Book description
For many families, speaking at least one language other than
English at home is already a given--more than 51 million people in the
U. S. alone live in multilingual homes. But what about when bilingual
children go to English-speaking schools and are expected to thrive in
a primarily monolingual, English-speaking community? How do families
maintain a balance and help their children to grow and develop in more
than one language?
In Bilingual By Choice, Virginie Raguenaud guides parents on how
to introduce a second language to their children. She also provides
insights, resources, and activities for raising children who will go
on to become bilingual adults. This book is the first of its kind to
address bilingualism from the cradle to adolescence.
Raguenaud uses practical strategies and techniques for any
family or instructor to ensure that kids stay engaged and active in
every language available to them.
An amazing book- exactly what countless parents in our globalizing
world have been looking for! As more and more bicultural and bilingual
families form, the issues Virginie Raguenaud addresses become
increasingly urgent. Not only does she dispel common anxiety-producing
myths, but she also gives clear, practical ways for how parents can help
their children develop fluency in each heritage language.--Ruth E. Van
Reken, co-author. Global nomad and bilingual writer Virginie Raguenaud
is a mother of French- and English-speaking twins and is studying to get
her Master of Arts degree in Intercultural Relations from the University
of the Pacific in Stockton, California. Raguenaud is a member of the
National Association for Bilingual Education (NABE), Families in Global
Transition (FIGT), and the Society of Intercultural Education, Training,
and Research (SIETAR USA). She currently resides in New Hampshire.
