About this item
More and more people-hundreds of millions around the world-are living in bilingual homes. In the U.S. alone, more than 54 million people over the age of 5 speak a language other than English at home. Yet once children enter school, the pull toward one language becomes stronger and maintaining the bilingual advantage requires a serious family commitment-a bilingual choice. The good news is it's worth it. Research shows that bilingual children are known to have more social, cultural and economic opportunities as they grow to adulthood and that learning a second language from birth can even result in protection against Alzheimer's later in life. Bilingual By Choice provides families with specific activities, games and insights that will show them how to not only teach their kids more than one language but also to help their kids retain and develop those language skills.
About the Author
Virginie identifies herself as a global nomad with an affinity for languages. She has traveled to more than 15 countries on four different continents. Her mother is from Belgium and her father was born and raised in Madagascar.
Born and raised in France, Virginie moved with her family to the U.S., when she was 12 years old. She then relocated to Montreal, Canada to attend McGill University. She spent her last trimester in Moscow, Russia, to study 19th century Russian literature, and eventually received her B.A. in Humanistic Studies.
She recently completed her M.A. in Intercultural Relations. As a researcher, her focus is on the complex relationship between language, culture, and identity. In 2009, Virginie published Bilingual By Choice: Raising kids in two (or more) languages. The extensive research for her second book - The Colors of Catalonia - was done in French and English, a small testament to the benefits of bilingualism.
