This book examines the educational needs of bilingual children, and the methods that can be used to improve and develop literacy and literature in the classroom. Applying theory and research findings to classroom practice, "Bilinguality and Literacy" demonstrates how bilingual children can benefit from well informed and integrative strategies that allow bilinguals to interact with both their languages and cultures to develop literacy and literature at a high level. Children's voices are strong in the book in the case studies and examples of children's work. This rich and optimistic book argues that bilingual children's literacy learning in English is an intercultural process. This new edition has been revised, updated and expanded to include recent research, and addresses the Ofsted (2003) statement that 'fluent bilingual pupils struggle with writing.' "Bilinguality and Literacy" will be of interest to undergraduate students of applied linguistics, teacher training courses, and academics researching multilingualism and literacy.

Author Biography

Manjula Datta is Senior Lecturer in Bilingualism and Language Education at London Metropolitan University, UK, and is the co-author of A World of Languages: Developing Children's Love of Languages, CILT: 2004. She was an active member of the ESOL and TESOL Review Board at Trinity College, London, UK, for five years.