Another Tongue

Description: A rollicking, relatable introduction to the joys and frustrations of learning a new language.

Your first language is often called your "mother tongue." It's solid and familiar, just like the tongue inside your mouth; it feels like home.

But what happens when you go to a new place, with a different mother tongue? Muddling through words you can't understand can be mystifying, overwhelming. Sentences sound strange, letters may even look different. But don't give up: with plenty of practice and a lot of mistakes, you can end up with two tongues!

Yevgenia Nayberg's humor-infused prose and larger-than-life illustrations speak playfully to the complexity of learning a language, a process she went through herself when she emigrated from Ukraine. Kids who are currently finding their way in a new language will surely see themselves in Another Tongue, but no kid will be left out of this funny, approachable take on the way the words we use, and the way we use them, changes how we see the world.

Review Quotes: This lighthearted look at the experience of foreignness deftly represents the sometimes-scary, sometimes-humorous process of becoming bilingual and the transformative effect of immersing yourself in a new language.
--The Horn Book (starred review)

Another Tongue is a delightful look at language learning. With its fairly limited text and bold, graphic illustrations, it's simple enough to hold a roomful of preschoolers at rapt attention, yet sophisticated enough that adults will revel in its quiet wisdom and wordplay. Readers of all ages wrestling with a new language--including young native English speakers--will love its mixture of empathy and humor.
--BookPage (starred review)

Children will be delighted by this whimsical deep dive into language, while new English speakers will surely place themselves in this middle of this ode to language as connector. Sensitive, clever, and unique.
--School Library Journal

Writing in second person, Nayberg immediately establishes a warm rapport with young audiences. . . . Her whimsical illustrations enhance her creative narrative with light humor. . . . Nayberg cleverly captures multiple languages by dropping various international alphabets throughout. Her characters are charmingly stylized. . . . Reassuring words and engaging pictures make for an inspired exploration of language.
--Kirkus Reviews

Witty wordplay abounds in this clever picture book about the challenges and rewards of language learning. . . . Cutout letters in Cyrillic and English script are scattered topsy-turvy throughout Sydney Taylor medalist Nayberg's stylized mixed-media and digital collage illustrations, along with lots of tongue-in-cheek humor. . . . Eloquent and fluent, this picture book speaks to many relatable experiences.
--Booklist

Fine-lined mixed-media illustrations extend the text's humor. . . . Nayberg transforms the frustrations of language learning into a celebration of resilience, connection, and self-discovery. The result is a perceptive, tender articulation of an aspect of many immigrant experiences and a memorable picture book that invites readers to see language not as a barrier but as a bridge.
--Shelf Awareness

[An] encouraging picture book. . . . Characters from multiple languages falling from clouds, bubbling from pots, or floating in a balloon add whimsical flair to the book's sensitive support for language learners. . . .
--Foreword Reviews