Where Can I Find….?

Some of the most frequently asked questions on a lot of the listservs like PUBYAC and ChildLit have to do with how to find books for children in languages other than English. While it has gotten a little easier to find books in Spanish, other languages can be more elusive. Large distributors like Baker & Taylor and even smaller suppliers like Texas Overlooked Books provide categories that help librarians locate Spanish language books. Even the ubiquitous Amazon has a Libros en español section. But try finding titles that are available in German, Italian, Chinese, Hmong, or any of the other rainbow of languages spoken by residents in our communities and it is almost impossible. And that, of course, is why so many of us send out pleas to our colleagues for help.

Check out publishers like Star Bright Books for titles in languages ranging from Arabic to Vietnamese. On the website you can sort by available languages and many of the titles are available in multiple languages. Brian Wildsmith’s Farm Animals is available in Navajo, Tagalog, and several other languages, for example. Other sources recommended by a number of librarians on ALSC-L included Pan Asian Publications for books in Khmer, Hmong, and Russian, among other languages. Pan Asian even offers a few bilingual DVDs based on books.  In addition to books, Milet Books supplies language learning tools like flash cards for games with words in German, French, Turkish, and many other languages.

While books in other languages can be challenging to locate, they add immensely to multicultural programming and to expanding El día de los niños/El día de los libros.

 

About Jeanette Larson

I am the former youth services manager for Austin Public Library. My experience with continuing education includes serving as the Continuing Education manager for the Texas State Library for six years. In January 2006 I "took my pension" in order to pursue freelance work. As an independent consultant and trainer, I teach for the library school at Texas Woman's University and present workshops for libraries around Texas and, increasingly, around the country. I live outside of Austin, Texas with my husband and our cats and two schipperke dogs.
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