“A necessary addition to the professional library of any teacher working with emergent bilingual students. With a combination of theory and practical activities, García reminds us that by honoring our students’ first languages, we can influence their development in a multilingual, multicultural environment.”

—Olga Velasquez Halpern, MEd, dual-language educator, Champaign Unit 4 School District, Illinois


“This remarkable book places emergent bilingual learners at the center of the discussion, rather than at the margins. García envisions and provides concrete guidance for the development of bilingualism, biliteracy, and cross-cultural competence in school and home environments in many languages, and includes examples for Arabic and Mandarin, as well as Spanish. She emphasizes the need for varied pedagogical practices—including, but not limited to, the teaching of foundational skills—and incorporates translanguaging as a part of the foundation for program development and culturally responsive pedagogy. Providing solid, research-based guidance for dual-language/bilingual and English-only contexts, this book is truly 'the whole enchilada' for language and literacy educators!”

—Kathy Escamilla, PhD, Equity, Bilingualism, and Biliteracy Program (Emeritus), School of Education, University of Colorado Boulder


“This book stands out for its comprehensive approach to research-based instruction tailored to bilingual students in grades K–6. The author provides both theory and instructional strategies for bilingual reading, writing, and language development. I recommend this book for teachers, instructional coaches, and administrators seeking proven and efficient methods to create more inclusive, supportive learning environments and enhance the literacy performance of linguistically diverse students.”

—María G. Lang, PhD, Visiting Teacher Collaborator, Center for Education in Small Urban Communities, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign


“I recommend this book for teachers who want to learn more about translanguaging and other culturally responsive instructional practices. The book draws on real-world experiences of educators in multiple settings serving bilingual learners today.”

—Lena Sacco, MEd, dual-language educator, Urbana School District, Illinois