Book Review: Let's Sign, Baby!

You Could Win This Book!!

Credit: Courtesy of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

As this blog states, I am "A mommy by day. An interpreter by night. And, a little frazzled in between." As a mom/interpreter I really looked forward to the opportunity to review "Let's Sign, Baby!" by Kelly Ault with illustrations by Leo Landry.

"Let's Sign, Baby!" is a board book aimed at teaching babies/toddlers basic American sign Language (ASL). As a sign language interpreter the very first thing I did was check the signing and I was thrilled to see that it was accurate. You might be surprised to learn that many "baby sign books" are actually made-up gestures and not based on ASL. All of the signs illustrations and descriptions are accurate and easy-to-follow. This book is the real deal!!

The nice part of this book is that it's not "just" signs. The signs are placed within the context of a toddler girl, Violet, and the things she might want to communicate during her day. Her story is always posted on the left pages, with the signs illustrations/descriptions on the right--making it a breeze to read.

After several bouts of trial and error we found that this book was best read by facing our son Liam and putting the book on our lap. He really enjoys learning the signs in the book. His absolute favorite is baby Diego, which might be mostly because he's naked getting ready for a bath. The minute we flip to the Diego page, Liam is signing "bath" like nobody's business. :)

We liked this book because it led to an interactive story time and because of the great illustrations. We usually select books with bright colors and even though this one has a pastel color base--it's creeping right to the top of his favorites.

Want to win this book? Simply enter your e-mail address in the "subscribe via e-mail" link in the right-hand navigation. One entry per person, multiple entries will be deleted. A winner will be chosen randomly at 11:59 p.m. on June 8. Tell your friends, tell your family--spread the word. Good Luck!