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worldsofwords.bsky.social
Worlds of Words Center
@worldsofwords.bsky.social
Books, Stories, Reviews, & Currents for educators focusing on global literature for young people. Housed in the University of Arizona College of Education.

https://wowlit.org
"Old as Stone, Hard as Rock of Humans and War" is a book that must be experienced and deeply reflected upon, according to this month's WOW Recommends by Cynthia Ryman.

#books #VisualNarratives #AlessandroSanna

wowlit.org/blog/2025/11...
WOW Recommends: Old as Stone, Hard as Rock of Humans & War • Worlds of Words
This month, Cynthia Ryman recommends a visual narrative by Italian illustrator Alessandro Sanna, which depicts the history of war.
wowlit.org
November 18, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Aika explores ways manga can be used to encourage global literacy with high school students specifically, both inside and outside the classroom.

wowlit.org/blog/2025/11...
Promoting Global Literacy with Manga Inside and Outside the Classroom • Worlds of Words
November's WOW Currents discusses how manga can be used in the classroom, with recommendations of fiction and nonfiction manga for teens.
wowlit.org
November 14, 2025 at 10:00 PM
Meaningful inclusion in play & conversation among children of all abilities starts with every day activities. These 12 picturebooks & novels provide perspectives on & approaches to invitations between children with disabilities & their typical peers.

#Books #EduSky

wowlit.org/blog/2025/11...
WOW Dozen: Engaging with People of All Abilities • Worlds of Words
This WOW Dozen presents twelve titles that offer examples, and sometimes instruction, on initiating conversation and play between people of all abilities.
wowlit.org
November 3, 2025 at 5:53 PM
If you think Spirited Away inspires cool costumes, consider its recently-translated inspiration, The Village Beyond the Mist. Any one of its wise and caring characters serves as inspiration. Read more in this month's WOW Recommends by @reblnation.bsky.social. #MGLit

wowlit.org/blog/2025/10...
WOW Recommends: The Village Beyond the Mist • Worlds of Words
This month, Rebecca recommends the inspiration for Studio Ghibil's Spirited Away: The Village Beyond the Mist by Sachiko Kashiwaba.
wowlit.org
October 6, 2025 at 8:06 PM
Last year, the WOW Reading Ambassadors distributed 250 books, met 7 authors & recorded 10 podcast episodes. Don't ask how many bagels we ate! Checkout their interactive graphic for how we fund this free program for middle & high school students.
www.thinglink.com/scene/202973...
Crowd Funding - WOW Reading Ambassadors '25
View the interactive image by Worlds of Words
www.thinglink.com
October 2, 2025 at 8:47 PM
Imagination Fridays return with virtual events for classroom teachers. Join Pam Muñoz Ryan, @adamrex.bsky.social, Duncan Tonatiuh, & Mac Barnett & Shawn Harris as they share their latest book & an activity while taking student questions. Free, registration required.

wowlit.org/blog/2020/11...
Worlds of Words Presents Imagination Fridays • Worlds of Words
Learn about Imagination Fridays, presented by Worlds of Words and the Tucson Festival of Books, every Friday at 1pm - 1:40pm.
wowlit.org
September 24, 2025 at 8:41 PM
Reposted by Worlds of Words Center
On this Sun Day when we celebrate the power of solar and other renewable energy, #TLSky #EduSky please take time to read my @worldsofwords.bsky.social book reviews of The Last Straw: Kids vs. Plastics and Black Beach: A Community, Oil Spill, and the Origin of Earth Day. wowlit.org/on-line-publ...
WOW Review: Volume XVII, Issue 4 • Page 9 of 12 • Worlds of Words
The Last Straw: Kids vs. Plastics Written by Susan Hood Illustrated by Christiane Engel HarperCollins, 2021, 48 pp ISBN: 978-0062981394 From the introduction to the “News You Can Use” at the end of th...
wowlit.org
September 21, 2025 at 10:30 PM
The stories in this WOW Dozen emphasize that being a child of the village means growing & thriving with the unwavering support of family and community, carrying forward the deep-seated values & wisdom that shape Pacific Islander life.
#BookSky #EduSky
wowlit.org/blog/2025/09...
WOW Dozen: I am a Child of the Village • Worlds of Words
This month Monique Storie presents a dozen titles that feature Pacific Islander characters, inspired by the phrase "I am a child of the village."
wowlit.org
September 16, 2025 at 4:22 PM
Our new Global Reading List is out! Visit our website to learn what trends we see & download our lists by grade level (with the caveat that comfort reading & stretch reading are both valuable - ignore the levels if that serves your needs). wowlit.org/blog/2025/09...

#EduSky #BookSky #GlobalKidLit
2025 Trends in K-12 Global Literature • Worlds of Words
For September's Currents, Kathy Short explores trends in global children's literature, highlighting titles from around the world.
wowlit.org
September 10, 2025 at 9:35 PM
We are fortunate to host this selection of international books on disability experiences in time to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act!

#IBBY #GlobalKidLit #BookSky

wowlit.org/blog/2025/08...
IBBY's 2025 Selection of Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities • Worlds of Words
A traveling exhibit featuring international books for and about young people with disabilities makes its U.S. debut in the Worlds of Words Center.
wowlit.org
September 2, 2025 at 4:24 PM
Reposted by Worlds of Words Center
September is World Kid Lit Month: a month for everyone of any age to explore the world through international children’s books.

How to take part? Simply read a book for young people from another country. If you use social media, share what you’ve enjoyed with the hashtag #WorldKidLitMonth
September 2, 2025 at 10:24 AM
Reposted by Worlds of Words Center
WOW!

Delighted to THE CAN CARAVAN by Richard O'Neill, illustrated by @cindysykang.com in WOW Dozen: Picturebooks to Encourage Empathy and Helping booklist!
wowlit.org/blog/2025/08...

More via our bio #kidlit #WorldsOfWords #empathy
@worldsofwords.bsky.social @pubspotlight.bsky.social
August 15, 2025 at 10:10 AM
As #educators, one of the most important things we can do in these early days of the school year is to begin building authentic, meaningful relationships with all students.

#edusky #picturebooks #ReadAlouds #empathy

wowlit.org/blog/2025/08...
Back to School: Essential Read Alouds for Human-to-Human Connection and Empathy • Worlds of Words
To celebrate the start of a new school year in August, Angelica Serrano shares titles to explore and embrace differences with students in read alouds.
wowlit.org
August 7, 2025 at 7:58 PM
Reposted by Worlds of Words Center
It’s almost #WorldKidLitMonth - a time to explore the world through children’s literature! Read all about how to get involved here 📚 🌍 #kidlit #readtheworld

worldkidlit.org/2025/08/01/i...
It’s nearly World Kid Lit Month!
Next month is September, World Kid Lit Month: the time to explore the world through international and translated children’s books. September is a busy month for many of us, so how can we get …
worldkidlit.org
August 6, 2025 at 4:23 PM
These 12 #picturebooks show children the ways they can be empathetic towards their peers and encourage kinder, more involved communities. The stories show people working towards empathy through policy, societal change and inclusion.

#WOWDozen #booksky

wowlit.org/blog/2025/08...
WOW Dozen: Picturebooks to Encourage Empathy and Helping • Worlds of Words
August's WOW Dozen brings together a dozen picturebooks on empathy, showing how children can help others and encouraging helping in communities.
wowlit.org
August 5, 2025 at 7:55 PM
In a special combined group of middle & high school readers, the Reading Ambassadors came together where story worlds collide - in this strange case: DC Comics, Robert Lewis Stevenson & @melissamarrwriting.bsky.social. podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/w...
WOW Reads: S3, E7 - RAP Reads The Strange Case of Harleen and Harley by Melissa Marr
Podcast Episode · WOW Reads · 06/18/2025 · 24m
podcasts.apple.com
June 23, 2025 at 8:25 PM
This #WOWDozen on hair could easily be three times as long; however, a dozen is 12, so we narrowed the book list to provide a variety of depictions and representations with the underlying belief that all hair (or lack thereof) is good hair. wowlit.org/blog/2025/06... #GlobalKidLit
WOW Dozen: Books About Hair • Worlds of Words
This month, Janine Schall shares a dozen titles that celebrate hair and all that it can mean for different people and communities.
wowlit.org
June 5, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Guojing's nearly monochromatic illustrations in Oasis convey the emotional depth of loneliness and loss for millions of children due to family separation while the story and her use of traditional media take a stance against AI replacing humans in the creation of art. #WOWRecommends #BookSky #MGLit
WOW Recommends: Oasis • Worlds of Words
The May WOW Recommends Book of the Month is Guojing's graphic novel, Oasis, a touching narrative about family set in a post-apocalyptic landscape.
wowlit.org
May 7, 2025 at 9:47 PM
Reposted by Worlds of Words Center
#NicStone is open & warm, like her favorite color - orange. In this ep of WOW Reads, teens discuss Nic's assertion of fiction as truth through the lens of a lie, how a psychology degree helps character development & that pursuit of discomfort contributes to growth & staves off boredom. #YALit
WOW Reads: S3, E6 - TRAP Reads Dear Manny by Nic Stone - WOW Reads
Join the Worlds of Words Center Teen Reading Ambassadors (TRAP) as we discuss Dear Manny by Nic Stone.Nic Stone is open and warm, just like her favorite color -- orange. We discuss her commentary on l...
www.buzzsprout.com
April 16, 2025 at 11:11 PM
Reposted by Worlds of Words Center
Travel $ deadline for summer PD=Monday! This interactive workshop w/ @worldsofwords.bsky.social explores children's literature on refugee/immigrant experiences. Goal: encourage children to critically engage w/ story to make sense of their own lives/understand others'.
cercll.arizona.edu/wowinst25/
April 11, 2025 at 10:44 PM
Our Reading Ambassadors just completed hour one of our four-hour Read-A-Thon. They are hosting it on IG this year. Join us if you are engaged in sustained, focused reading this afternoon. If there's Sky interest, we can post here too. #MGLit #YALit
April 12, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Prepare for #EarthDay with this WOW Dozen presenting 12 global titles that highlight youth taking action to address local issues impacting the environment.

#BookSky
WOW Dozen: Taking Action for the Earth • Worlds of Words
The April WOW Dozen presents twelve titles that focus on youth taking actions to protect the local environment, animals and the planet as a whole.
wowlit.org
April 3, 2025 at 9:26 PM
Visit the U of A campus this Saturday as 12 cultural & science collections offer special programming for #UOfAMuseumDay! We will share our current art exhibit w/ activities, original illustrations from our archives, & a chance to compare award-winning global & international picturebooks.

#Tucson
MUSEUM DAY 2025

Get ready to ignite your curiosity at U of A Museum Day on Saturday, March 29, 2025! This second annual event invites the community to experience museums and including Flandrau Science Center & Planetarium and Tree-Ring Lab.

research.arizona.edu/university-a...
March 26, 2025 at 8:21 PM
In collab w/ @cercll.bsky.social, we offer "Forced & Chosen Journeys: Refugee & Immigrant Experiences in Youth Literature." The summer institute features authors, @kaokaliayang.bsky.social & Shifa Saltagi Safad, & Julie Kasper, who works w/ refugee & immigrant students in school contexts. #EduSky
2025 Summer Institute – Forced and Chosen Journeys: Refugee and Immigrant Experiences in Youth Literature | CERCLL
cercll.arizona.edu
March 19, 2025 at 5:00 PM