A FEW WORDS
ABOUT OUR WEBSITE
Children Bilingual Books is owned and operated by Advance Books LLC in Renton, Washington, a community within the greater Seattle area. As a licensed LLC, we formed our business on October 1, 2019, and set off developing a series of books we fondly call our Sophia and Alex series. Our intent has always been to provide early readers with dual-text learning materials in English and their family’s native language.
We were thrilled to contract the talents of Artist Damon Danielson from the greater Atlanta area to illustrate the series through the use of his multi-cultural characters. Although ten books were originally planned for the project, the series soon expended to eleven during the summer of COVID to assist students transitioning into kindergarten. Since then, the books have been translated into 29 languages by native speakers and continue to expand into other languages every month.
In addition to the original hardcovers, the books are now available in eBook, audio-print, soft cover, and eBook-audio formats through our partner’s platforms. Please access your Libby, Sora, Ingram Content, Amazon, and Library Ideas (VOX) accounts for a wide selection of titles and languages within the Sophia and Alex series.
The core purpose of the books was designed to prepare children for upcoming events common in the life of an early learner. Reading our books prior to one of these events lessens the anxiety that may occur; thus, transitioning it from a formidable “Event” to a much anticipated “Experience.” We have taken these experiences and developed books to teach lessons conducive to a child’s early development. The values are universal, but the takeaways are unique to a child’s environment. The primary focus is on building positive social interactions with peers and adults that provides the basis for good behavior and peer acceptance.
A series of lesson plans are being developed to support early childhood curricula for bilinguals. The lesson plans are used in conjunction with the books to build a bilingual child’s social and communicative skills in the classroom and at home.
Libraries today traditionally carry a sizable children’s section. However, their shelves of language books are fairly limited to a couple of better known languages. The same is true for bookstores, online retailers, and schools. A deeper search for dual-text books is even more concerning. Apart from a few Chinese and Spanish books, literature in other languages is near non-existent. Finding books is Arabic, Dari, Vietnamese, Tagalog, and Ukrainian is almost impossible. However, all this is changing with help from Indie publishers like Children Bilingual Books.
What started as a Spanish, French and Chinese collection has grown into 29 languages over the last four years. We soon found that the languages in most demand from libraries were the ones hardest to find such as our five right-to-left translations of Dari/Farsi, Urdu, Arabic and Hebrew. Languages like Thai, Japanese, Hindi, and Korean are in high demand in certain part of the country. Whether it be Russian, Swahili, Haitian Creole, Armenian, Mohawk, or Burmese, we see libraries all across the U.S. filling their shelves with our books.
Advance Books is a member of the American Library Association and attends library conferences across the country. Currently, we service all public and school libraries in 48 of the 50 states. Should a school or library wish to schedule an event with Author Denise Bourgeois-Vance, an hour presentation is available. The event is designed to excite elementary school students of all ages in learning a second language or, at the very least, understanding the origins of languages and how people communicate today. The presentation fee is based on audience size. Please contact Denise at Denise.Vance@ChildrenBilingualBooks.com to schedule your event today.
It is understood, Children Bilingual Books is a strong advocate for second-language learning. Studies show that multilingualism increases a child’s literacy rate not only in their second language, but their native language as well. We invite all teachers, librarians, administrators, parents, and children everywhere to explore the world of Sophia and Alex.
MISSION STATEMENT
“To provide early learning dual-text books for second-language learners around the world.”
One in five households speak a second language in the home, yet only 3% of our literature in the U.S. is non-English. For a country that prides itself on its diversity, that’s a sad commentary. Compare that with Italy where 50% of all books in libraries are non-Italian.
Children Bilingual Books is dedicated to bringing literature to children of all cultures and languages. We encourage other publishers and writers to do the same. “It brings be great joy to see children reading their family language with their parents and grandparents, ” says Author Denise Bourgeois-Vance. “It’s my hope that they retain their first language and one day pass it on to their children.”
COMMUNITY
At Children Bilingual Books, we believe language is the foundation on which culture is built. How we communicate with one another within our linguistical community is what binds us as a people and as a nation. There’s a reason why some cultures have nine words for “love” or no word for “contempt” for example. Some languages may sound harsh to us, so we may incorrectly think of their people as being harsh when that is not the case. The words we choose to use are important, but only in the context in which the message is being conveyed. Misunderstandings between cultures often originate due to the differences in language. This is one reason why we seek to live in communities with language similarities.
Those who learn multiple languages have an advantage over monolinguals where they have a broader understanding of cultural differences. Teaching our children to be bilingual is one way of instilling values of acceptance and inclusion that will carry them through their life.
About our
people
Denise Bourgeois-Vance
Author Denise Bourgeois-Vance is a bilingual immigrant to the United States. She holds a degree in Social Science from Washington State University and has worked as a teacher and Family Support Specialist for underprivileged children. She is a mother and grandmother, currently living in Washington State with her husband, Garth. Together, they built a publishing company dedicated to helping bilingual students learn to read in their first and second languages simultaneously through her dual-text books. Daughter Stephanie Bourgeois-Hays, a certified elementary teacher, is author and developer of our Children Bilingual courseware, intended to supplement most early learning curricula.
Damon Danielson
Artist Damon Danielson is a gifted children’s book illustrator with over 20 years of art and illustration experience. Damon has worked with preschool and elementary-aged children, developing artwork for curricula and activities. Damon and his family live in the greater Atlanta, GA area, where they own and operate a graphic arts company. The art used in our 11-volume Sophia and Alex series is seen across the U.S. and around the world. Over five hundred publications of eBooks, hardbacks, soft covers, and audio books are now in circulation.
