Worlds of Words is a center on the University of Arizona campus where children can explore global literature. The center is located in the College of Education and its mission is to have children learn more about literacy and the world through books. There is a large collection of about 40,000 books representing many global cultures and in a variety of languages. The center hosts school field trips and tours to help bring global literacy into classrooms.

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Last fall, my family and I went to the 13th annual Tucson Comic-Con. There were many things to do. One we enjoyed most was the scavenger hunt. It took us all three days of the event to complete the task, but we did it by exploring Comic-Con, talking to people at the booths, participating in panel presentations, and talking to attendees, just like us.

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At one of our Bear Essential News Young Reporter Meetings, Mikyla Mace Kelley spoke with us. Kelley works with scientists from the University of Arizona and shares their fascinating research with the public and the media.

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Over the summer you can participate in the 2022 Pima County Public Library reading challenge. To participate in the Oceans of Possibilities Summer Learning Program, all you have to do is read 20 minutes a day. The program started June 1 and goes all the way until July 30, 2022.

You can read anything from chapter books to comic books or even listen to an audio book. The reading challenge is for kids ages 6–13. You can pick up the reading challenge information any time your local library is open.

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 Recently my family visited the Plum Creek Alpaca Farm in Prescott Valley. When we entered the farm, the farm dogs walked along with us as we visited the different pens. They housed a variety of groups of alpacas. Some areas were for the females or males and there was even an area for the nursery.

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 Recently I attended a fun Bear Essential News Reporter Zoom with author/illustrator LeUyen Pham and author Shannon Hale. They shared how they met, how they became best friends and talked about the books they have worked on together.

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 Recently Matt Brode met with Bear Essential Young Reporters during a Zoom meeting. For those who don’t know, Matt Brode is the chief meteorologist for News 4 Tucson. He talked to us about how he became interested in weather and about different types of weather that we experience in Arizona.

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 Jeff Kinney’s new book, “Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Spooky Stories,” was released March 16. This is the third book in the Awesome Friendly series, and it is spectacular! You’ll like it if you enjoy somewhat spooky and funny stories.

There are lots of fun short stories told from Rowley’s point of view. In my opinion, Rowley’s point of view is fun and exciting, like it is being told by one of your friends. The Wimpy Kid books are told from Greg’s point of view, and he seems to try to act older and more mature than Rowley.

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 Recently I was fortunate enough to do a Zoom interview with Jeff Kinney, author of Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid series. Kinney will be in Tucson for a drive-through book event at Mostly Books on March 26.

Kinney said that he is looking forward to being in Arizona. “Some of my happiest memories as a father have been going through Sedona...and other parts of Arizona with my kids,” He says. He is looking forward to visiting again with his family.

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 “The Croods 2: A New Age” was even better than the first Croods movie! It was full of adventure and humor as well as a lesson about building relationships.

 The movie builds upon the first movie, so you might want to watch “The Croods” before watching The Croods 2. I love the saying that one of the main characters, Grug says. He always tells his family that, “The pack stays together” as they travel and look for a place where the Crood family can be safe.

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