With the help of a grant from the Canadian Give the Gift of Literacy Foundation, WVRA was able to produce 100 copies of a four-volume set of books: NEW WORDS, NEW WORLDS. All of the 15 stories and poems were written by our students. Funding from the National Literacy Secretariat has since allowed us to print an additional 100 sets.

Winnipeg artist Glennys Hardie generously provided the illustrations, which comprise at least half of each page. As well as enhancing the stories, they can of course be used to enable readers to predict narrative events, and to provide contextual dues to word recognition and meaning etc. Indeed, learners could be encouraged to write their own text for the pictures, or the pictures could be used with or without text in sequencing activities.

In general, Books 1 and 2 have shorter and simpler words and sentences, while Books 3 and 4 have more text and are somewhat more complex in style and conceptual content. But these works should appeal to readers of almost any age or background, including Aboriginal, ESL, and those with learning disabilities. We consulted with our students at various stages of the production process to ensure that the type-face, size, line spacing and layout would be as "user-friendly" as possible.

Our initial grant has enabled us to provide you with one complimentary set of these books. Additional sets may be purchased by using the enclosed order form. We hope you will find NEW WORDS, NEW WORLDS as enjoyable to use as it was to produce!