A FEW WORDS
ABOUT OUR WEBSITE
Children Bilingual Books is owned and operated by Advance Books LLC in Renton, Washington, a community in 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 with the students transitioning into kindergarten. Since then, the books have been translated into 22 languages by native speakers and continue to expand into other languages every month.
In addition to the original hardcover, the books are now available in eBook, audio-print, soft cover, and eBook-audio formats through our partner’s platforms. Please access your Libby, Ingram Content, Amazon, and Library Ideas (VOX) accounts and catalogs when acquiring the Sophia and Alex books.
The core purpose of the series was designed to prepare children for upcoming events common in the life of an early learner. This is meant to lessen the anxiety that may occur, transitioning it from a formidable “Event” to an 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 building positive social interaction 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 programed 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.
The core purpose of the series was designed to prepare children for upcoming events common in the life of an early learner. This is meant to lessen the anxiety that may occur, transitioning it from a formidable “Event” to an 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 building positive social interaction 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 programed 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.
Libraries today traditionally carry a sizable children’s collection. However, non-English books are not easy to find in bookstores, libraries, or schools. Add to that dual text and they become even harder to find. Spanish has representation, but beyond a few Chinese books, most every other language has limited availability. Arabic, Dari, Vietnamese, and Ukrainian are nearly non-existent. Finding educational books in these languages 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 22 languages over the last three years. We soon found that the languages most in demand from libraries were the ones hardest to find such as our four right-to-left translations of Dari/Farsi, Urdu, Arabic and Hebrew. Languages become popular depending on the demographics of the library or school. Whether it be Ukrainian, Russian, Japanese, Vietnamese, Armenian, Tagalog, or Burmese, we see communities with strong ties to language and culture seeking books in their native language. Hindi, Punjabi, Thai, and Korean are languages few libraries attempt to stock.
New languages under consideration are Hawaiian, Navajo, French-creole, Swahili and Polish. Children Bilingual Books is always open to other suggestions.
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 45 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 and/or books purchased. Please contact Denise at Denise.Vance@ChildrenBilingualBooks.com to set up a time.
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 translated. Compare that with Italy where half the books in libraries are translated. For a country that prides itself on its diversity, that’s an embarrassment. Children Bilingual Books has set out on a path to bring early learning books to children that not only helps them learn a new language, but also aids their proficiency to retaining their first language. Studies show that bilingual children surpass their monolingual peers in literacy as they progress through their educational years.
COMMUNITY
Every U.S. city and suburb comprises of various communities. These communities may be geographical or may be made up of people with similar backgrounds. These backgrounds include economic, ethnic, racial, or people with similar lifestyles. We identify with our community, and our community identifies with us. Language is a strong attribute of every community since communication and community stems from the same root meaning of “something commonly shared.”
So, questions arise about language. Should we all speak English in the U.S.? Of course, we should; it is the national language. Should we all learn a second language? Absolutely! We live in a world of many languages. Learning a second language or retaining one’s first language is a giant step to literacy in our country and one area where Americans fall short. In fact, most all bilinguals living in the U.S. didn’t learn their non-English language here. At Children Bilingual Books we feel our books should be the first set of books all bilinguals learn to read.
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.
