In a multicultural world, bilingual books serve as great tools for learning a second language, making it more accessible to readers of two languages.
Here in the Philippines, almost all picture books are bilingual, with English and Filipino translations side by side, as young readers learn in both languages.
Last December, I was organizing my bookshelf when I uncovered a set of bilingual fairy tales in Spanish and English. I mooched them last year and stashed them on a back shelf, almost forgotten: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs / Blancanieves by Miquel Desclot, Ignasi Blanch; Jack and the Beanstalk / Juan y los frijoles mágicos by Francesc Bofill, Arnal Ballester, Alis Alejandro; Aladdin and the Magic Lamp/Aladino y la lámpara maravillosa by Josep Vallverdú, Pep Montserrat, and The Three Little Pigs / Los Tres Cerditos by Mercè Escardó i Bas, Pere Joan.