The UK’s National Year of Reading is asking people across the country to “go all in” on reading. But this invitation raises questions for many families: reading what, in which language and in what form?

These questions matter because nearly one in four pupils in English primary schools (23.8%) is recorded as having a first language other than English. This does not mean they are not fluent in English. But it does mean multilingualism is an everyday feature of today’s classrooms.

These same questions came up at a recent festival at the University of Reading devoted to translation and linguistic diversity in children’s books. Delegates from academia, publishing and education explored bilingual poetry, tactile books and translation activities in Arabic and French.

The message was clear: books in different languages do more than support language learning. They connect families, amplify diverse voices and perspectives, and make reading more inclusive. Linguistic diversity should be central to reading for pleasure initiatives and to children’s publishing.

Reading in a home language

Public debate around children’s reading often assumes an English-language book and a parent who can read it confidently in English. This can leave some parents worrying that reading in another language will benefit their child less. But book sharing goes beyond reading a story aloud. Much of its value comes from interaction around the book: explaining unfamiliar vocabulary, asking questions and connecting the story to the child’s experiences.

Parents can often do this more........

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