Mother-Tongue Literacy Strengthens Learning in Rural Children

The study by Birdsong and Ndeloh (2021) provides strong evidence that early education in a child's mother tongue significantly improves reading comprehension, confidence, and engagement. Their research, which included data from rural India, shows that children understand concepts more deeply and develop stronger foundational literacy when first taught in their native language. This advantage becomes even more important in low-resource areas, where students may not have access to formal preschool education or spoken English at home.

This directly supports the structure of Roots and Colours, which uses Tamil-first bilingual captions to teach basic vocabulary alongside visual storytelling. When children see familiar words like “பொங்கல்” (Pongal) or “நெல் வயல்” (rice field), they not only understand what they’re coloring—they feel proud and capable. English translations placed below Tamil give them a gentle bridge to learning a second language, without forcing them to abandon the language they use every day.

By designing the book to reflect how children learn best, especially in rural Tamil Nadu, Roots and Colours becomes more than just a creative outlet. It becomes a literacy tool grounded in research, helping build early reading skills, cultural confidence, and joyful learning—all from the foundation of language children already speak and love.