GENRE: **Diverse, Contemporary
WORDS: 416
Query:
Dear PBParty Agents and Editors,
I am pleased to submit a picture book manuscript, The Mini Teacher, which focuses on the experiences of bilingual siblings based on my experiences teaching, interviewing, and interacting with bilingual children from immigrant families, including my own.
The Mini Teacher (416 words) centers on the intergenerational relationship and everyday experiences of bilingual siblings from a Korean immigrant family. It tells the story of how the siblings use their bilingual skills to teach, support, and connect with each other and others around them. Through playful language and mixing Korean and English, it showcases how bilingual children actively and creatively learn and bridge languages and cultures. The book also centers on the themes of care and relationship.
Jane, a proud seven-year-old bilingual “mini teacher,” teaches her younger sister Korean and English, using strategies she sees in her classroom, such as spelling words out, encouraging repetition, using gestures, and reading aloud. At preschool, Jenna, the younger sister, becomes a mini teacher. She helps a new boy from Korea express his needs in English. Together, they show that teaching and learning take many forms and that bilingualism is an act of care. While this book centers on Korean-English bilingual siblings, its theme of sibling love, language learning, intergenerational connection, and the joy and confusion of being bilingual will resonate with children from diverse backgrounds.
I am an immigrant mother of two bilingual children and a professor of language and literacy education. I have published two academic books for teachers and researchers, as well as over 30 journal articles on supporting children and families from bilingual and immigrant backgrounds. I teach courses related to migration, language, and literacy education, and provide professional development for teachers across the U.S. and internationally. I am a member of several critique groups, and I have participated in SCBWI events.
Thank you for your time and for participating in the 2026 PBParty.
Excerpt:
I am a mini teacher.
I speak two languages.
I begin in Korean and finish with English,
then I start in English and switch to Korean.
Like an airplane flying between Michigan and Korea,
Across the blue sea, where my Halmoni lives.
Two languages live in my heart.
Sometimes my words tangle on my tongue,
but I untangle them and teach my little sister
so she can talk to Halmoni
What inspired you to write this story & what do you have in common with it:
I am an Asian immigrant mother raising bilingual children and a professor of language and literacy education who works closely with bilingual families. I firmly believe bilingualism is an asset. Yet, when my daughter’s daycare teacher told me to stop speaking Korean and suggested taking her to a doctor for language delay (based on her limited English), I realized how pervasive deficit views are and how they can negatively impact children from immigrant families. This experience strengthened my commitment to challenging these views and affirming bilingual children’s strengths by highlighting the brilliance of Asian American children and their bilingual assets.
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