In this post: Why biliteracy is important and a series of interactive Spanish and English bilingual books that your kids will love by Feppy Books.
Reading aloud is one of the most effective ways you can teach your child a language while developing childhood literacy skills at home.
However, finding bilingual books to read aloud to your child can often be a challenge, especially if you are not confident speaking the target language.
Have you ever picked up a Spanish book to read aloud enthusiastically, only to find that the language is too complex, the illustrations too basic, and your child quickly loses interest and proceeds to squirm off your lap?
I think we have all been there. Trying to find books that are accessible in terms of language use, as well as engaging and fun can be a time consuming process.
That’s why I was excited to discover Feppy Books, a new bilingual books resource from the creators of one of our favorite bilingual subscription boxes.
Feppy Books are a series of beautifully illustrated, bilingual books with video-audio that supports your child’s journey to biliteracy in a fun and interactive way.
Related Post: How to Raise a Biliterate Child
Table of Contents
The Power of Reading Aloud
As many of my readers know, I am a huge literacy advocate. We love to share our favorite books and I have always prioritized a print rich learning environment in our bilingual home.
From print awareness tools like vocabulary flashcards to a growing bilingual home library, we really try to foster a love for reading with our kids.
Stories are an essential resource when learning a language, and one that I rely heavily on for target language exposure in our daily rhythm.
Reading aloud provides many incredible benefits for the child, including strengthened cognition, improved focus, sharper listening skills, enriched vocabulary acquisition…the list goes on!
But beyond that, reading aloud is also a beautiful bonding experience for you and your child. I cherish storytime with my children and the quality time it provides us. I know that these are the parenting moments I will look back on with the fondest memories.
Related post: How to read in Spanish: 5 Tips for Beginners
Why does Biliteracy Matter?
As I raise my kids to be bilingual in English and Spanish, I know that biliteracy is a core component of that.
By definition, biliteracy is ‘being able to read and write proficiently in two languages’.
Many states across the United States of America have been offering a Seal of Biliteracy to high school students in recent years. It is also a goal of many Dual-Language programs throughout the country to foster a high academic level of bilingualism and biliteracy.
Bilingualism and biliteracy should go hand-in-hand.
But parents often struggle to find resources that effectively support the development of their child’s reading and comprehension skills at home.
Why is it Important to Read Bilingual Books?
When selecting books in Spanish we have to consider several things: Is the vocabulary accessible? Is it engaging and fun? Does it support their language acquisition?
In my experience, bilingual (also known as Dual-Language) books are an excellent choice for supporting a child’s biliteracy at home, as they can help the child master new vocabulary more quickly.
Bilingual Books Provide Context
For starters, dual-language books make hearing the target language a lot less intimidating!
Due to the fact that bilingual books provide sentences in both languages, it supports the language learner in helping them identify the meaning of new words and phrases in context.
When reading a text in the dominant language first, say English, the child becomes familiar with the characters and themes portrayed in the story. Then, upon reading it again, this time in the target language, they are more likely to engage with the text since they have already established the context.
Initially I was a little reluctant to use bilingual books because I worried my kids would just focus on English, which is their dominant language. However, I soon realized that bilingual books actually support my kids in connecting deeper with the text, which then enhances their enjoyment for reading and love for books.
Bilingual Books Develop Literacy Skills
Bilingual books also support the child in building important literacy skills in both languages such as:
- Their vocabulary range and fluency
- Their spelling and also phonemic awareness
- Their comprehension of characters, plot and motives
- Their ability to discuss opinions and even develop creative writing skills
Bilingual Books Increase a Love for Literacy
“Parents are made readers on the laps of their parents”
As I mentioned earlier, my priority has always been to instill a love for reading in my kids.
We are wired for storytelling and it is part of our human nature to love hearing anecdotes and sharing stories.
As our kids read bilingual books, they develop a love for discussing stories in both languages and older kids can even expand to engage in creative writing about their favorite characters.
Bilingual Books Connect Families through their Heritage Language
I often approach bilingual books from my non-naitve mindset. Yet, so many native Spanish speaking families have shared how bilingual books support them in connecting their kids to their heritage language.
With so many immigrant families trying to preserve their native language in the USA, especially after their kids begin mainstream education in schools, bilingual books offer the opportunity to connect families and keep them rooted in their heritage language.
In addition, the Dual-Language formatting helps children value the importance of both languages equally, often elevating the heritage language status.
What are Feppy Bilingual Books?
Feppy Books are a fun and delightful new series of interactive bilingual books from the makers of Feppy Box, a bilingual subscription box for kids that is rooted in play, music and literature.
Related Post: My Full Review of Feppy Box
What I love most about Feppy Books is that they have created an interactive, immersive reading experience that supports non-native speakers and bilingual families alike.
With Dual-Language side by side text, vibrant and engaging illustrations and themed vocabulary highlighted in bold throughout, the stories are easy to navigate and perfectly designed for language learners.
What’s Included?
Feppy Books are far more than stories. I was truly impressed with everything they include at such an affordable price point.
Each bilingual English-Spanish Feppy book includes:
- An illustrated picture book story for a traditional read aloud experience
- Access to an audio-video book for interactive learning and native speaker pronunciation exposure
- A vocabulary list for consolidating the target words (great for beginners)
- A themed bilingual song that gets your child moving and singing
I really appreciate that they tap into all learner types including audio, visual and kinesthetic. I have not found any other bilingual product that offers that!
Audio-Video QR Codes
Feppy Books are a game changer as they leverage screens for biliteracy development.
They tap into the pain point of many parents who struggle to get their kids reading books in an age where screens and digital media dominate.
By incorporating QR codes in their books, Feppy provides parents with the opportunity to hear the illustrated stories in two languages and watch them on screens.
By providing this interactive audio-video component to each of their bilingual books, they thoughtfully harness the power of screens for biliteracy.
I love the gentle animations in Feppy Book’s video stories. Oftentimes I feel that cartoons are overstimulating for my kids and cause a weird brain-melt situation where they zone out and don’t really learn anything.
Feppy Books, on the other hand, have created a beautiful alternative that engages the child in slow moving characters and gentle animations.
The video stories also support parents that lack pronunciation awareness by exposing the child to native speaker audio and the sounds of the Spanish and English language.
At the end of each video story is a fun bilingual song. Music is sticky and I love that Feppy includes a themed song to enrich the child’s learning experience.
From well known classics like En la granja de mi tío to authentic songs like A la víbora de la mar, we were familiar with all the songs but loved Feppy’s original versions.
Each song comes with bilingual lyrics in the back of each book to support non-native speakers. I just feel like Feppy thoughtfully considers everything when creating their bilingual resources!
Themes of Inclusivity and Diversity
Every children’s story has the power to teach an important message. I love that each title in the Feppy Books series explores themes of inclusivity, teaching our children how to be kind, respectful and open minded.
From learning to be generous in “Juan the Baker: Juan el pastelero”, to navigating themes of acceptance in “A Very Particular School: Una escuela muy particular” and friendship and diversity in “Friends on the Block: Los amigos de la cuadra”, each Feppy Book is rooted in important values.
I love that the characters in Los amigos de la cuadra are diverse, with different skin tones, hairstyles and names, accurately portraying the beauty of our multicultural world while allowing children to identify with the characters.
Feppy Books accurately reflect the Feppy team’s core values of “Diversity, Connection, Opportunity and Fun.”
Related Post: Diverse Spanish Books for Kids
Shop Feppy Books
Ready to add some interactive bilingual books into your home to support your child’s biliteracy journey?
You can explore the new Feppy Books series at https://feppybox.com/collections/shop-bilingual-books.
But to get the full benefit of Feppy’s beautiful play-based bilingual materials for kids, I highly recommend that you check out their monthly bilingual subscription box.
My referral code: MAMALINGUIST saves you 20% on your first box.
With bilingual audio books, music and games, their English-Spanish boxes are perfect for both bilingual families and those learning Spanish as a second language.
Feppy Box is a fun tool to support your family’s bilingual journey and provide a way to receive Spanish and English books and activities on a monthly basis.
This post is sponsored, but all opinions are my own. I only share about products that I use with my own children and love.
Related Posts:
Feppy Bilingual Subscription Box Review
Spanish Chapter Books for Kids
Best Spanish Subscription Boxes
Founder of the Llamitas Spanish® Curriculum and former Spanish teacher. Corrie holds a Masters in Spanish and Education and is raising bilingual children in San Diego, CA.