The Kids' Guide to Sign Language

February 15, 2013
Grades 4-6 The Kids' Guides series offers fully illustrated introductory books on a broad variety of topics. The many colorful photos, often smaller than two-inch squares, show young people demonstrating the activities described in the text. Sign Language leads off with a brief introduction to American Sign Language and a hand-sign alphabet chart. Clay encourages beginners to go beyond finger spelling by learning signs for basic words and practicing simple phrases. The small size of the illustrations occasionally makes it difficult to see the hand and finger positions clearly. Still, the kid-based conversational gambits, like I'm in ___ (3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th) grade and I want to eat ___ (hot dog, hamburger, pizza, fruit, ice cream), are well chosen. These slender titles present topics in a brief, practical manner that readers may find helpful.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)