Reviews

Excellent guide for multilingual families!, November 14, 2006
Reviewer: Sophie LaPorte "trilingual mommy" (Austria)

For a bilingual mother who is raising two children in three languages, and for whom our multilingual adventure has been a very rough ride so far, this has been one of the most fascinating and helpful books on the subject. I read this book with relief and the feeling that finally, finally there is a book that is cutting through superficialities to what really matters!

We parents have the choice of wrestling ourselves through tons of scientific publications, or reading yet another generalized introduction on 'what is bilingualism'. In the meantime I'm clear on what bilingualism is. But when there are problems, what then? There are very few, if no books out there, really, that dare venture into that area. Many books chew the same matter over and over and over again. They outline the typical models (one parent one language, minority vs majority language etc) as if reality is always that clear-cut for one model to apply; attempt to give a short solution ('be consistent') and leave it at that. Tokuhama's book is one of the very few ones that actually manages to go a step further and discusses in a compassionate, engaging manner the highly complex issues that a multilingual upbringing takes, taking into account the often difficult choices that we parents are confronted with.

Furthermore, there is a lot written on the topic of bi-lingualism, yet when it comes to dealing with three or more languages, the material is scant. Add problems and complications to the situation (what if the family has to relocate? what if there is speech delay? what if the child "loses" a language? etc.) and all that we have as references are tons of books on bi-lingualism which multilingual families are to resort to for advice.

Tokuhama's book with her focus on more than two languages, therefore, is a much needed book that fills a gigantic gap in the market. She not only writes with zest and humor but also with sensitivity and understanding. The cooking metaphor is witty and charming, and it illustrates well how our multilingual situation is indeed, very akin to cooking! Yet, raising multilingual children is not at all a piece of cake, and the author doesn't try to dish up Bilingualism with sugar coating, either. Instead, she reflects on her own experiences and analyzes complex case studies, provides practical advice and a plethora of resources.

With regards some critics' claim that this book is not scientific enough: Let's be honest. As a parent (and I am certain many parents share my viewpoint), I am neither interested in statistics nor lengthy, detailed discourses that attempt to prove the validity of one theory or another. Read an academic journal or other books if that is what you seek, there are plenty of them around. But don't expect a book that aims at giving advice to families to fulfill this purpose. Let me emphasize that this book is founded on solid scientific research; however, unlike many other writers, the author successfully manages to establish a link to the reality of her readers, which, to some critics, may appear to be unscientific.

As the author herself writes, her Windows of Opportunity theory adds to the already existing spectrum of theories by uniting other linguistic theories. They are not contradictory, but complementary. The Windows of Opportunity-theory gave me another, wider perspective to help me understand the complex phenomenon of multilingualism in our own lives. I found it to be a helpful and very encouraging, positive theory. Ultimately, it is up to the reader to decide which theory of multilingualism is most suitable to their personal situation.

Regarding case studies, I believe that there cannot be enough case studies in books like these. There are about as many forms of multilingualism as there are multilingual families, and by just focusing on two or three case studies to represent the majority, any book on the topic would be too generalized and superficial. _Raising Multingual Children_ , however, seems to have found just the right balance of case studies.

Given all this, I highly recommend this book to parents who seek practical advice on their multilingual situation, who need guidance through rough times, or simply seek an excellent source on further resources. If you can stomach some wit and humor besides, you will find this a rewarding reading experience.

“Tracey Tokuhama-Espinosa has provided parents and caregivers an engaging encounter with the complex, but laudable enterprise of facilitating language acquisition in children. This text is an exciting addition to the library of homes raising children equipped to live in our multicultural world.”

Multilingual is not for avg. family striving for bilingual, June 7, 200
Reviewer: Terry Haywood (Milan, Italy)

I read this book before putting it in my school's library and enjoyed every minute. Most of the books I read about multilingualism and literacy are not easily accessible to families because of language and terminology - but this manages to be both profound and very readable and the store of case studies is a big help as families will recognize situations and strategies similar to their own. It also bears out my own experience - although I am not a language teacher, as Head of a large international school I come across a great many families who have the anxieties and concerns (as well as the vision and the excitement) of so many parents who are described in this book and who are bringing up their own multilingual children. THis will be a great help and support to them and give them some clear foundations about what their own role as parents can be.

Family Guide, September 16, 2002
Reviewer: "bchamula" (Melbourne, Australia)

Found reading this book to be an easy and enlightening experience.
Tokuhama pitches her book at families, and yet it is surprising how many academic publications and papers are cited along the way: they dont seem to distract from the flow of the text nor from the enthusiasm and practicality of its message.

Towards the end of each section, after reviewing the relevant theories and literature, the author gives us practical examples by moving to the imperfect world, the world we all share, the world of her own family experiences and the experiences of other families in her acquaintance.

This approach brings us together. We have all known some of her rules intuitively, but applied them hesitantly and without conviction, compromising the successes our children could have enjoyed. Tokuhama introduces confidence to this exercise by bringing current expertise and our shared imperfect world (both hers and mine) to a comprehensible interface. I find I believe her because she has actually lived this effort, enjoyed its successes and stressed over its failures as we did with our children.

With her windows of opportunity approach, Tokuhama cites supportive research not only for the learning windows and why they exist, but also for consolidation time slots, and explains them as well. These are a true eye opener. Understanding these windows, particularly the first window, from birth to the age of nine months, brought home to me home that certainly, in our family, opportunities were missed.

Tokuhama further indicates that parents, teachers and care givers take responsibility for providing positive motivation as well as workable and consistent strategies for further language acquisition. She gives many examples of successful strategies that prevent confusing the learning child by creating separate environments for each language.

There is helpful discussion on the usefulness of a more tolerant broader community, making the most of the extended family environment and a comprehensive guide on how a school can improve its setting for additional language acquisition.
Tokuhama tells us how and where we could have done it better: if only we had known all this before.

Good Overview for the Average Educated Reader, August 26, 2002
Reviewer: A reader

Tracey Tokuhama Espinoza's book is aimed at the educated parent who is trying to raise a child to speak more than one language. Unlike, many of the other books in this category, her book is not written for linguists or educators. She touches on the literature of bilingual and multilingualism but she does not overwhelm her readers with the essoteric details and obscure language of academia. If one wants to go into greater depth, Tokuhama Espinoza provides the links to more serious study.

I found her book to be well written and at its heart optomistic. From her personal and observed experience, she understands and is enthused by the linguistic horizons that are open to small children. This is a good book to help one to begin thinking about these issues.

An EXCELLENT resource re: children + foreign language/s!, May 1, 2002
Reviewer: mary myers (Milan, Italy)

highly recommend, Raising Multilingual Children, written by Tracey Tokuhama-Espinosa. As stated clearly on page one, this Book is for all parents, teachers and caregivers of children who speak more than one language. I also think this Book is a great resource for any parent, who considers learning (a) foreign language(s) an intellectual challenge and a necessary facet for a well-rounded education.

I am a parent of two children ages 3 and 10 who are studying English, Italian and German and this is the first Book of many books written by linguists and/or educators- I have read which helped me understand foreign language acquisition, and neuroanatomy in a very practical and logical way. The Books format compares cooking (something almost everyone can relate toto foreign language acquisition- a subject that is often written by linguists in a technical and academically complex manner).

I found the 90 family case studies/detailed accounts of family experiences with foreign languages helpful as I could relate to many issues I have encountered with my older daughter. I also gained valuable information by reading many personal family experiences that Ms. Tokuhama-Espinosa shares about her 3 children.

This Book was built upon the foundation of Tracey Tokuhama-Espinosas 12 years of valuable diverse experience as a counselor of students in two international schools-Tokyo and Quito, conducting research and attending lectures at Harvard Graduate School of Education, and living in multilingual /culturally diverse countries. Contained here in this Book are: an excellent family language profile family language goals worksheet, and an extensive appendix of how to find language sources in a scarce language environment, an excellent glossary of linguistic terms and an extensive bibliography. There is also a chapter that addresses difficulties in foreign language acquisition, which gives some strategies for solving problems that arise.

For anyone who wants to know more about children learning foreign language(s) children -or moves and finds their child/ren in the situation of learning a new language this Book is a must read!

Excellent!, April 28, 2002
Reviewer: alexandra De Mello

(Commugny Suisse) is a very practical and useful toolkit when you raise multilingual children. I use it now on my three bilingual children in order to avoid mistakes. Thank you Mrs. Espinosa!

-----------------------------

“This book, whilst entertaining to read, is not just another opinion on the subject. It provides a comprehensive guideline backed up with scientifically proven data, yet leaving plenty of room for individual development.”
Marlene Hall Amsler
Translator

“Raising Multilingual Children is a brilliantly written introduction to the possibilities of promoting children’s language skills in the family, especially in multilingual settings. This book can be warmly recommended as being one of the rare examples of concrete, well-structured help for parents, teachers, and caregivers who are facing the challenge of encouraging bilingual and multilingual development `in real life.’ It is particularly valuable and convincing because it blends sound knowledge about the psychological, linguistic, and social dimensions of language learning, reflexive personal experience, with a refreshing and enthusiastic approach to the issues. All this is presented in a witty style, so mouth-watering that hardly any reader will resist trying out the concept.”
Terry A. Osborn, Co-director
Foreign Language Education Department of
Secondary Education and Youth Services
Queens College, City University of New York

Cristina Allemann-Ghionda
Professor of Education
University of Cologne, Germany

“Having myself raised three children in a polyglot situation and being often puzzled by contradicting advice, I would have enjoyed having a book like this much earlier. This book may be a guide through difficult times and answer questions about how, when and what to do about language education.... A real tool to help understand the construction of language and to work out a personalized program adapted to every case.”
Beatte Broadhurst
Teacher

“An excellent resource for any family wishing to develop an individual approach to multiple language acquisition.... This book is a valuable source of information and strategies for international school parents and teachers.”
Silke Vannatter
Coordinator, Learning Support
International School of Geneva

I read this book before putting it in my school's library and enjoyed every minute. Most of the books I read about multilingualism and literacy are not easily accessible to families because of language and terminology - but this manages to be both profound and very readable and the store of case studies is a big help as families will recognize situations and strategies similar to their own. It also bears out my own experience - although I am not a language teacher, as Head of a large international school I come across a great many families who have the anxieties and concerns (as well as the vision and the excitement) of so many parents who are described in this book and who are bringing up their own multilingual children. This will be a great help and support to them and give them some clear foundations about what their own role as parents can be.
Terry Haywood
Head, International School of Milan

I found reading this book to be an easy and enlightening experience.
Tokuhama pitches her book at families, and yet it is surprising how many academic publications and papers are cited along the way: they don’t seem to distract from the flow of the text nor from the enthusiasm and practicality of its message.
Towards the end of each section, after reviewing the relevant theories and literature, the author gives us practical examples by moving to the imperfect world, the world we all share, the world of her own family experiences and the experiences of other families in her acquaintance.
This approach brings us together. We have all known some of her rules intuitively, but applied them hesitantly and without conviction, compromising the successes our children could have enjoyed. Tokuhama introduces confidence to this exercise by bringing current expertise and our shared imperfect world (both hers and mine) to a comprehensible interface. I find I believe her because she has actually lived this effort, enjoyed its successes and stressed over its failures as we did with our children.
With her “windows of opportunity” approach, Tokuhama cites supportive research not only for the “learning windows” and why they exist, but also for consolidation time slots, and explains them as well. These are a true eye opener. Understanding these windows, particularly the first window, from birth to the age of nine months, brought home to me home that certainly, in our family, opportunities were missed.
Tokuhama further indicates that parents, teachers and care givers take responsibility for providing positive motivation as well as workable and consistent strategies for further language acquisition. She gives many examples of successful strategies that prevent confusing the learning child by creating separate environments for each language.
There is helpful discussion on the usefulness of a more tolerant broader community, making the most of the extended family environment and a comprehensive guide on how a school can improve its setting for additional language acquisition.
Tokuhama tells us how and where we could have done it better: if only we had known all this before!
B. Chamula
President of the Ukrainian Cultural Society in Melbourne, Australia

I wish I read this book seven years ago! A friend recommended this book to me. She is trying to raise her son bilingually (Spanish/English). We are trying to raise our daughters bilingually (English/French). I only wish I had read this book seven years ago when our oldest was born. If I knew then what I learned from this book, I think the journey would have been much easier. If you are interested in your children learning two or more languages, this is an excellent resource. It explains the language learning process in a way that is easy to understand. The many case stories bring the theoretical aspects to life. The author gives a great recipe to create a multilingual family.
Amazon.com Reviewer: "irenecsp"
Arlington, TX USA

I can highly recommend this book to anyone bringing up or teaching children in a multilingual environment. The book answers many questions with scientifically validated facts. Whilst leaving room for individual interpretation, the book provides descriptions of the various stages of a child's linguistic development and key indicators of skill level which the parent or teacher should be able to identify. Despite being packed with facts and information, the book is entertaining to read and uses everyday language.
Marlene Hall,
Professional Translator, Geneva, Switzerland

Have you been searching for a comprehensive guide to raising children in a multilingual (or multicultural) environment? Look no further. I am an American mother of two small children, whose father is Italian, and we are living in French-speaking Switzerland. I have searched high and low for a book on how to raise my children with these 3 languages, but they are often written for scientists and doctors, whereas RAISING MULTILINGUAL CHILDREN is written by an educated mother in such a way that I can follow it easily, with interest, and find that at the same time am educating myself!
Lisa Cirieco
Author of Know-it-all-Parents, Geneva, Switzerland