My Mother’s Tongues, written by Uma Menon, illustrated by Rahele Jomepour Bell (Candlewick Press, 2024) Sumi is in awe of her mother’s superpower: her mom can speak two languages- Malayalam and English. Through beautiful mixed media images, the author and illustrator invites the readers to join a story that highlights the importance of communicating through multilingualism and the richness of linguistic diversity in a global society. While the book can be used with younger readers to connect to boundary shifting within immigrant families and understanding how identity shifts among different communities. Additionally, this book can be an engaging text to use with older readers in classrooms that focus on new language development, immigration, and global connections. (Grade 1 and up)
Award Status: Highly Commended
Award Category: Young Readers
Author: Uma Menon
Illustrator: Rahele Jomepour Bell
Learn more and purchase from the publisher’s website