Where Are Libraries & Book Stores Shelving Bilingual Children’s Books?
Visiting a book store in Oregon last week, I was delighted that they had some of my children’s books in their welcoming children’s section. (As an author, I’m usually almost wary about looking for my books in book stores.) When I asked if they had any of my bilingual children’s books (Spanish/English), I was directed to the foreign language section on another floor.
When I sign bilingual books, some bilingual families are delighted that they can enjoy both languages, and often today, monolingual English-speaking families are delighted that their children want to learn Spanish. I’m going to contact the book store suggesting that all children’s books be shelved in the appealing children’s section to be enjoyed by all children and families. If such books are checked out more and more by families visiting their libraries and bought by all kinds of families, maybe more presses will be excited about publishing these books, and more book stores will be excited about displaying and sharing these books.
Pat
This is such an important point. I want to bring it up with our library branch… the kids’ books in languages other than English are shelved by the dictionaries! At first, this was an advantage for me because I wanted to focus my son’s attention on books in Spanish. But over all, I think it limits the visibility and circulation of important literature. I’ve talked to a few other Spanish-speaking moms who didn’t even realize our branch had a section of children’s books in Spanish.