Arts Books

I like this guide. It is in alphabetical order and contains just about every word you would want to use to communicate with a child. My older son is also having fun learning the signs and using them with the baby. I started using this book with my son at about 8 months.

Very thorough guide. Works like a dictionary. Excellent listing of signs you can use daily. mb

I bought this book to help me with simple signs to teach children under 2 years old who are not hearing impaired. I found the alphabetical listing made it easy to find words I wanted to use and the simple illustration made sure I was making the sign correctly. I think this book would work very well for someone wanting to learn basic signs for young children whether hearing impaired or not.

We have been doing sign language with both of our babies since around 6 mos of age, and this book has been priceless. Very easy to use, very informative.

This book is so helpful I carry it in our "Diaper" bag. (We actually use elimination communication so our baby hasn't used diapers since 11 weeks, but we still call it our diaper bag. See Potty Whispering: The Gentle Art of Infant Potty Training) I frequently pull this book out when my son needs a word. He is 19 months and knows about 70 signs. He even signs in his sleep (I wonder what he was dreaming the night he was signing "paper.") This is the most comprehensive signing book I have found. Lots of good kid words--like yogurt and cracker--that I couldn't find anywhere else. My biggest complaint about this book (and why only 4 stars) is the food words. It mainly has sweet based foods (and even signs for McDonald's.) There are limited fruits, veggies, and other healthy foods. So I also carry Fruits & Vegetables (Beginning Sign Language Series)Also, despite the great number of words in here, it is not totally comprehensive. It doesn't have the word "key." Every toddler loves keys so I'm not sure why that's missing. I'd love it if there was a website where I could recommend words for future editions.

For those of you uncertain about using sign as much as we do, it has really made having a toddler much simpler. He can tell stories about the time the dog had the bird in its mouth and we got the bird from the dog and took the bird outside. When he dropped his toy into a hole in the floorboards, his signing conveyed to me what had happened (since I didn't witness it.) When he got cactus thorns in his hands and was, naturally, screaming as I took them out, he signed "water." I got him a drink of water and he calmed down. Without the ability to make that request, he would have kept screaming (I never would have thought to give him water.) Some people have questioned if sign language at our level will delay speech. I asked a developmental pediatrician about that. She considers children who sign bi-lingual. Bi-lingual children often do have slight delays in their speech. However, the brain development that occurs is so beneficial that it is better for the children. At 19 months our son has his 70 signed words and about 20 spoken words. He spends much of each day repeating a verbal word he is just now learning (dishes is one of his favorites.)