Photo by William Fortunato
The award-winning bilingual children’s book by Dora Przybylek is about a girl named Luisita who is struck with cancer. It begins with Luisita feeling tired all of a sudden. She couldn’t run and play as much as she usually did with her friends. And when she went to the doctor, they found out she had cancer, which is an unfortunate fate for a child.
Despite the sad news, Luisita’s mom did her best to explain cancer to the innocent little girl and its effects on the body. Luisita also learns more about the illness from helpful doctors, nurses, and friends. Even with her unfortunate situation, Luisita remains positive and unyielding to the challenges brought by cancer. What’s more, she receives a lot of love and support from the people around her, especially her loved ones.
Dora Przybylek wrote children’s books with disabled characters to help kids who are diagnosed with cancer. She also aims to comfort and support parents looking for ways to cope with their child’s diagnosis and treatment. Cancer is a dangerous battle full of uncertainty, and the book wants to let readers know that they are not alone in the fight for survival.
This book is also unique because it comes in two languages, both English and Spanish. That’s why with Dora’s book as a concrete example, we’ll analyze the appeal of writing a bilingual book and the benefits of reading bilingual literature to children.
The role of bilingual literature in bridging the gap
Raising a child to be bilingual is a rare opportunity that needs further education and polishing, mainly on the parents’ end. And reading a book with two languages in it is challenging, especially when it’s a book for children. Although complicated initially, it can be a fun learning activity that will shape your child’s language and communication skills.
It offers an outstanding way to bridge the gap and break the language barrier that prevents us all from effectively communicating with each other. These works reassure readers that speaking more than one language is okay and it’s okay to talk it to people who understand. These days, being bilingual is considered a gift full of enriching experiences that await.
Many resources contain in-depth research about bilingualism, and literary works published in a bilingual format are considerably rare since only some publishers are willing to publish bilingual books. Another pressing issue is the rarity of bilingual books for young children still developing. Additionally, the most common pairings are English with Spanish and Chinese.
The book “Luisita is Sick” was written in English and Spanish, with every paragraph aligned with each other. As you read the book, you’ll see that one section is in English, while there’s a subsequent paragraph written in Spanish. They take turns in every portion of the book, which can help both native English and Spanish speakers alike to enjoy the book better and learn from each other.
The benefits of reading bilingual literature for children
As globalization evolves, there’s a higher demand for bilingualism. Training your child early to at least understand a non-English language heightens their executive brain function. Especially when your child’s brain is still at the learning and growing stage, they can absorb a lot of things that can either be beneficial or detrimental. Take a look at the following benefits of reading bilingual literature to your child:
1 – These books enhance the vocabulary
Books never fail to boost your child’s literacy skills and diversify vocabulary. Even a few minutes of bedtime reading goes a long way in enriching your child’s brain capacity. Bilingual books are a good opportunity for the child to understand a word in different languages, along with reading comprehension. Syntax and grammar are also taught early by exposing the child to educational reading materials.
2 – Children learn a new language
Encouraging kids to read bilingual literature this early is a must since research shows how children ages 2 to 5 are at their prime for language learning. To enhance their cognitive skills, allow them to explore and read a book in multiple languages. They’re still at a stage where they’re most impressionable to external input. Parents must explore all means for their children to become bilingual.
3 – Bilingual literature teaches children how to empathize
Understanding one another is part of the benefits of children learning a second language. They gain significant insight into unfamiliar cultures and welcome additional wisdom and knowledge about the countries in which the languages are spoken into. They also get to put themselves in the character’s shoes, which broadens their understanding of others. Seeing the world through the characters’ eyes and eventually mastering their foreign language makes them more of an empath.
And because Dora Przybylek’s book is about a child with cancer, children can empathize with Luisita’s illness and all other children who’ve been struck with cancer. Her book is a stellar example for children meant to teach matters of the mind, especially the heart.
