Multilingualism in the United States has been supported and criticized throughout its history, with support coming from those who cite individualism and rights of speakers, and criticism from those who believe it unpatriotic to speak anything but English (Spolsky, 2011). As policies change, so do attitudes toward learning multiple languages. English is in no danger of disappearing, but "within two or three generations, most non-English speaking immigrants to the United States will have lost or almost lost their heritage languages" (Spolsky, 2011, p. 3). Acclimation and "Americanization" for many immigrant families comes at the cost of a heritage language, which is an important part of any culture.
The value placed on monolingualism itself also disregards the benefits of multilingualism for children, including cognitive processing and metalinguistic awareness, or the ability to understand how language works as a process (King and Fogle, 2006). Multilingualism is a valuable resource for children, and can strengthen families and communities. These benefits, plus the increase of multilingual learners in schools make it increasingly important for educators and librarians alike to ensure multilingual representation in literature and curriculum.
TEACHING MULTILINGUAL BOOKS
Regardless of classroom demographics, learning is about making connections, and with text and illustrations, picture books give children the opportunities to make many connections - in all languages. For children to develop language skills, reading and being read to are integral:
Book reading is an excellent source of help in the acquisition of vocabulary. Book reading in any language, even when a baby can hardly sit up yet, plays a highly supportive role not only in the learning of language but also in the emotional bonding between child and parent. (De Houwer, 1999, p. 3)Multilingual children who draw on all of their linguistic resources in the classroom are able to make meaning through “translanguaging,” a practice with multiple academic benefits (Pacheco & Miller, 2015). These benefits don’t just happen on their own, though - teachers, parents, and librarians must intentionally work to encourage children to use all of their language skills. Without this encouragement, bilingual students may avoid engaging in meaningful conversation about literature, especially if expectations are lowered for them (Martinez-Roldan & Lopez-Robertson, 2000). Teachers should also ensure that “students don’t have to choose between doing well in school and honoring the culture of their homes, of where they came from” (Souto-Manning, 2016).
By following these best practices, educators ensure the cultural value of reading remains for all children, regardless of their heritage, because “nothing can be more destructive of our sense of self-respect, our confidence in ourselves, and our belief in the value of our own ways than not to exist in a culturally precious medium such as books” (Aldana, 2008).
LITERATURE EXAMPLES/COLLECTION BUILDING
It’s not enough for (English) books to be translated into other languages, as great as they may be - we need books written by multilingual writers to accurately represent the experiences of emerging bilingual and multilingual children. Books can be mirrors or they can be windows, and children need both in their reading lives.
Where do these books come from? Who is writing, illustrating, and publishing the books that our multilingual children can see themselves in? Here are some of the most recommended publishers of multilingual books, with examples of bilingual picture books for each (majority English-Spanish). There are, of course, many other examples of publishers and multilingual books - this is just a sample!
PUBLISHERS & PICTURE BOOK EXAMPLES
Cinco Puntos Press - independent publishers based in Texas and featuring English-Spanish language books
A Spoon for Every Bite/Una Cuchara Para Cada Bocado (2005)
Lectura Books - award-winning bilingual (English-Spanish) children's books
Boy Zorro and the Bully/El Niño Zorro Y El Peleón (2014)
Lee and Low Books - the largest multicultural children's book publisher in the United States
Marisol McDonald Doesn't Match/Marisol McDonald no combina (2011)
RACHEL RECOMMENDS
Book Fiesta! (2009)
OTHER PUBLISHERS
Language Lizard - bilingual children's products and dual language picture books in over 50 languages + English
Mantra Lingua - UK based publishing house with bilingual books and other educational resources in over 50 languages + English
Piñata Books - an imprint of Arte Publico Books featuring children's and young adult books from U.S. Hispanic culture
Spanish-Language Small Presses
CCBC List of Small Presses Owned/Operated by People of Color and First/Native Nations
SOURCES
- Aldana, P. (2008). Books that are Mirrors. Books that are Windows. Retrieved from: http://www.ibby.org/about/speeches/speeches/books-that-are-windows-books-that-are-mirrors/
- Bialystok, E. (2001). Bilingualism in development: Language, literacy, and cognition. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.
- De Houwer, A. (1999). Two or More Languages in Early Childhood: Some General Points and Practical Recommendations. CAL Online Resources: Digests. Retrieved from:
- Grosjean, F. (2012). Bilinguals in the United States. Psychology Today. Retrieved from: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/life-bilingual/201205/bilinguals-in-the-united-states
- King, K. & Fogle, L. (2006). Raising Bilingual Children: Common Parental Concerns and Current Research. Cal Digest. Retrieved from:
- Krogstad, J.M. & Gonzalez-Barrera, A. (2015). A majority of the English-speaking Hispanics in the U.S. are bilingual. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from: http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/03/24/a-majority-of-english-speaking-hispanics-in-the-u-s-are-bilingual/
- Martinez-Roldan, C. M., & Lopez-Robertson, J. M. (1999). Initiating literature circles in a first-grade bilingual classroom. Reading Teacher, 53(4), 270.
- Multicultural Literature. (2017). Cooperative Children’s Book Center. Retrieved from: http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/books/multicultural.asp
- Pacheco, M. & Miller, M. (2015). Making Meaning Through Translanguaging in the Literacy Classroom. Reading Teacher, 69(5), 533-537.
- Paulson, S. L. & Serantes, L. C. (2016). Two Librarians Share Their Favorite Spanish-Language Small Presses. Publishers Weekly. Retrieved from: https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-industry-news/article/69759-two-librarians-share-their-favorite-spanish-language-small-presses.html
- Souto-Manning, M. (2016). Honoring and Building on the Rich Literacy Practices of Young Bilingual and Multilingual Learners. Reading Teacher, 70(3), 263-271. doi:10.1002/trtr.1518
- Spolsky, B. (2011). Does the United States Need a Language Policy? Cal Digest. Retrieved from:
- Tschida, C., Ryan, C., & Ticknor, A. (2014). Building on Windows and Mirrors: Encouraging the Disruption of “Single Stories” Through Children’s Literature. Journal of Children’s Literature, 40(1) 28-39. Retrieved from: http://www.childrensliteratureassembly.org/docs/JCL-40-1-Article_Tschida.pdf
- Ullery, S. (2017). Where You Can Find Bilingual and Spanish Children’s Books. BookRiot. Retrieved from: https://bookriot.com/2017/11/14/spanish-childrens-books/
HELPFUL WEBSITES
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