WOW Dozen

WOW Dozen: Taking Action for the Earth

By Susan Corapi, Trinity International University, Deerfield, IL & Annette Y. Goldsmith, Sephardic Temple Tifereth Israel, Los Angeles, CA

With the recent Presidential decision to withdraw from the United Nations Paris Agreement that supports changes for restoring health to the climate, grassroots action becomes more vital than ever. There has been an uptick in publishing books that highlight environmental concerns and kids taking action to address local issues that impact the health of nature and the planet. This set of books inspires, informs and empowers young readers by telling how youth from around the world have creatively recycled waste (Flipflopi), invented ways to minimize or reuse waste (The Last Straw) and taken a stand to prevent further damage to the environment (Autumn Peltier). Earth day is April 22, 2025–a great day to read one of these books! Continue reading →

WOW Dozen: The Magic of Reading, Libraries and Stories

By Katie B. Loomis, Texas Woman’s University

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. Continue reading →

WOW Dozen: Making and Using Maps

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

Where are we in the world? How do we get someplace new? How do we perceive the world—or how do we want the world to be perceived? How does one place or idea connect to another? These are all essential questions for how people experience and move through the world, and they can all be answered by maps.

A map is a symbolic depiction of interrelationships between places, things or ideas. While they often focus on spatial relationships and geographic elements, both real and imagined, maps can also be used to display associations between ideas or concepts. Maps are tools to help us navigate and understand the world but are shaped by the map-maker’s culture, beliefs, and knowledge. As such, they are statements about what matters and what does not. Continue reading →

WOW Dozen: Encouraging Hope through the use of Children’s Poetry and Verse Novels

By Darryn Diuguid, McKendree University, Lebanon, IL, Willeena Booker, Hatboro-Horsham School District, Horsham, PA, Glenda Funk, Pocatello/Chubbuck, S.D. #25, Pocatello, ID, Joe Pizzo, Black River Middle School, Chester, NJ, Junko Sakoi, Tucson Unified School District, Tucson, AZ, April Halprin Wayland, UCLA Extension Writers’ Program, Los Angeles, CA & Jongsun Wee, Pacific University, Forest Grove, OR

Hope! It’s a universal theme we crave in times of uncertainty such as with national polarizing opinions, health crises and personal hardships. For children, they need to understand hope since they encounter instabilities such as having divorced parents, rough patches with siblings and unmet social-emotional needs. To foster hope in the school community, teachers can frame hope as a way for students to become better citizens through hard work while celebrating successes and learning from challenges. Teachers can also create a positive school culture by focusing on hope during difficult times such as staffing, funding and high-stakes testing. NCTE’s Poetry Awards Committee provides contemporary poems, anthologies, and verse novels that embrace hope. We ask that you celebrate hope with us as we share our favorites. Continue reading →

WOW Dozen: Fall Down Seven Times, Get Up Eight

By Michele Ebersole and Avis Masuda, University of Hawaii at Hilo

A proverb or a noteworthy saying is often used to teach important lessons and can help children connect to human experiences in simple, yet profound, ways. This WOW Dozen is centered around the Japanese proverb, “Fall down seven times, get up eight,” another way to convey the message “never give up.” This theme of hard work, perseverance or persistence is reflected through different means — whether overcoming small challenges, dealing with human relationships, standing up for oneself to make a significant change in laws to fight for the rights of others, inventing something new that builds confidence or creating an innovation that makes a big impact in the world. This list introduces biographies of meaningful people who overcame big challenges as well as fictional stories that are fun and whimsical. Reading these books aloud may inspire children to see themselves as capable and resilient beings in the world. Continue reading →

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 →

WOW Dozen: Freed Between the Lines

By Barbara Ward, University of New Orleans & Deanna Day, Washington State University

What could be more important in a democracy than intellectual freedom or the Right to Read? What are the dangers inherent in white-washing history and refusing to acknowledge some of the mistakes our nation has made? What are the consequences for classrooms, schools, libraries, even countries when one person or one small group of vocal individuals makes the decision about what materials can be allowed on classroom and library shelves or included in the curriculum? These and other related questions as well as the recent spate of book challenges as well as the approaching Banned Books Week, set for Sept. 22-28, 2024, prompted us to consider once again the damage caused to children and teens by limiting access to reading materials.

In this blog post, we celebrate some of our favorite titles honoring the value of an informed populace and the freedom to choose reading material even when it might be offensive or problematic to some. After all, one of the purposes of education is about being introduced to many different perspectives and deciding for oneself what to think, not simply swallowing propaganda or one person’s opinion as the truth. Truth is far more complex than the simplistic, easy, one-sided answers that some prefer. Continue reading →

WOW Dozen: Visual Storytelling with a “Pop” of Yellow

By Janelle Mathis, Professor Emeritus, University of North Texas

The color yellow has always offered opportunities to celebrate, and fittingly so given its association with positive emotions and energy such as happiness, hope, warmth, enlightenment, confidence and enthusiasm. As it is a personal favorite color, I am especially drawn to illustrations that use yellow as a pop of color against a black/white/gray background, also known as monochromatic with a color accent. Thus, when A Dog Wearing Shoes or The Yellow Butterfly became part of my personal and classroom connection, I began gathering titles that had similar approaches to telling their story through art and focusing on the impact of this pop of color in each title, as well as those with perhaps a second accent color when appropriate to the story. My exploration gathered numerous titles and extended as well to those books where yellow (or gold) is a key color although not necessarily on a neutral background, such as A Place Where Sunflowers Grow (Amy Lee-Tai and Felicia Hoshino, il., 2006), Typewriter (Yevgenia Nayberg, 2020), or The Golden Glow (Benjamin Flouw, 2018). It also led to exploring the origins of color in books such as Before Colors, Where Pigments and Dyes Come From (Annette Bay Pimentel and Madison Safer, il., 2023). Continue reading →

WOW Dozen: Inspiring Journeys: Overcoming Adversity on the Road to Olympic Victory

By Mary L. Fahrenbruck, New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, NM

In July 2024, the world’s attention will turn to Paris, France, as athletes from across the globe come together to compete in the summer Olympic Games. Millions of spectators will watch as these Olympic athletes showcase their physical talents in running, jumping, throwing, rowing, cycling, tumbling, diving and swimming events among others, all competing for a chance to write their names in sporting history.

Olympic athletes, past and present, are often celebrated for their physical achievements, but their journeys to the medal podium are also filled with inspiring stories of overcoming adversity. This month, the WOW Dozen features stories about past Olympic athletes who overcame significant obstacles including racism, sexism, poverty and illness to reach the peak of their sports. Notable stories include Sammy Lee, who practiced his diving skills in a backyard sandpit due to segregated pools, eventually winning gold and bronze medals, and Billy Mills who overcame personal obstacles and surpassed expectations with his remarkable victory in the 10,000-meter race at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

This WOW Dozen features stories about courageous individuals who had the determination and confidence necessary to succeed against all odds. Sharing these Olympians’ stories celebrates their lives and teaches valuable lessons, inspiring the next generation. Continue reading →

WOW Dozen: Multiple Perspectives on Names and Naming

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

People’s names are one of the foundational building blocks of identity. Whether it is a name we are given or one that we choose for ourselves, names can carry multiple layers of meaning, including culture, history, connections to heritage and family, or an expression of personality. In addition to the names of people, names of animals, plants, and other things can also carry historical and cultural meanings.

Most people have more than one name: a legal first name, one or more middle and last names, nicknames (sometimes multiple) given to us by family or friends, and usernames associated with social media accounts. In addition, many people have a religious name and/or a traditional name connected to their culture. There may be specific naming practices or rituals within cultures or groups and names may change, voluntarily or involuntarily, at different stages of life such as adoption, coming of age, or marriage. Continue reading →