Developing a multilingual library of picturebooks: the impact of a linguistically diverse collection and multilingual storytime on representation and visibility of minoritized languages, speakers, and communities

Abstract

Given strong links between literacy, identity, and culture, ‘multilingual libraries’ – although scarce – have the power to challenge monolingual ideologies by offering spaces for belonging, discovery, and development of home, heritage, and community languages. In response to the lack of visibility of minoritized languages in superdiverse societies, including in schools with large numbers of multilingual pupils, the authors formed a university-school collaboration that led to the creation and implementation of a multilingual library of picturebooks, enhancing engagement with languages in the school community and beyond. This paper reports on the iterative process of building a collection of representative and linguistically diverse books. Specifically, it explores the impact that the creation, development, and implementation of this multilingual library – accompanied by a multilingual reading program, 'multilingual storytime' – has had on representation and visibility of minoritized languages and their speakers. Drawing on data from primary school pupils, university student volunteers, and reflexive accounts, we argue that, given the social justice ethos underpinning this mobile, multilingual library, engagement with our multilingual picturebooks has had an observable, positive impact on students, the school, and beyond, increasing interest in and appreciation of home and heritage languages while furthering opportunities for multilingual literacy development.

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