Books for Parents

Raising Multilingual Children
by Tracey Tokuhama-Espinosa

Raising Multilingual Children discusses in a compassionate, engaging manner the highly complex issues that a multilingual upbringing takes, taking into account the often difficult choices that we parents have to confront in the process. Using a cooking metaphor, the author describes the necessary ingredients that are necessary for baking a successful multilingual pie. Yet raising multilingual children is not at all a piece of cake, and the author doesn’t try to dish up Bilingualism with sugar coating, either. Instead, she reflects on her own experiences and analyzes complex case studies, provides practical advice and a plethora of resources. This book is highly recommended for parents who seek practical advice in their multilingual situation, who need guidance through rough times, or simply seek an excellent source for practical tips and further resources. If you can handle some wit and humor in addition, you will find this a rewarding reading experience.

Get ready for Raising Multilingual Children, Part II, which will be available in fall 2007!

Beyond Baby Talk
by Kenn Apel, Ph.D. and Julie Masterson, Ph.D.

This easy to read book is full of information about language development in children. The writing is geared toward parents of young children and takes the reader through each stage, step-by-step. There are wonderful examples and descriptions as well as tips and ideas for how to encourage your child’s language development. It also includes a chapter dedicated to language and culture issues when raising bilingual children. For parents just getting started in raising a bilingual and bicultural child, this chapter would certainly be helpful, encouraging and of value. Parents are encouraged to evaluate and monitor their child’s language development and are taught which external influences have the most impact on their children’s linguistic progress, such as television and cultural styles. This book will also help parents identify basic signs of language development issues which should be addressed with a language expert if necessary. This book is very encouraging to bilingual parents who wish for additional understanding of children’s language development andthose who wish to do more to encourage their children with specific activities and support.

Games Language People Play
by Jerry Steinberg

When it comes to learning a new language or keeping a second language alive in your home, having games to keep thing fun is essential! Jerry Steinberg is an expert in keeping language fun! In his book are 110 games ranging from beginner to advanced. Each game indicates the language skill, group size, objective, materials needed, a detailed description of how to play each game and additional suggestions. Although these games are intended for teachers in the classroom, they can just as easily be utilized by parents at home and would be a wonderful addition to a language playgroup. The book is written in English so for families who are raising children in a different language, it is necessary to come up with alternative words for the games. For example, in the game titled, “Who Has It,” the forms of the verb TO HAVE are practiced. This game can be used for any language but it may take extra effort to make the game work smoothly for certain languages. However, with so many games listed, it is possible for every family to find games that will work for them. Parents are also encouraged to use this book as a starting point for creating even more games on their own and to adapt them to fit the needs of each of their children.

Succeeding in Diversity - culture, language and learning in primary classrooms
By Jean Conteh

As the author states, “This book is for primary school teachers, teacher trainers and students on primary education courses. It is about language and learning, about the ways in which the two interact and the ways in which these interactions are always mediated through, in and by culture.”
Parents who have children in school will be interested in what Jean Conteh has to say in this book. It will go a long way in helping them to support their children in their academic environments and will receive encouragment to help establish the necessary bridge between home and school. What are the necessary factors to help bilingual children become high achievers in school? The answer is to be found in the positive interactions and experiences in both home and school which in turn help bilingual children to move confidently between social worlds, cultures and langauges in their daily lives. Without these mutually supportive environments, it is easy for bilingual children to move along paths of failure, which unfortunately is often the norm. Sadly, it is rare to find a school system which has put out the necessary effort and research to establish a successful program to support the needs of its bilingual students. “Succeeding in Diversity” should be in the hands of both parents and administrators to finally find answers to these difficult questions.

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