CLPE’s library includes a display of books in languages spoken by many of the communities in the UK. This collection has developed as different cultural and linguistic groups have arrived. Languages represented include Albanian, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Farsi, French, German, Greek, Gujarati, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Kurdish, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Somali, Spanish, Turkish, Urdu, Vietnamese and Yoruba. The UK’s principal dual language publishers Mantra Lingua and Milet are well represented, and there is a broad selection of titles published by other publishers in the UK and abroad.

The emphasis is on dual language books and, where possible, books in another language are displayed alongside the English edition. The selection includes books originally published in English and translated into other languages, and books originally written in other languages.

Now that languages are being taught in KS2, collections of picture books in French, German and Spanish are also being developed with this in mind.

Information is available about where books in a variety of languages can be obtained. There is a regularly updated list of sources and suppliers, and more specific advice can be sought from the librarian.