This is a fantastic book for parents who want to or need to raise their children in a multilingual environment. The approach is scientific, though the prose is not at all technical (it uses clinical studies, but you do not need a PhD in linguistics to understand the very real comforting and practical advice. We are a bilingual couple (English/Spanish) living in Japan. It was wonderful to read about the experiences of others in similar situations. The only (very mild) criticism I have is too much space spent debunking old ideas about bilingualism which seem out-of-date today. However, I understand that these ideas were entrenched in certain segments of society and need addressing for many people (meaning we, as parents, need the information to be able to handle skeptics as we encounter them). Case studies cover just about every contingency, and although the book is obviously based on European languages, the results can easily be seen to apply regardless of which languages are in question. It may take a little longer for certain language skills to develop between Japanese and English than between English and French, but the main point made is precisely that language aquisition is all relative. And kids will eventually sort it out. If you're worried or wondering about raising your kids with more than one language, buy this book. I'm glad I did.
