“You know, like all these authors and illustrators, you could use translanguaging in your memoirs if it will help you tell your story truthfully, more like the way it really happened.” Their faces seemed to open up like a thank you.
It is so important to find picture books that use translanguaging. These books can serve as models. Students can see how authors use multiple languages and apply that to their own writing. But these books also serve a deeper purpose. They show students that their languages belong in school. Many students are used to thinking they should only write in English. Seeing these books challenges that idea. It almost gives them permission to use all their language resources and write in a way that feels natural to them. It tells them, “these authors are doing it and you can do it too.”
This is why text choice is so important. The books we use can send powerful messages to students. Books that include translanguaging show students that their language practices are important and something we want to see in their own writing. This is why the students’ “faces seemed to open up like a thank you.”