In this podcast episode (#3) of "Bilingual Book Buddies" we had a memorable chat with Aixa Pérez-Prado, an author, illustrator, translator, sensitivity reader, and university professor who’s been creating beautiful bilingual picture books!
Here are some notes from the interview:
- Aixa's Journey to Bilingual Books: Aixa has always written and drawn, considering both English and Spanish her native languages due to her childhood immigration and frequent travel to Argentina. Aixa also commented on the importance to having Critique groups and how hers helped her understand the children's book market.
- Inspiration: Her inspiration stemmed from a lack of bilingual books during her childhood and her experience as a bilingual kindergarten teacher. Her "traumatic" immigration experience shaped her focus on themes of belonging, identity, and resilience [06:58].
- Role of Bilingual Books: Aixa believes bilingual books support language learning by promoting language equity and fostering appreciation for diverse languages, cultures, and identities.
- Advice for Educators and Authors: Aixa advises teachers to promote critical thinking and global competence through diverse books [24:33]. For aspiring authors, she recommends integrating language naturally, as bilingual individuals speak [26:04].
- Advice for Parents on Maintaining Native Language: She advises parents to provide extensive exposure to the native language through various media and stresses the importance of peer interaction [31:32]. She debunks the myth that bilingualism confuses children, highlighting its cognitive benefits [33:24].
- Peace Linguistics and Bilingualism: Peace linguistics explores how language can promote peace by reducing conflict and building empathy [34:57]. Bilingual books are a "wonderful avenue" for peace linguistics by promoting diverse perspectives and fostering cooperation.
- Upcoming Projects: Aixa has a "Spanglish" rhyming story awaiting an illustrator, plans to rework three unsold picture book dummies, and aims to finish a middle-grade novel.
- Takeaways: All languages are equally valuable, and bilingual books promote peace, understanding, and empathy for all language groups.
View the full episode at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXZs6ctcFU8
Or listen to it at Spotify, iHeartRadio, Amazon and Apple Podcasts.
