NIU students are part of a unique book club that’s making a difference in the community. Huskies from the Hispanic Association of Bilingual Language Acquisition (HABLA) spend time reading and doing crafts with children during a monthly bilingual storytime program for children at the DeKalb Public Library.
“Providing English-Spanish storybook reading to the community is essential because literacy and oral language develop concurrently, reinforcing both languages,” said Milijana Buac, professor of Speech-Language Therapy at NIU and faculty advisor for the HABLA student group. “Engaging in literacy activities in one language supports the development of these skills in the other language due to cross-linguistic transfer.”
Each month, children from preschool to fifth grade are invited to the free storytime event where NIU students read a book and provide an activity related to the story. For student Daisy Guerrero, who is studying communicative disorders, it’s a win-win for all who attend. 
“Multilingual storytelling celebrates children’s heritage language and helps improve their literacy skills and understanding of the language,” Guerrero said. “I also benefit by getting experience interacting with children and parents in English and Spanish.”
Student Jessica Moreno shared the sentiment.
“We get the opportunity to practice our speaking skills, connect with children, families and other staff,” said Moreno, a senior majoring in communicative disorders. “It is beneficial for the children because some may not have a lot of exposure to both languages. This event offers them the opportunity to work on these skills.”
The next storytime takes place on March 19 from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the DeKalb Public Library.
