WOW Review: Volume XVII, Issue 2 • Page 2 of 9 • Worlds of Words

Introduction and Editors’ Note

Animals and humans bond in many ways. They are friends and companions, whether they are the family pet, a therapy animal, or a set of non-judgemental listening ears for children to read to. They are rescuers and first responders, digging in rubble from earthquakes, avalanches or bombs. They are helpers, serving people with a wide array of abilities. Their increased sense of smell, geographical orientation, hearing, and speed serve many. This group of titles explores that bond, and the creativity, healing, and strong emotions that take place as humans and animals interact.

Several titles demonstrate the value humans place on animals. In the biographical Lion Lights, a young Maasai adolescent works to protect his family’s cattle from predatory lions. He discovers that lions will not attack an enclosure with lights that flash in a moving pattern, imitating a guard walking the enclosure with a flashlight. His invention is now used around the world to protect domestic animals from predators. In contrast, the humorous All the Dear Little Animals narrates the efforts of three bored children to spend one day giving dead creatures, whether a pet like a dog or rabbit or a wild creature like a beetle, a proper funeral complete with grave markers, flowers, poetry celebrating their lives, and proper crying for the deceased.

The special bond between children and their pets has been a popular subject in juvenile literature for decades, but the titles in this issue present a unique element of that bond based in the setting. In Along the Tapajós, the children have to battle an anaconda to rescue their pet tortoise from the snake and the flooding Amazon River. In Night Market Rescue, a lost little girl in Taipei, Taiwan wanders the night market when she discovers an abandoned, hungry, but friendly dog. The quickly-built bond between the young girl and GoGo is comforting while she looks for her parents, and eventually the dog finds a family and a home, and the girl a special companion. Finally, Mishka is the story of a refugee family from Afghanistan who is settling into a new permanent life in the Netherlands, and adopt a dwarf rabbit as a sign of that permanence. When Mishka goes missing, the whole family participates in the search, meeting neighbors and making new friends, while looking for the small mammal that means so much to each of them.

Two unique stories discuss the palpable special bond created between a child and an animal regarded as dangerous. In the Indigenous book The Girl and the Wolf, a girl wanders away from her mother into the woods and gets hopelessly lost. She encounters a wise wolf, who, through questions about her surroundings and past guidance from adults, guides her back to her family. Anchored in history during WWII and the Blitz, When the Sky Falls tells the story of Joseph, an angry adolescent who has been evacuated to a zookeeper’s home. As he learns to care for the few remaining animals, he deals with his own anger at being left behind. He eventually makes friends with a silverback gorilla, Adonis, who ends up rescuing Joseph from bullies and famished wolves, demonstrating the caring bond that can develop between a huge mammal and a hurting child.

We invite you to read and think with these titles and consider submitting a review for future issues. Please refer to calls below and the submission guidelines.

Volume 17, Issue 3 (Spring 2025 – submission deadline: April 30, 2025) – Open theme. The editors welcome reviews of global or multicultural children’s or young adult books published within the last three years that highlight intercultural understanding and global perspectives.

Volume 17, Issue 4 (Summer 2025- submission deadline July 1, 2025) – Themed issue on climate change and environmental concerns. The editors welcome reviews of global or multicultural children’s or young adult books published within the last three years that address concerns for the environment, whether addressing issues such as climate change, recycling or repurposing, or sustainable practices that support green living. The titles need to include a call to action.

Susan Corapi, co-editor

María V. Acevedo-Aquino, co-editor

Authors retain copyright over the vignettes published in this journal and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under the following Creative Commons License: