Unique Bilingual Books Inspire Children To Explore Foreign Languages & Cultures

As the ethnic population in the US soars, Language Lizard LLC makes it easier for parents and teachers to expose young children to foreign languages and diverse cultures. Language Lizard offers hundreds of award-winning bilingual children's products in English with a choice of over 40 languages, including Albanian, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Farsi, French, Gujarati, Japanese, Korean, Panjabi, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Somali, Turkish, Urdu and Vietnamese.

Many of the books teach children about other traditions and respecting diversity. According to the US Census Bureau, in the year 2000, about 47 million people spoke a language other than English in their home, up from 32 million in 1990. A Census analysis also estimates that by the end of the 21 st century, minorities are expected to represent more than half the total population. "The demographic changes in our country, combined with growing globalization, point to the importance of introducing children to other cultures and languages at an early age," says Language Lizard President and Founder, Anneke Forzani. "These books help children appreciate the diversity in their communities and the world."

In addition to contemporary stories, the books include folk tales, fables and legends from around the world. There are also board books for infants and young toddlers. Many of the stories come with audio CDs, which are especially helpful to non-native parents and teachers who want their children to hear stories being read by a native speaker.

"These books represent the best bilingual children's literature available," says Forzani. "They follow the principles of excellent children's writing, with stories and illustrations that make kids want to read them over and over." One of the books recently won the UK National Literacy Association's WOW! Award as one of the best new children's titles in 2006.

Language Lizard's bilingual products are available at www.LanguageLizard.com or by calling toll-free 1-888-LLIZARD. Readers are invited to sign up online for the company's free e-newsletter, which provides tips and information to help parents and teachers expose children to other cultures and languages.