Many children around the world do not acquire functional literacy skills even if they have had a K-3 education because they are not learning to read in their mother tongue. It is illogical to think that a child can read for meaning in a language for which he or she does not have a rich oral vocabulary. By sharing books across borders and translating them into a local mother tongue children are contributing to each other’s education and helping one another become literate. This social justice project brings joy to all who are reading, writing, and exchanging books, and promotes the creation of Mother Tongue school libraries.

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The first book exchanges were with the Fayerweather Street School in Cambridge, MA, USA. Mother Tongue Books are now published as trilingual books in Creole, French, and English.