Image from With Flying Colors: Color Idioms Whether your summer adventures keep you close to home or sunning on a beach, a book is an easy way to keep boredom at bay! Summer reading is a great way to increase one’s knowledge of the world, discover new genres, learn a new language, or even brush up on a second one. Summer Reading Themes & Bilingual Book Recommendations Your local library is always a wonderful place to start for summer reading ideas, and we have collected our bilingual book recommendations to go with this year’s summer reading themes. Read, Renew, Repeat If your library is p ..read more

Music, similar to sports, has the unique ability to transcend language barriers and connect people from different cultures and backgrounds. Music can influence how people think and feel and has been a part of our culture since the beginning of time. Let’s take a look at one of the instruments that was invented thousands of years ago and is still in use today! History The didgeridoo is an ancient woodwind instrument from the Indigenous Australian culture with a distinct and mesmerizing sound. While the precise origins of the didgeridoo are uncertain, it is widely believed to have been created ..read more

Image from The Three Little Howlers Let’s learn about the Khmer language! We’ve gathered background information and interesting facts about the language. In addition, check out our newest children’s books available in Khmer. Where is Khmer spoken? Khmer, also known as Cambodian, is the official language of Cambodia and is spoken by most of the country’s 16 million inhabitants. The Khmer language belongs to the Mon-Khmer branch of the Austroasiatic language family. It dates back to the ancient Khmer Empire, one of Southeast Asia’s most powerful and influential civilizations from the 9th to the ..read more

Image from With Flying Colors We are tickled pink because it’s almost Idiom Week (January 14-20, 2024). To celebrate, we are hosting a special giveaway and we do not want you to miss out on this golden opportunity! Idiom Week Giveaway Details One winner will receive a set of our 4 Idiom books in one of the 10 languages we offer (see list of languages offered below). Or, let us send you a mix of languages perfect for diverse classrooms. The giveaway runs from December 16, 2023 to January 31, 2024. We are giving you the green light to enter here. (Remember to put your language selection in the ..read more

Image from We Can All Be Friends Let’s learn about the Bengali language! We’ve gathered background information and interesting facts about the language. In addition, check out our newest children’s books available in Bengali. Where is Bengali spoken? Bengali is the seventh most popular language globally, spoken by more than 260 million people worldwide.  Bengali is primarily spoken in Bangladesh and India. Bengali in the United States There are over 300 thousand Bengali speakers in the United States, with large groups in the New York metropolitan area, California, and Texas. Image from W ..read more

Whether your first day of school is in August or September, it’s never too early to get your classroom ready for the new school year. While working through your classroom preparation checklist, remember the importance of having a welcoming classroom for all students, especially those learning English for the first time. With schools in the U.S. continuing to change to reflect our country’s increasing cultural diversity, creating an atmosphere that reflects acceptance and diversity right from the start is essential. (Check out our blog post about 5 Back to School Tips – Bilingual & Mu ..read more

Since October is Celebrating the Bilingual Child Month, a month-long celebration of bilingualism and multiculturalism, we wanted to look at five common myths and misconceptions surrounding bilingualism. Let’s explore and debunk some of these commonly held beliefs and shed some light on the truth behind bilingualism and its benefits.  Myth 1: Bilingualism delays language development in children One of the most persistent myths is that exposing children to two languages at an early age could hinder language development. However, research shows bilingual children often have superior cogniti ..read more

Sports have a unique ability to serve as a universal language that transcends cultural, linguistic, and societal barriers. A perfect example of this is international competitions such as the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, which is currently happening in Australia and New Zealand. The event has 32 countries participating and millions of people tuning in worldwide to cheer their nations to victory. Sepak Takraw While soccer/football may be one of the oldest and most popular sports played globally, another lesser-known sport, Sepak Takraw, is popular in Southeast Asia but gaining traction worldwid ..read more

Congratulations to Multicultural Children’s Book Day for celebrating its 10th anniversary! We were thrilled once again to join in the special event on January 26th as a Platinum Sponsor.  That’s a Wrap! This year’s event was capped off with a Virtual Read Your World Party via Zoom, where co-hosts and participants interacted and chatted about how to raise awareness for the need to see all children reflected in children’s literature, among many other topics. In addition, the event featured many book bundle giveaways! A special congratulations to Kristen Strong Albright, K-5 STEM Teacher f ..read more

With the weather beginning to warm up and the end of the school year in sight, it’s a great time to start thinking about activities to keep the kids engaged and learning during the long summer days and prevent the dreaded “summer slide.” Image from The Three Little Howlers One way to keep students busy is by reading! Choosing books that coincide with the local library’s summer reading theme is fun. These themes are enjoyable, foster a love of reading, and help children appreciate the value of books.  Reading Themes & Book Recommendations Here are some bilingual book recommendations t ..read more