities of people who have been historically oppressed. Additionally, this WOW Dozen allows readers to consider how empathy can be extended to the natural world and how we can protect it while enjoying its beauty. Children who engage with books that feature empathy may be better able to perceive real-life experiences and react to those with a more empathetic understanding of and helping attitude towards their peers. Continue reading →

Decorative WOW Currents Banner

Literary Insights to Social, Traditional and Cultural Aspects of Music

by Janelle Mathis, University of North Texas

Music is often a focus in literature as readers learn about this communicative art form. It is also a way of contextualizing a character, an event or a culture–revealing a diversity of insights into the daily lives and cultures of the people within the stories told. The books shared here, all published in 2019, represent just a few of the ways music exists in our lives. Three of the books are picturebooks sharing family joy that is supported and expressed through music.

Freedom Soup cover shows a Haitian grandmother in a head scarf dancing in kitchen with child in braids.Freedom Soup by Tami Charles and illustrated by Jacqueline Alcántara is a Haitian story told around the Haitian new year custom of making and eating Freedom Soup, a tradition reflecting the Haitian Revolution. As Ti Gran teaches Belle how to make Freedom Soup, readers experience the process as well as the music that enlivens the experience. The kompa not only provides music as they dance around the kitchen, but most importantly, it provides background for Ti Gran as she tells the story of the Haitian Revolution. Both text and illustration afford readers the jubilant feel of the music. Continue reading →