Sign Off

by Stephen A. Savage

A wordless picture book about what the figures on road signs do when no one is around!

What do the figures on signs do when no one is watching? Under cover of night, they leave their signs to play and collaborate.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Humor, Art, Fiction, Storytime, Transport

56 pages, Hardcover

First published May 7, 2019

About the author

Brooklyn-based Stephen Savage is the New York Times bestselling author and illustrator of 15 books for children. He is the recipient of a New York Times Best Illustrated Book award, a Sendak Fellowship, and a Geisel Honor.

Reviews

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting idea, but I felt that this didn't go far enough. The first half of the book was kind of wasted with essentially the same idea over and over. The second half got better, but I think there were a lot of missed opportunities.

[KC · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know what it is about wordless books but I enjoy them immensely. Quite clever.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 4 out of 5]

When you read hundreds of picture books a year as I do, it is a rare feeling to run across a book that feels delightfully novel.

Sign Off is delightfully novel.

Let's don't say too much about this one. Let me just say that road signs want to have fun, too.

Take a look at this one.

[Jason · Rating 4 out of 5]

A clever, simply illustrated, brightly colored wordless story about road signs coming to life. I could see a lot of good conversations between reader and child coming out of this.

[Bethe · Rating 3 out of 5]

In the vein of toys coming alive at night when kids are sleeping, the symbols of signs come alive. Clever.

[Kristin Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such fun to see what happens when everyone leaves their signs! My 4s and 5s liked it and since it's wordless they feel empowered to read it again and again on their own. 👍🏼

[Michele Knott · Rating 5 out of 5]

This wordless picture book is so fun! I can imagine the oohs, aahs and giggles!
On one layout we see a sign, turn the page and the sign has jumped off and doing something that may or may not be predictable. But it's towards the end of the book when they all start working together when the magic happens!

[Tracie]

Clever wordless story where the images on road signs come alive, leaving their posts for an adventure.

[Baby Bookworm · Rating 2 out of 5]

This review was originally written for The Baby Bookworm. Visit us for new picture books reviews daily!

Hello, friends! Our book today is Sign Off by Stephen Savage, a wordless picture book imagining of the secret lives of road sign figures.

As twilight descends, the silhouetted deer on a road sign cannot resist: it stretches out of the sign to nibble the leaves hanging overhead. The farmer from the “tractor crossing” sign appears in the neighboring cornfield, plowing up the dirt. Other silhouettes begin to stir as well: a figure in a wheelchair, two children crossing the street, a road worker with shovel, and more. The “child at play” – after a brief stop at the swingset – begins to lead the others across the landscape to the top of a hill, where another sign waits (a traffic-signal warning sign). The silhouettes work together to remove the yellow circle from the sign, then launch it into the sky, where it becomes the rising sun. The friends celebrate their success, then return to their signs as the dawn begins.

As a concept, this definitely has appeal – who doesn’t love a “secret life of everyday objects” story? And the first few pages – which alternate between showing the sign as normal, then with the figure(s) interacting with the outside environment on the next – has some genuinely cute moments. But it’s from there the story begins to stumble. The adventure to the hilltop goes on a surprisingly long time, and creates confusing questions about its reveal – do they do this every night? Does the sun go back into the sign when it sets? How? – that don’t feel resolved by the book’s rather abrupt ending. And while the blocky, stylized art is clearly meant to emulate the silhouettes’ style, it does so at the sacrifice of visual interest. Savage is great at creating dynamic visuals in his retro-inspired style, such as in his Where’s Walrus? series, but here it only comes off as bland. So while this one poses a great “what-if”, the result was just not our cup of tea.

(Note: A copy of this book was provided to The Baby Bookworm by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)

Be sure to check out The Baby Bookworm for more reviews!

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

At night, the images on street signs come to life and jump right off their signs! The deer on the sign munches some leaves. The tractor on the caution sign plows up some dirt as he drives past. The wheelchair sign uses the car parked in its spot to zoom down to the street. The worker on the sign makes a sandcastle out of the dirt pile. Road crossing signs become a place for romance. Children at play, actually play. As dawn arrives, all of the animals and people from the signs get together at a street light sign and greet the day in their own special way.

This wordless picture book takes the concept of toys coming to life at night into a different two-dimensional story. Savage cleverly uses them in silhouette to show what is something from a sign. The real life backgrounds are done in full color, so the black silhouettes pop against them. Each sign is interesting and their activity at being freed is unique to them. The story is simple and the presentation fascinating.

A playful and interesting book for a road trip or just staying at home. Appropriate for ages 2-4.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sign Off by Stephen Savage. WORDLESS PICTURE BOOK. Beach Lane (Simon), 2019. $18. 9781534412101

BUYING ADVISORY: Pre-K, EL (K-3) - ESSENTIAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH

What do the characters on highway signs do when we’re not watching? It turns out they lead very rich, adventurous lives!

Charming, entertaining, and so imaginative! I can’t be more effusive about how much I love this! And you will love it too.

Cindy, Middle School Librarian, MLS
https://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com/20...

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like the premise of this book, but something got a bit lost in the execution. The story is slow to get going, and the ending is a bit confusing. My kids love that it's wordless, and I think it will be fun for them to narrate the story, or even to tell their own story of what might happen when the figures on signs wander away. It's a great book for sparking the imagination; I just wanted a bit more from it. (There is a planned sequel, though, so we'll see...)

[Richie Partington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Richie’s Picks: SIGN OFF by Stephen Savage, Simon & Schuster/Beach Lane, May 2019, 56p., ISBN: 978-1-5344-1210-1

“Sign, sign, everywhere a sign
Blockin’ out the scenery, breakin’ my mind
Do this, don’t do that, can’t you read the sign?”
-- Five Man Electrical Band (1971)

SIGN OFF is an jaw-droppingly clever picture book. It stars the black silhouette characters that we see everyday on street signs while traveling along public roads and highways. The story features the silhouette characters freeing themselves from their respective signs, engaging in the activities denoted by their signs, and then joining forces to achieve a brilliant goal.

Thus, a silhouetted, antlered deer liberates himself from his caution sign to reach up and browse on the tree above the sign. A silhouetted farmer-on-a-tractor abandons his sign and begins cultivating the adjoining field. A wheelchair-bound stick figure on a restricted parking sign bounces off of the hood of a car as he wheels off. The silhouette of a running child on a “SLOW CHILDREN AT PLAY” sign launches himself onto a swing before easing on down the road. The stick figure with a shovel featured on an orange construction caution sign hops down and builds quite a nifty sand castle before moving on.

The action builds as more and more silhouetted sign characters free themselves. Then, all of the figures merge into a line and head up a hill toward a sign depicting a traffic light. There, the characters join into an acrobatic pyramid formation in order to liberate the yellow circle from the traffic light sign. They then set up a catapult (utilizing a silhouetted see-saw), and successfully launch the yellow circle upward, which brings morning to their world.

The story concludes with a euphoric celebration and a march of the silhouetted characters back down the hill.

Man, oh man, this is such a novel idea, and Stephen Savage’s illustrations perfectly highlight the action. Getting to experience this one really made my day. I’m sure I’ll be recalling it for quite a while when I pass my own local street signs.

Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
https://www.facebook.com/richiespicks/
richiepartington@gmail.com

[Tonja Drecker · Rating 5 out of 5]

So clever! Using every day, basic road signs and mixing them with simple illustrations, this book shows how boundless the imagination can be.

Signs are everywhere and often taken for granted, but Stephen Savage brings them to life...and then some. Young readers will recognize most of the signs and be astounded by what happens when they receive a little life. The colors are basic and yet allow the story to come pop off the page, and the illustrations prove that simplicity can offer the greatest depth.

While, at first, it just seems to be a genius play on familiar signs, a story slowly unfolds.It warms the heart and is sure to bring smiles, not only to young readers' faces but adults as well. After reading this book, signs will never seem boring again.

I received a complimentary copy and enjoyed the adventure. So, I'm leaving my honest thoughts.

[Bethany · Rating 5 out of 5]

What do signs do at the end of the day as they "sign off"? What appear to be individual vignettes slowly and seamlessly merge into a tale of silhouetted friends in the shadows of nighttime.

Wordless books--the good ones, at least--offer the most space for conversation and questioning. This one does well on both fronts. It will find a home with younger readers than books like Flotsam, and slightly older readers than Savage's superb Where's Walrus?.

[Becky B · Rating 3 out of 5]

What do the figures on signs do when no one else is around at night?

Taking a page from all the stories that imagine what book characters or zoo animals or museum displays do at night, this does the same thing with the images on signs. Its a fun imagination exercise. Savage should maybe do a sequel with international signs. I know of one for an elephant crossing here in Thailand, and I know they have kangaroo crossing signs in Australia. I'm sure there are lots of other unique animal signs he could play with. There are absolutely no words in this book, so it is a good one for pre-readers and kids learning their road signs.

[Victoria Whipple · Rating 4 out of 5]

Savage takes familiar traffic signs and imagines what the figures on those signs might do if they were animated. The only words in the book are those that are on the signs. The illustrations are mostly monochromatic with strong geometric shapes making up the backgrounds and scenery. Once the figures all come together during a nighttime adventure, they come up with a clever idea for one more sign, and the palette changes from mainly subdued hues of blues, greens into the bright colors of daylight. A wordless picturebook, but so much opportunity to talk about what's going on in the pictures. Recommended Pre-K - gr. 3.

[Olivia Thames · Rating 4 out of 5]

A creative visualization of the life of road signs after dark, Stephen Savage's dialogue free "Sign Off" was a pleasing little discovery that my mother and I both enjoyed.

Whether it is the simple but colorful illustrations that grabs your attention, or the creative freedom for the reader to imagine what the signs would say while going on walk-about under the light of the moon, this little picture book would be a fun addition to a library at home, in the classroom, or in the community.

It would also be a great prompt for a class to begin a creative writing project!

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have fun guessing what the familiar road signs mean in the book Sign Off by Stephen Savage. Watch out though, those road signs aren't what they appear to be! Children and parents will enjoy telling the story of this wordless picture book again and again. Reading wordless picture books together is exciting because you never know what new story your child will come up with next. Perfect for ages 3 - 8.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

More times than not when taking my canine companion outside for the last time late at night, she'll stop and stare off into the darkness several times. What she hears or smells or even sees is beyond my human sensory comprehension. It does cause me to hesitate. The actual circumstances in those moments and those imagined are probably two entirely different things. Under a darkened sky with only the light of stars and a moon in varying phases, a different world awakens.

It is in this realm, ripe with possibilities, a creator's gifts will thrive. Sign Off (Beach Lane Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, May 7, 2019) conceived and illustrated by Stephen Savage draws our attention to those objects we look at every day. He asks us to see opportunities. In this wordless book he takes us into the night on a journey guaranteed to stay in our collective memories.


My full recommendation: https://librariansquest.blogspot.com/...

[Erin Buhr · Rating 4 out of 5]

SIGN OFF is a wordless book that feels as if it were born in the imagination of a child. As you page through, you watch as the characters on signs jump off and begin to interact with the world. This is graphic design magic and creative story telling at it's best. Closing the pages you will feel inspired to wonder and to look at the world, but especially it's signage, in a new way.

[Lynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clever and unusual with a fun cumulative ending.

I want to try this book on kids though as I'm wondering if kids really see street signs? They are strapped into car seats in the back seat these days and rarely have a view out the front of the vehicle. Is this something kids will get? Maybe the visuals are so clear it isn't necessary. I don't know - just unsure.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Stephen Savage is a master at making my super sleepy son delirious with laughter with his books. This one is the biggest hit of all. I'm not sure why but he finds the sign figures hopping off their signs and going about their business hysterical. I love it too since there are no words. I just ask him what on earth they are thinking and he makes up the wildest things.

[Valerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is all pictures but it is definitely a story. It's pretty abstract. I think a child would be interested in the pictures and trying to figure out what they will do. What I'm not sure about is the point of the story. Interesting but not my choice.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wordless book
Delightful story about what characters on signs do when no one is driving by. They get together and play and set the sun in the sky for the next day.
Young readers will enjoy fleshing out the tale as they see the story unfold.

[Alecia · Rating 4 out of 5]

My six and seven year old loved predicting what the different people/animals on the sign would do on the next page. An original idea and something a little different for us that our typical narrated picture books.

[Molly Cluff (Library!) · Rating 4 out of 5]

An imaginative wordless picturebook about the figures on road signs coming to life at night and getting up to adventures. Pretty simple, but might help kids stretch their imaginations when they see those signs in real life.

[Stella Pollard · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter absolutely loves road signs. While browsing our local bookstore recently, we stumbled upon this! She has shared many theories! Now she always says THERE IS THE SUN! When we see one particular sign ❤️ loved it.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

A whimsical wordless picture book about what happens when the traffic sign silhouettes take the evening off. With the great illustrations and imaginative storytelling, this smart picture book will have broad appeal.

[Élisabeth Léger · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an ESL teacher and big fan of Wordless books and graphic novels, this is perfect for a class project! Even older teens learning to drive could enjoy going further into the topic. Will create an activity for sure !