Worlds of Words | International Collection of Children's and Adolescent Literature

Worlds of Words | International Collection of Children's and Adolescent Literature

Welcome to Worlds of Words. You will find many useful resources on this site for building bridges between cultures. These resources include multiple strategies for locating and evaluating culturally authentic international children’s and adolescent literature as well as ways of engaging students with these books in classrooms and libraries. Use the blue navigation bar at the top of the page to browse or search our growing database of books, to read one of our two on-line journals, or to learn more about our mission. We encourage you to take time to explore the many resources on this site and to return often as we expand to include more voices like yours.

WOW is committed to creating an international network of people who share the vision of bringing books and children together, thereby opening windows on the world. We encourage thoughtful dialogue around international literature so that children can reflect on their own cultural experience and connect to the experience of others across the globe.

ICCAL holds an estimated 25,000 volumes of children’s and adolescent literature focusing on world cultures and indigenous peoples. Housed at the University of Arizona, College of Education in several specialized reading rooms, ICCAL has an adjacent classroom for courses and workshops and offices for staff and visiting scholars and is the largest collection of its kind in the U.S.

These resources are used to:

• promote intercultural understanding and global perspectives.
• identify excellent culturally authentic literature about children’s lives around the world.
• provide resources for adults who share a passion for connecting readers with books.
• Share the stories of children’s dialogue and interactions around international literature.
• Encourage the integration of international literature into the curriculum.

Worlds of Words | International Collection of Children's and Adolescent Literature