Book Expansion for Language and Linguistic Justice

• In Event: Emancipatory Pro-Black and Pro-Latinx Reading Research and Teaching

Abstract

Purpose and Theoretical Framework
This project advances language and linguistic justice through the expansion of children’s literature: transforming placeless, monolingual books into culturally sustaining, translanguaging texts that reflect the linguistic realities of our diverse community. Grounded in the work of Baker-Bell (2020), García & Kleifgen (2019), and Canagarajah (2013), we interrogate the dominance of monolingual Mainstream White English (MWE) in school and community spaces. Our theoretical framework challenges pervasive myths such as English as a lingua franca, the existence of a “standard” English, and the expectation that all communicative burden fall on non-English speakers or those who use non-dominant varieties. By embracing translanguaging, we support dynamic, inclusive literacy practices that sustain youth identities and community language use.
Methods, Data Sources, and Analysis
Book expansion was created through critical participatory action research (CPAR). Our multilingual, multiracial team worked in the most linguistically diverse square mile in the U.S. Data sources included informal community conversations, interviews with educators and community members, asset mapping, and content analysis of children’s literature and environmental print. We identified dominant language ideologies in commonly available books and created expansions based on identified myths. We analyzed how language myths manifested in donated texts and evaluated how our expansions addressed them. Expanded texts were shared and tested in classrooms, Free Little Libraries, and community literacy events, yielding further iterative adaptations.
Findings
We identified three primary language myths embedded in children’s literature: English as a universal language (Pennycook, 2017; Phillipson, 2009), standard English as a marker of intelligence (Lippi-Green, 2012), and the racialized and ableist constructs that lead to inequities in the communicative burden (Baker-Bell, 2020; Flores & Rosa, 2015; Linton, 1998). Book expansions addressed these by:
Incorporating community languages through translation and translanguaging
Embedding local dialects, settings, and visual cultural markers to anchor stories in real communities
Adding interactive features such as critical language awareness questions, QR codes for translanguaging read-alouds, and ASL-accessible content
These expansions allowed children to see and hear their languages and communities in the pages. Youth and families actively engaged in co-creating content, validating and sustaining cultural and linguistic knowledge.
Significance
This work has practical and theoretical implications for both literacy instruction and educational justice. The expansion practices modeled in this project are replicable, scalable, and adaptable for other communities. By challenging linguistic imperialism and affirming multilingual identities, the project reshapes how literacy materials can serve racially, ethnically, and linguistically diverse communities. Furthermore, this project centers community voices and youth creativity in reimagining curriculum, shifting away from deficit views of multilingual learners.

Authors

• Leah Panther, Mercer University

• Rosana Sanchez, Mercer University

• Lucy Gitonga, Mercer University