Introduction:

Looking across the books for this issue of WoW Reviews, the theme that comes to mind is “expansive.” This issue highlights books that contain expansive plots and landscapes, as well as books that expand our thinking and engagement. Novels like Vango between Earth and Sky, Echo, The Bamboo Sword, and Se7en Second Delay take readers on adventures that cross geographical, historical, or philosophical boundaries. Reign Rain invites us to think deeply about the struggles that some young people live with every day, yet, in spite of what many of us might consider limiting factors, move beyond with the power of their own convictions. If a grand adventure interests you, Vango between Earth and Sky fits that description. Echo takes readers through historical accounts with nothing less than a wonderfully magical ending, and The Bamboo Sword takes readers to ancient Japan. In contrast, Se7en Second Delay launches readers into a dystopian future.

The picture books Emu, The Lion and the Bird, and There’s a Crocodile under My Bed contain expansive illustrations that take readers to the sprawling Australian Outback, the wide scope of the Canadian prairies, and the ever-surprising imagination of children. Readers will be intrigued with the information that male emus nurture the young, the hilarious antics of the crocodile Carl under young Sophie’s bed, and the quietly contemplative and deeply satisfying friendship between a lion and a bird.

Our next theme is Movement, Transition, and Change across Time, with reviews due November 15, 2015.

Holly Johnson, Editor