The paper reports on a bilingual literacy development project. The main objective of the project was to assist Australian Samoan primary students in improving their English literacy by enhancing their native language literacy. Five Samoan background mothers volunteered to participate in classroom activities as bilingual teacher helpers. It was expected that the mothers' involvement in working with children and their observations of the Australian teachers' strategies in teaching literacy would not only assist them in understanding what and how the children learn at school but also model for them how to work on the native language literacy development of their children at home. Their experiences provide valuable information for curriculum designers, teachers and parents who educate their children in a second language.