The Language Instinct

Everything you ever wanted to know about language, highly entertaining and provocatively written. The author is an MIT professor who specializes in the language development of children. Although it is not written specifically with multilingualism in mind, it discusses the subject when unraveling how babies learn to talk and how people make sense of speech. The book is well argued, humorous, and truly captivating.

What’s Going on in There?

This is an amazing read for any parent, multilingual or not. With impressive depth and clarity, Eliot, a neuroscientist and mother of three, offers a comprehensive overview of current scientific knowledge about infant and early childhood brain development. You’ll understand the inner workings of the brain like never before, including valuable insights into language development. The book also covers the evolution of the senses, motor skills, social and emotional growth, memory, and intelligence.

A Parents’ and Teachers’ Guide to Bilingualism

This book is an introduction for parents raising or considering raising multilingual children. It is organized in a QA format with simple language. Some readers find it somewhat repetitive, while others enjoy the straight forward and common sense style.

Growing Up With Two Languages

Informatively written on mixed language families and intercultural marriage; including language development, advantages and disadvantages of two languages, parenting in a bilingual home, problems and motivation. It is full of case studies and parent opinions.

The Bilingual Family: A Handbook for Parents

It is easy to read, easy to understand, and a good survey of the main issues, while raising some of the deeper issues of language acquisition. Many enjoy this book with lots of real-life examples, while other readers object to a slightly dry writing style.

Raising Multilingual Children

This book covers the various factors in raising multilingual children, descriptions of real-life families, and the underlying physiology. It is a well-written autobiography of a highly educated family who has become multilingual as a part of their diplomatic lifestyle. Despite being a popular book, many readers question the author explanation of critical period. Others find the presumed connection between right / left handedness and language dubious. Rather pricey.

How Language Comes to Children

This is probably the most delightful and accessible book written on language development. From fetal development to the toddler years, it examines a wide range of puzzling questions: How do newborns recognize elements of speech? How do they distinguish them from non-speech sounds? How do they organize and analyze them? How do they ultimately come to understand and reproduce these sounds? Finally, how does the ability to communicate through language emerge in children?

Bilingualism in Development

For the more academically oriented reader, this book describes research on the intellectual development of bilingual children, showing how it is different from that of monolingual children. The focus is on preschool children, examining how they learn language and how they acquire literacy skills.

Foundations of Bilingual Education and Bilingualism

A resource volume primarily for teachers with bilingual children in their classrooms, or teachers of foreign language to young children. Parents interested in the schooling their children receive may also find it useful.

One Child, Two Languages

Early childhood educators of linguistically diverse preschoolers will find this a practical resource. What does a young child, whose home language is not English, go through when he/she first goes to a English-speaking preschool? A child at this young age does not have enough social skills to compensate for his initial lack of competence in a different language.

Animal Kisses

Guaranteed favorite! This book captures children’s attention with vibrant colors, large simple images and differing textures. Children find "touch and feel" books irresistible and the book has a scratchy cat kiss, a sticky dog kiss, a velvety cow kiss, a fuzzy bear kiss, a rubbery fish kiss and a squeaky pig kiss. Bonus points for placing an actual squeaker in the pigs nose!

Whose Back Is Bumpy?

This new series takes the original Soft Shapes foam books to a more tactile level, but still has the pop-out play pieces that float. Perfect for interactive story telling, playing with the large foam pieces, and finally a good chewable book that can go in the bath tub! Each spread has bumps, ridges, and all kinds of fun textures for kids to touch and feel.
More fun foam books here.

Sweet Dreams – Taggies Book

Have you ever noticed that kids always go for the tag on the toys and the satin edges of blankets? Here there are tags aplenty, in this crossing between book and toy. The soft fleece picture book has different looped ribbon tags to rub and pull and chew. The point here is not the plot line, but the delightfully cuddly feel of the book and the interactive tags. A gentle way to introduce the very youngest to the world of books.
More cuddly soft books here.

Peekaboo Baby

Babies love to look at other babies, and this series of board books is perfect for holding their interest. The pictures include large, color photographs of babies and objects that take up the entire page. Peekaboo is a game that babies and parents naturally seem to enjoy. The titles in this series give plenty of opportunities for parents to interact with their infants.
More Look Baby! Books here.

My First Body Book

The tested and true style of DK board books, babies learn to identify parts of the body including the nose, elbow, toes, back, ear, and hair. It is slightly more complex than the books above (2-4 photos per page) but still amazingly clear. Babies also learn what these wonderful body parts can do: sit, play, crawl, make a face, and dance. This chunky little board book fits perfectly in the hands of small children.
More books in this excellent series.

My Little Library

Each chunky board book is designed for little hands and features topics that babies love. The twelve books with twelve colorful and durable board pages. It has bold, colorful illustrations and photographs and comes in an attractive and durable carrying case with handle. Topics include: Numbers, Shapes, Colors, Opposites, First Words, Baby Animals, Pets, Things that Go, Nursery Rhymes, Things We Wear, Farm Animals, and Good Habits.
More Little Library sets here.

Baby Animals – Touch and Feel

Another take on the DK book series – soft puppies, fuzzy ducklings, and other animal babies grace the pages of this board book full of enchanting textures. The large My First Touch and Feel format is big enough to share and features multiple fabrics on each spread, so there’s a lot to see and feel.
More Touch & Feel books here. Make sure you get the size you want (this is the larger size).

Tractors – Touch and Feel

Another touch and feel book from DK publishing, but a smaller size for the younger set. If your child loves tractors and trucks and cars or anything that digs or rolls or drives buy this book.
Many more Touch & Feel books here. Make sure you get the size you want (this is the smaller size).

Neighborhood Animals – Baby Einstein

This book is a great book for the very young child. Each page has a true photo of a different animal and three facts about the animal. The animals are: dog, cat, bird, rabbit, mouse, ladybug, duck, and frog.
More Baby Einstein books here.

Maisy’s Favorite Toy

These small board books feature all the things that Maisy–and every little kid–loves best. Toys, clothes, animals, and more. Maisy’s world is a delightful place indeed, and everything that makes it special is all right here in a size just right for tiny hands.
More Maisy books here.

Snoozers: 7 Short Short Bedtime Stories for Lively Little Kid

This book has seven bedtime stories set up on two pages each. Each page spread is one story. It is not much of a story, but perfect for “lively little kids”. The tab system is fun and different and the pictures, as always, are great.
More books by Boynton here.

Little Prince – Board Book Set

A perfect gift item. Meet this timeless and beloved character and learn about his adventures in four winsome board books inspired by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s enduring tale of friendship where the Little Prince lives on a small, strange planet, where he tends volcanoes, cares for a special rose, and watches sunsets.