Should I read the familiar language or the new language first?

In our experience, the familiar language first. When I read Czech first and then translated, my son ignored the Czech and waited for the Russian. Once I read each sentence in Russian first and then in Czech, he already knew what it meant and started listening to the Czech.

How do you read a bilingual book with a child?

Choose a story your child enjoys, read a sentence in the language they understand best, then read the same sentence in the language they are learning, and repeat useful phrases in everyday situations. It does not need to feel like a lesson.

What are Booku's bilingual books?

Personalized picture books in two languages, with your child as the main character, drawn from their photo. The text uses short, common everyday phrases, and the translation sits right under the original on the same page. You see the cover free before paying, and printed books are delivered to more than 40 countries.

How to Read Bilingual Books with Kids: Our Experience

Q: Do bilingual books help children learn new words?

Research suggests they do. A 2022 study of bilingual preschoolers found that children learned new words from both bilingual books and separate books in each language, and a 2024 study found that presenting words in two languages close together helped children learn new vocabulary.

What worked for us when my son started kindergarten in the Czech Republic, and what research says about bilingual reading.

When my son started kindergarten in the Czech Republic, he didn't speak Czech. At home, we spoke Russian, and I hoped he would pick up Czech naturally, like kids do.

But I quickly realized how stressful it was for him to spend the day surrounded by a language he didn't understand.

So we decided to focus more on Czech at home. Reading books in two languages was one of the things that worked best for us.

A mother and her son reading a personalized Booku book together on the sofa — Reading together at home.

The small change that made a difference

At first, I would read a sentence in Czech and then translate it into Russian.

But I noticed something: my son was mostly ignoring the Czech and waiting for the Russian translation.

So I switched the order. I started reading each sentence in Russian first, then in Czech.

My thinking was simple: if he already understood what the sentence meant, it would be easier to connect the Czech words to that meaning.

At least, that's how I explain it to myself. But I could see the difference. He started paying more attention to the Czech sentences.

What does research say?

Research suggests that bilingual reading can help children learn new words.

A 2022 study of bilingual preschoolers found that children learned new words from both bilingual books and separate books in each language.

A 2024 study found that presenting words in two languages close together helped children learn new vocabulary.

For me, the takeaway is simple: reading in two languages is useful, and parents can choose what works best for them.

For us, it was translating sentence by sentence, especially when I was translating books in my head as we read.

How to try it at home

Choose a story your child enjoys.
Read a sentence in the language they understand best.
Read the same sentence in the language they're learning.
Repeat useful phrases in everyday situations.

You don't need to turn reading into a lesson. Just enjoy the story together.

Personalized bilingual books at Booku

A Booku hardcover with a bilingual title: «Оливер в сноупарке» and under it Oliver at the Snow Park, Oliver jumping on skis in a snow park — A bilingual Booku cover: the title in Russian with its English translation under it.

This experience inspired how we design personalized bilingual books at Booku.

You can create a personalized story about something your child is experiencing: their first day at school, trying a new sport, or visiting relatives abroad.

Your child is the main character, with their own appearance, family, and experiences. Recognizing themselves in the story gives them another reason to read it.

We also use common everyday phrases and complete sentences, so children can learn useful expressions, not just individual words.

For example:

Russian: «Можно с вами поиграть?»

English: “Can I play with you?”

These are sentences children can actually use in everyday life.

Booku delivers personalized bilingual books to 40+ countries, helping expat families raise children with more than one language.

And if a book makes a new language a little less scary and a little more familiar, that's already a wonderful start.

Create your free bilingual cover

Free cover · no card · no sign-up

An open Booku book: Oliver and Grandma meet a brachiosaurus, each Russian sentence with its English translation under it

Who will be in the book?

Your child is the hero. Who should be drawn beside them?

Sources

Research on bilingual book reading with preschoolers (2022): doi.org/10.1002/icd.2294
Research on presenting words in two languages close together (2024): doi.org/10.1109/ICDL61372.2024.10644443