By Kathy G. Short, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
This month, WOW Currents highlights the trends in global books published in the U.S. between Summer 2020 and 2021. The list was created by exploring new books and reading reviews to create an update of the K-12 global reading lists, fiction and nonfiction, to post on the Worlds of Words Center website. This update also provides an opportunity to identify trends and patterns across this annual collection of global books. This post overviews these trends and the weekly blogs over the month of September will examine one trend in more depth with examples of books. Continue reading →
Host: Kathy Short, Professor of Teaching, Learning and Sociocultural Studies and Director of WOW Panelists: Kevin Noble Maillard and Juana Martinez-Neal Co-Sponsor:Tucson Festival of Books
Kevin Noble Maillard is the author of Fry Bread and a regular writer and former contributing editor to The New York Times. Currently based in Manhattan, he splits time between the city and upstate New York, where he is a tenured professor of law at Syracuse University. Originally from Oklahoma, he is an enrolled citizen of the Seminole Nation.
Juana Martinez-Neal is an illustrator of books for children, including the award-winning La Princesa and the Pea, Alma and How She Got Her Name and Fry Bread. Juana was born in Lima, Peru, where she grew up surrounded by amazing meals prepared by her mom and amazing paintings made by her dad and granddad. She now lives, eats and paints in Scottsdale, surrounded by her amazing children.
Imagination Friday is co-sponsored by the Tucson Festival of Books and Worlds of Words, University of Arizona College of Education and occurs Fridays from 1 to 1:40 p.m. through December 2020 with a different author or illustrator each week. Add some excitement to Fridays with world-renowned children’s authors and illustrator to promote new books and encourage children as readers, writers and illustrators.
Join Molly Idle and Beth Ferry to hear about their new picturebook, We Believe In You. Animals inspire their little ones to chase their dreams and reach for the stars. This stunning picturebook is about the joy of believing in yourself and in one another! Molly and Beth share the process of writing and illustrating their new book, invite children to create their own stories and answer questions.
Host: Kathy Short, Professor of Teaching, Learning and Sociocultural Studies and Director of WOW. Panelists: Molly Idle and Beth Ferry Co-Sponsor:Tucson Festival of Books
Beth Ferry is the New York Times bestselling author of Stick and Stone, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld, The Scarecrow illustrated by The Fan Brothers, and many other books. She lives in New Jersey with her husband, three children and two bulldogs.
Molly Idle is the author and illustrator of the Caldecott Honor Book Flora and the Flamingo and the Flora series, the Rex series and Pearl. Molly lives in sunny Arizona with her marvelous, multi-generational family which includes her brilliant husband, two mercurial sons, two remarkable parents and a pair of snugly cats.
Imagination Friday is co-sponsored by the Tucson Festival of Books and Worlds of Words, University of Arizona College of Education and occurs Fridays from 1 to 1:40 p.m. through December 2020 with a different author or illustrator each week. Add some excitement to Fridays with world-renowned children’s authors and illustrator to promote new books and encourage children as readers, writers and illustrators.
Meet Max Brallier, author of the Last Kids on Earth series. Max will share the highly anticipated sixth book in this bestselling series, The Last Kids on Earth and the Skeleton Road. In their latest adventure, Jack, June, Quint and Dirk go on a road trip to search for the villain Thrull and his skeleton army. The Last Kids on Earth is now available as a Netflix series. This webinar will include an activity and Q&A.
Host: Kathy Short, Professor of Teaching, Learning and Sociocultural Studies and Director of WOW Panelists: Max Brallier Co-Sponsor:Tucson Festival of Books
Max Brallier is a New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author. His books and series include The Last Kids on Earth, Eerie Elementary, Mister Shivers, Galactic Hot Dogs, and Can YOU Survive the Zombie Apocalypse? He is a writer and producer for Netflix’s Emmy-award-winning adaptation of The Last Kids on Earth. Max lives in Los Angeles with his wife and daughter. Visit him at MaxBrallier.com.
Imagination Friday is co-sponsored by the Tucson Festival of Books and Worlds of Words, University of Arizona College of Education and occurs Fridays from 1 to 1:40 p.m. through December 2020 with a different author or illustrator each week. Add some excitement to Fridays with world-renowned children’s authors and illustrator to promote new books and encourage children as readers, writers and illustrators.
Meet illustrator Gordon C. James, and hear about his new book, I Am Every Good Thing, written by Derrick Barnes. This book challenges the negative images and feelings that surround Black boys by saying they are “worthy of success, respect, safety, kindness, happiness—they are every good thing.”
Watch the recording right here! Gordon shares his new book and his process of illustrating the book, invites children to create their own illustrations and answer questions.
Host: Kathy Short, Professor of Teaching, Learning and Sociocultural Studies and Director of WOW. Panelists: Gordon C. James Co-Sponsor:Tucson Festival of Books
Gordon C. James illustrated the critically acclaimed picture book Crown: An Ode to the Fresh Cut (by Derrick Barnes), which received a Caldecott Honor, a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor, an Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Honor, the 2018 Kirkus Prize for Young Readers, and a Society of Illustrators Gold Medal. He also illustrated Let ‘Er Buck!: George Fletcher the People’s Champion (by Vaunda Micheaux Nelson). He lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with his wife and two children.
Imagination Friday is co-sponsored by the Tucson Festival of Books and Worlds of Words, University of Arizona College of Education and occurs Fridays from 1 to 1:40 p.m. through December 2020 with a different author or illustrator each week. Add some excitement to Fridays with world-renowned children’s authors and illustrator to promote new books and encourage children as readers, writers and illustrators.
Join us to laugh along with international superstar, Andy Griffiths, all the way from Australia. Andy is the bestselling author of the Treehouse chapter book series and will tell about his newest book, The Treehouse Joke Book, and his upcoming 10th book in the series, The 130-Story Treehouse. The Treehouse Joke Book is chock-full of gags, quips, puns and cartoons. The Treehouse books by Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton are chapter books filled with black-and-white drawings and packed with jokes, nonstop action and exuberant storytelling. Hang out in their 130-Story Treehouse, that has a soap bubble blaster, a time-wasting level, the GRABINATOR (can grab anything from anywhere at any time), a toilet paper factory and an extraterrestrial observation center. This webinar will include time for a Q&A and an activity.
Host: Kathy Short, Professor of Teaching, Learning and Sociocultural Studies and Director of WOW Panelists: Andy Griffiths Co-Sponsor:Tucson Festival of Books
Andy Griffiths is the best-selling author of the Treehouse series, Killer Koalas from Outer Space, The Big Fat Cow That Goes Kapow and The Cat on the Mat is Flat. Andy lives in Melbourne, Australia and works with cartoonist Terry Denton. Andy and Terry’s books have sold over 10 million copies in Australia and won many awards, including Book of the Year. The Treehouse series has been embraced by children around the world and is now published in more than 35 countries. Five of the books have been adapted for the stage in the Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, and the U.S.
Imagination Friday is co-sponsored by the Tucson Festival of Books and Worlds of Words, University of Arizona College of Education and occurs Fridays from 1 to 1:40 p.m. through December 2020 with a different author or illustrator each week. Add some excitement to Fridays with world-renowned children’s authors and illustrator to promote new books and encourage children as readers, writers and illustrators.
Join your favorite Construction Site crew in their next, new adventure! At this event Sherri will present Construction Site Mission: Demolition!, then invite children to participate in an activity.
Host: Kathy Short, Professor of Teaching, Learning and Sociocultural Studies and Director of WOW. Panelists: Sherri Duskey Rinker Co-Sponsor:Tucson Festival of Books
Sherri is the author of five New York Times bestselling picturebooks, including the Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site Series. She also authored Steam Train, Dream Train and the nonfiction picture book biography Big Machines: The Story of Virginia Lee Burton (HMH, illust. by John Rocco). Some of her other titles include The 12 Sleighs of Christmas (Chronicle, illust. by Jake Parker), Tiny and the Big Dig (Scholastic, illust. by Matt Myers) and Celebrate YOU! (Balzer+Bray, illust. by A.N. Kang). Her first middle grade novel, Revver The Speedway Squirrel, debuts fall 2020 (Bloomsbury, illust. by Alex Willan) with a sequel scheduled for 2021. Sherri lives in the Chicago area with her husband, two sons and one fluffy dog. Inspired by her childhood love of books, her sons, and her 25-year career as a graphic designer, Sherri writes in hopes of making the world a little more fun and encouraging early readers, one book at a time.
Imagination Friday is co-sponsored by the Tucson Festival of Books and Worlds of Words, University of Arizona College of Education and occurs Fridays from 1 to 1:40 p.m. through December 2020 with a different author or illustrator each week. Add some excitement to Fridays with world-renowned children’s authors and illustrator to promote new books and encourage children as readers, writers and illustrators.
Join Christina in this exciting presentation of her book All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Boys Tai Soccer Team. Combining material from community interviews with in-depth science content and details about the region’s culture and religion, All Thirteen paints two scenes of unflagging perseverance: Aboveground, a global rescue team of military personnel, engineers, medics, cave divers, and other volunteers races to find the trapped boys. Almost half a mile below, a similarly heroic effort is taking place in the quiet darkness as the Wild Boars focus on conserving their energy and oxygen, and—most importantly—keeping their hopes up. Both the boys and their rescuers will soon prove to the world that even in the face of impossible odds, the human spirit is an irrepressible force.
Host: Kathy Short, Professor of Teaching, Learning and Sociocultural Studies and Director of WOW. Panelists: Christina Soontornvat Co-Sponsor:Tucson Festival of Books
Photo credit: Sam Bond Photography
Christina Soontornvat grew up behind the counter of her parents’ Thai restaurant in a small Texas town with her nose stuck in a book. She is the author of the fantasy middle grade series, The Changelings, and the early chapter book series, Diary of an Ice Princess. Her books published in 2020 include the middle grade fantasy, A Wish in the Dark, and All Thirteen. In addition to being an author, Christina holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering and a master’s degree in Science Education. She spent a decade working in the science museum field, where she designed programs and exhibits to get kids excited about science. She is passionate about STEM (science, technology engineering, and math), and loves learning new things. She lives in Austin, Texas with her husband, two young children and one old cat.
Imagination Friday is co-sponsored by the Tucson Festival of Books and Worlds of Words, University of Arizona College of Education and occurs Fridays from 1 to 1:40 p.m. through December 2020 with a different author or illustrator each week. Add some excitement to Fridays with world-renowned children’s authors and illustrator to promote new books and encourage children as readers, writers and illustrators.
How do you get gum out of your hair – a pair of scissors? Butter? The cat? Call your aunt – she’ll know what to do. She doesn’t? Try the fire department! In this book, the best intentions lead to some of the worst (and funniest) ideas! With each page turn, this situation – relatable to any family – grows stickier and more desperate. Discover the solution to this sticky situation! At this event, Tucson’s Adam Rex will talk about On Account of the Gum and invite children to complete an activity.
Host: Kathy Short, Professor of Teaching, Learning and Sociocultural Studies and Director of WOW. Panelists: Adam Rex Co-Sponsor:Tucson Festival of Books
Adam Rex is the New York Times bestselling author and illustrator of Frankenstein Makes a Sandwich. His other books include The True Meaning of Smekday (which was made into the hit animated movie Home), Moonday and School’s First Day of School (illustrated by Christian Robinson). He also illustrated the Brixton Brothers series, Billy Twitters and His Blue Whale Problem, Chloe and the Lion, and How This Book Was Made, all by Mac Barnett, and Chu’s Day, by Neil Gaiman. Visit him at AdamRex.com or follow him on Twitter @MrAdamRex.
Imagination Friday is co-sponsored by the Tucson Festival of Books and Worlds of Words, University of Arizona College of Education and occurs Fridays from 1 to 1:40 p.m. through December 2020 with a different author or illustrator each week. Add some excitement to Fridays with world-renowned children’s authors and illustrator to promote new books and encourage children as readers, writers and illustrators.
Join us for an amazing adventure! At this event, David and Charlene will talk about their graphic novel, Rise of the Halfling King. This middle grade graphic novel follows the adventures of a magical boy from Maya mythology and is the first of a series based on ancient Mesoamerican myths and legends. After their presentation, Davide and Charlene will invite children to complete an activity.
Host: Kathy Short, Professor of Teaching, Learning and Sociocultural Studies and Director of WOW. Panelists: David Bowles and Charlene Bowles Co-Sponsor:Tucson Festival of Books
David Bowles is a Mexican-American author from south Texas, where he teaches at the University of Texas Río Grande Valley. He has written several titles, most notably The Smoking Mirror (Pura Belpré Honor Book) and They Call Me Güero (Tomás Rivera Mexican American Children’s Book Award, Claudia Lewis Award for Excellence in Poetry, Pura Belpré Honor Book, Walter Dean Myers Honor Book).
Charlene Bowles is a comic artist and illustrator living in Texas. She graduated from The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in 2018. Her work has been featured on the covers of the award-winning Garza Twins books. Rise of the Halfling King is her debut graphic novel. She is currently developing her own comic projects.
Imagination Friday is co-sponsored by the Tucson Festival of Books and Worlds of Words, University of Arizona College of Education and occurs Fridays from 1 to 1:40 p.m. through December 2020 with a different author or illustrator each week. Add some excitement to Fridays with world-renowned children’s authors and illustrator to promote new books and encourage children as readers, writers and illustrators.
This month, WOW Currents highlights the trends in global books published in the U.S. between Summer 2020 and 2021. The list was created by exploring new books and reading reviews to create an update of the K-12 global reading lists, fiction and nonfiction, to post on the Worlds of Words Center website. This update also provides an opportunity to identify trends and patterns across this annual collection of global books. This post overviews these trends and the weekly blogs over the month of September will examine one trend in more depth with examples of books. Continue reading 
Join us to laugh along with international superstar, 
Join us for an amazing adventure! At this event, David and Charlene will talk about their graphic novel, 
