Handtalk Birthday: A Number & Story Book in Sign Language

Words and sign language depict friends helping a deaf woman celebrate her birthday.

Grade 1-3 This follow-up to Handtalk (Four Winds, 1974; o.p.) finds Mary Beth celebrating a birthday. Guessing what's in her birthday packages provides a perfect opportunity to introduce sign language vocabulary. Later, friends sing and sign ``Happy Birthday'' and try to guess Mary Beth's age. Fingerspelling and signing combine with the action of the double-page spread photographs to tell the story. Small photo insets of Mary Beth or a friend signing capture the upper portion of the body and the placement of the hands in relation to the body. Although in some of the smallest insets it is difficult to see exact signing, in most of them the vivid colors and sharp focus allow for a clear view of the exact placement of hands. A blurring line shows the movement of the hand to make that sign. Boldface text under or directly next to the signer states what is being signed. Exuberance, energy, and drama create high interest as the story imparts information about signing and fingerspelling. This creative original story is an exciting way to share the joy of signing with childrenmuch more fun than purely instructive sign language dictionaries or the signing of traditional stories. An imaginative book that introduces and sustains interest in sign language. Susan Nemeth McCarthy, Arlington County Public Lib . , Va.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.