Understanding the world: Picturebooks and multilingualism

15 and 16 September 2025

With presentations and workshops by:

Nicola Daly (PhD) (University of Waikato, New Zealand)
Nayr Ibrahim (PhD) (Nord University, Norway)
Inês Costa (PhD) (University of Aveiro, Portugal)

Multilingualism is a close partner to multiculturalism. Thus the theme of our Late Summer School leads into the 10^th European Network of Picturebook Research Conference with a clear focus on understanding the world through picturebooks and multilingualism.

Multilingual picturebooks have been around for many years, with perhaps one of the earliest being Orbis Sensualium Pictus, the initially bilingual (Latin-German), and then quadrilingual almanac for children written by the Czech educationalist, Johann Amos Comenius (Haddaway & Young, 2018). Research about multilingualism in picturebooks has more recent origins. While some research precedes it, a special issue of Bookbird. A Journal of International Children’s Literature (Volume 51, number 3) is a particularly foundational collection of research in this field – a splendid set of articles exploring the use of more than one language in picturebooks and other formats. In her editorial for this issue, Kümmerling-Meibauer (2013) notes the particular need for bilingual children’s literature in ‘melting pot’ or ‘mosaic’ countries such as Canada, the USA, and the UK, and indeed Australia and New Zealand where children arrive with their parents, not necessarily knowing the dominant language of their new home. Kümmerling-Meibauer notes that from the 1960s the USA began publishing bilingual and multilingual books, and that these books serve to both support children’s language acquisition and to create multilingual awareness. Within this special issue Hadaway and Young (2013) also explore the particular contribution multilingual picturebooks can make to Indigenous language revitalisation.

In this exciting summer school, we will share insights into several important aspects of multilingualism in picturebooks: Linguistic landscapes by Nicola Daly (University of Waikato, New Zealand), language learning by Nayr Ibrahim (Nord University, Norway), and translation by Ines Costa (University of Aveiro, Portugal). Together we will bring experience and examples from around the world. In our keynotes we will share research and key ideas, and in our workshops participants will have the chance to explore multilingual Picturebooks for different perspectives.

We recommend that participants bring a multilingual book, as there will be lots of opportunities for shared scrutiny and discovery.

References:

Kümmerling-Meibauer, B. (2013). Multilingualism and children’s literature. Bookbird: A Journal of International Children’s Literature, 51(3), iv-x.
Hadaway, N. L., & Young, T. A. (2013). Celebrating and revitalizing language: indigenous bilingual children’s books. Bookbird: A Journal of International Children’s Literature, 51(3), 56-68.
Hadaway, N. L., & Young, T. A. (2018). Multilingual picturebooks. In B. Kümmerling-Meibauer (ED.), The Routledge companion to Picturebooks, (pp. 260-269). Routledge

Schedule – click here for more information about the presentations and workshops

Monday 15 Sept 2025	Tuesday 16 Sept 2025
9.30 – 10.30 Keynote 1 – Nicola Daly	9.3 0 – 10.30 Keynote 3 – Inês Costa
10.30 – 11.00 Coffee Break	10.30 – 11.00 Coffee Break
11.00 – 12.30 Workshop 1 – Nicola Daly	11.00 – 12.30 Workshop 3 – Inês Costa
12.30 – 13.30 Lunch	12.30 – 13.30 Lunch
13.30 – 14.30 Workshop 2 – Nayr Ibrahim	13.30 – 15.00 Doctoral Workshop – Part 1
14.30 – 15.00 Coffee Break	15.00 – 15.30 Coffee Break
15.00 – 16.30 Workshop 2 – Nayr Ibrahim	15.30 – 17.00 Doctoral Workshop – Part 2

Registration fees include 4 coffee breaks – lunch is the responsibility of the participant; the student canteen will be open and provides a cheap and cheerful lunch!

Attendance Fees:

Summer school registration – €50
PhD / MA students* registration – €30

To register, please go to the Registration tab