The working title of the book was “The Ultimate Guide to Raising a Bilingual Child,” which felt too presumptuous to me. I would be happy if I could pull together the exciting things we were learning in my chosen field of psycholinguistics and show parents (or teachers) how to apply them in their lives.

I also hoped I could make it somehow “inspirational.” Raising a bilingual child “is not rocket science,” but it doesn’t happen by itself. For all but a lucky few, it takes consistent effort, but progress is not consistent, and it’s easy to get discouraged, especially with many negative messages embedded in our cultures.

Judging from the many positive reviews of the book, I think I may have managed to combine practical advice and encouragement.

For the science behind the advice, and for greater confidence in the encouraging words, see the original pages of notes here and please feel free to contact me with comments, questions, and suggestions.