“Is my child going to be confused if I speak to her in two languages?” “Will it hinder language development if I introduce another language to my child?” If you have ever had these thoughts while raising a bilingual reader, know that you are not alone in your doubts and fears. As a psychology graduate and a behavioural specialist, I believe that the answers will be found in properly researched books that base their answers and guidance on science and research. Which are in these 7 books that I am listing here.
Some are more academic than others, some provide more practical guidance than others. I’m a real geek for scientific information, so I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Bilingual Brain and Raising a Bilingual Child.
However, I also understand that parents want practical advice and strategies they can use right now! In which case Maximize Your Child’s Bilingual Ability or 7 Steps to Raising a Bilingual Child will be my top pick for you.
You can find these books affordably in ebook formats, or audiobooks. Whenever available, I have listed down the links for the physical book, e-book and audio book. Amazon tends to have sample pages you can download and read through before you purchase them.
Mandarin Homeschool is reader supported. Please note that when you click on the links in this post, we may earn commissions for purchases made, at no cost to you. Thank you.
Here are the best bilingual parenting books you should read
Author: Adam Beck
ISBN: 978-4908629013
Paperback available at Amazon, and Book Depository.
Ebook format available at Amazon.
Adam Beck is the founder of the blog Bilingual Monkeys which is a good starting point if you are just starting the bilingual teaching journey. As an educator and parent to bilingual children, his personal experience and expertise shows, which makes his book the most practical of all the ones listed here. So if you want to get straight to work, then this is your top pick.
For a simple and fun read with your child, Adam Beck also has this book “I WANT TO BE BILINGUAL!: A Book for New Parents with an Important Request from Your Baby” which will make a nice baby gift for new bilingual parents.
Author: Naomi Steiner, Susan Hayes, and Steven Parker
ISBN: 978-0814400463
Paperback available at Amazon, and Book Depository.
Ebook format available at Amazon and Apple Books.
A practical guide, though not quite step by step, or 7 steps as the title may have you think. Nevertheless, there is some easy, practical advice in this book on how to raise your child in two (or more) languages.
Author: Barbara Zurer Pearson
ISBN: 978-1400023349
Paperback available at Amazon, and Book Depository.
Ebook format available at Amazon, and Apple Books.
Singaporeans can borrow this book electronically from the NLB.
If you would like a more academic angle to your family’s bilingual approach than Maximize Your Child’s Bilingual Ability, then Raising a Bilingual Child is perfect for you. It is an accessible research based guide to understanding the benefits of bilingualism, the cognitive development that takes place in a bilingual child. There are less practical guidelines, instead it gives you comfort that you are indeed doing the right thing by raising your child bilingual.
Author: Eowyn Crisfield
ISBN: 978-1788929332
Paperback available at Amazon, and Book Depository.
Ebook format available at Amazon.
Short on time and don’t want to read a big guide on raising bilingual children? Then this book will give you the basic tips and tricks you need to start your family’s bilingual journey.
Author: Colin Baker
ISBN: 978-1783091591
Paperback available at Amazon, and Book Depository.
Ebook format available at Amazon, and Apple Books.
Can I confess that I found this book very hard to read? It should really be titled A Teachers’ Guide to Bilingualism, because it is not very accessible to the everyday parent! However, I have included this book in my list of must read books on raising bilingual children, as it is very comprehensive. Think of this as a Q&A book instead of a paperback you read from front to back, and you will benefit from Colin Baker’s wealth of experience in this area.
Author: Albert Costa
ISBN: 978-0141990385
Paperback available at Amazon, and Book Depository.
Ebook format available at Amazon, and Apple Books.
Audio Book format available on Apple Books.
Singaporeans can borrow this book electronically from the NLB.
Do you want to know what happens in the brain of a bilingual? If you do, then this book The Bilingual Brain will explain clearly and simply what happens inside the brain of a bilingual. Albert Costa’s book is highly informative without being overly academic.
Preview the Audio Book:
Author: Annika Bourgogne
ISBN: 978-9526803708
Paperback available at Amazon, and Book Depository.
Ebook format available at Amazon.
For parents who are teaching more than 1 language, then this book Be Bilingual will provide you with lots of practical and creative ideas on how to achieve that goal, in the most practical and enjoyable way.
Happy Reading and Learning these practical strategies at home!
Great recommendations!
I really liked “the Bilingual Edge” and “Family Language Learning”.
Thank you Breanna. I’m glad you found the book recommendations helpful. It’s always helpful to help an expert view on things!