image credit: reading time, via flickr

Those of you who are regular readers of our blog know that we like to interview bilingual families to showcase their trials and triumphs because we believe we can all learn from one another. As bilingual publishers we get the chance to meet lots of interesting people, and we often feel the need to share their insight and stories with others who may be going through the same thing. So when I read a blog post by writer Jeannette Cook at ceci n’est pas un cuisine about how her nine year old daughter finally became enthusiastic about reading in English, I knew I wanted to hear more about this bilingual family.

I was especially touched by the following lines from Jeannette’s post, “But I have to say that with raising kids bilingually, especially when they are schooled in a language that is not yours, the pride you feel in their ability is tempered by a bittersweet feeling that they are missing out on something you enjoyed, and hoped they would one day share. I’m talking, I suppose, mainly about books, and reading in English. And specifically, reading children’s books in English…I get a pang in my heart when I see Clover’s older sister reading French translations of childhood classics. But of course she reads faster and better in French, and I’m glad she likes reading, so I won’t force the originals on her…But I wonder, did she not love Laura Ingalls Wilder’s books because she tried them in translation? I want her to love (eventually) the great wealth that is Anglo literature — Dickens and Austen and Catcher in the Rye; I want her to go through a Hemingway phase, and an E. E. Cummings one, and even (should they still be in print) a Judy Blume one.”

I’m sure many bilingual families have experienced similiar sentiments about their children missing out on part of their language and culture. I left a comment on her blog and Jeannette was kind enough to get back to me and answer a few questions about her bilingual readers.

Jeannette’s story in her own words:

In our own home, I’m American and my ex-husband, my girls’ father, is British (English).  So our home language is two sorts of English.   Our girls are being raised bilingually however because we decided to send them to local Belgian schools.  As we live in French-speaking Brussels, they have been immersed in French.

Brussels is a marvelous place if you are interested in the dynamics of bilingualism, or multi-lingualism.  Because of the European institutions, people from all over Europe come here, resulting in all sorts of variations on the bilingual theme:  mother and father with two different languages; mother and father with same language but the language of the place where they are living is different; mother and father with two different languages PLUS the language of the place is different.  This is in addition to the language friction which exists between the French and Flemish speaking parts of Belgium.  Brussels is officially bilingual, but the two languages divide themselves not only geographically, but socio-economically. There’s a lot of language going on here!

My own level of French is fair, though far from fluent.  I used to read to the girls mostly in English when they were very small — say, pre-school age — but once they were about 6 or 7 I didn’t push the English because I wanted them to be very solid with reading and writing in French, because that is the language they are schooled in.

I have no doubt that my oldest daughter (12) finds it easier to read in French at the moment and that is why she tends to read more in that language.  That being said, she has discovered that many books she likes have been translated from English and that she can get the latest in her favorite series faster if she gets it in English. So she’s motivated now to be able to do both with similar ease.  Because of the interest my youngest daughter (9) has shown in reading, and the positive reinforcement she gets from being able to read beginner’s books, I will keep encouraging her to read to me now.

Another thing about why my eldest leans towards reading French: her peer group is reading in that language.  If she wants to exchange books or talk about books with her friends, it’s going to be French language books, not English ones.

In general, reading is a big feature in our lives… books everywhere in the house, Amazon orders, hanging out in bookstores… It would have been hard for them not to be interested, one way or another.

Thanks so much to Jeannette for sharing her story with us, and we wish you the best of luck!