What books should a bilingual child read if they don’t like to read?

Which books are best for bilinguals

Books work best where the language is slightly lighter than the age norm, but the topic does not look too “baby”. It is important for a child not only to cope with the text, but also to feel that the story is really interesting to him.

Short chapters, humor, repetitive constructions, illustrations, and books that are easy to discuss out loud are particularly good.

What usually stops you from loving reading

It is a common mistake to choose a book by age rather than by actual language level. For a bilingual, this is almost always too difficult. The second mistake is to expect your child to read for a long time on their own.

When each reading turns into a test, your child quickly begins to avoid books altogether.

How to Restore Interest in Books

It is useful to start with books that you can read together, discuss pictures, re-read favorite places and do not rush your child with the volume. It is important that reading again becomes a pleasure and a contact, not another obligation. If your child generally resists reading, you can additionally see our article. Your child does not like to read: what to do parents.

This technique also works well: take books in Russian that your child already knows and loves in English or in another medium language. When the plot, characters and pictures are already familiar, reading in Russian becomes easier and calmer, because your child spends less energy on understanding the story itself.

Systematicity helps: do not stop reading for weeks and months, but return to it regularly. It is not necessary to read every day for a long time, but it is important that the Russian text appears again and again in the life of your child without major failures.

Another important point is a large selection of interesting books. One child is good for comics, another is good for short chapters, a third story about animals or school. The more successful books the family tries, the higher the chance to find exactly the format in which your child will feel interest and success.

A small collection of books by age

Below are convenient reference points for ages. This is not a hard list, but rather workable options for bilinguals: books with a clear plot, live language, good rhythm and topics that are usually easier to hold attention.

5-7 years

Short stories with lots of pictures and books that your child already knows in English work best.

"Gruffalo" is convenient if your child already knows history in English.
"Very hungry caterpillar" - short, clear and visually based on the pictures.
The series about the kitten Shmyak is lively, simple and well suited for the first independent readings.
Books about Petson and Findus – a lot of humor, details and understandable everyday stories.

7-9 years

At this age, funny stories and books are especially good, where your child quickly feels successful.

Victoria Lederman – “To the board will go... Vasilkin!”
Maria Parr, "Waffle Heart"
Narine Abgaryan - "Manyunya"
Simple comics and graphic stories, where there is a lot of visual support and short lines.
Books that your child has already loved in English, you can reread in Russian (for example, “Gruffalo”, “Very hungry caterpillar”, books about Mulle Meka, “Winnie the Pooh”).

9-12 years

Here, dynamics, adventure, humor and the feeling that the book is no longer “for kids” are important.

Victoria Lederman, "Ma's Calendar"
Jeff Kinney, The Diary of a Weak Man
Comics and graphic novels, if a long solid text is frightening.
JK Rowling – Harry Potter, especially if your child already knows the series in English.
Short adventure and school stories with a modern language and a strong plot.
Familiar translations also work well: “Harry Potter”, “Diary of a weakling”, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”, “How to Train a Dragon”.

12-15 years

Teenagers usually find it easier to read what already feels like their real life, interests, and school world.

Natalia Shcherba - series "Hours"
Evgeny Gagloev - series "Mirror"
Graphic novels and teenage comics, if ordinary books seem too heavy.
Victoria Lederman - books for teenagers, if you need a modern and understandable Russian.
Russian translations of familiar teenage series that your child has already read in English (for example, “Harry Potter”, “Percy Jackson”, “The Chronicles of Narnia”, “The House of Miss Peregrine”).