ANOTHER TONGUE

Mastering a new language means learning words both familiar and those “like nothing you’ve heard before.”

Writing in second person, Nayberg immediately establishes a warm rapport with young audiences. “This is your tongue. This is your mother’s tongue.” (Accompanying images show a child and adult, with their protruding tongues clearly labeled.) “The first language you learn is also called a mother tongue!” Fluency is the process of learning words—first simple ones, then those that are “quite complex.” Because “different countries have different mother tongues,” arriving somewhere new means “you may not understand its language at first.” Ears and tongues will need to adjust and adapt. Understandably, “sometimes you will mix things up!”: “Empire State Building” could easily sound like “Vampire State Building”! But comprehension and comfort will come. Nayberg, who emigrated to the U.S. from Ukraine at age 19, shares her experiences learning English in an author’s note. Her whimsical illustrations enhance her creative narrative with light humor; the concept of bilingualism is brought to life by an illustration of a youngster with two tongues (enjoying two ice cream cones!). Nayberg cleverly captures multiple languages by dropping various international alphabets throughout. Her characters are charmingly stylized; a dynamic spread highlights a commonplace subway scene with diversity among the many passengers and their conversations.

Reassuring words and engaging pictures make for an inspired exploration of language.