Signing Around Town: Sign Language for Kids

K-Gr 5—Lively digital illustrations rendered like avatars provide young readers with the means to learn basic signs in American Sign Language (ASL). Created in consultation with a Deaf, Native signer and professor of ASL, each book boasts a thoughtful summary of ASL and tips on how to sign with facial expressions, and tips on how to sign well. The page layout is well designed and accessible, with a contemporary color scheme and easy-to-read text boxes. Each word in boldface type is coupled with a head-to-chest avatar showing readers how to make the sign, with arrows to show hand movements and a brief verbal description of how to make the sign. The visuals and directives are clearly expressed. All four illustrators succeed in making the signs comprehensible with the appropriate facial expressions. My World is the most basic, containing words like "yes" and "no," and general greetings. School covers colors, telling time, and numbers. Home is kid-centered, explaining signs for toys, pets, and the outdoors, while Town offers signs about the community, including an amusement park and zoo. The overall look of the books is upbeat, with a stylized, computer-generated aesthetic, but warm and accessible in effect.—Sara Lissa Paulson, The American Sign Language and English Lower School, New York City