Provides basic information about American Sign Language, and illustrates hand motions for the alphabet and various terms and phrases organized by topic.
This is a fantastic book for anyone wanting to learn the basics of American Sign Language, but is it especially geared to elementary age children. Each two-page spread focuses on a concept and shows photographs of real children signing a specific word related to the concept. The five children pictured throughout the book are introduced with full names at the beginning and represent varying cultural backgrounds. The book also shows how to create a few common phrases based on the words on those pages. Some of the main topics covered are family, clothes, money, calendar, colors, animals, food, and weather. In addition to the photographs, each page contains comical cartoon illustrations with thick bold lines and vibrant colors that correspond to the main topic. Children will also enjoy the side comments and advice given by the authors.
A great source of ASL vocabulary, with over three hundred signs arranged by theme in a high-interest graphic style incorporating color photos of real kids and snappy comic illustrations.