Not that long ago, I reviewed Baby Signing 123 by Nancy Cadjan. Then shortly after that I talked about the ASL Sign Cards she has designed on this very blog. Now, I have had the chance to review Cadjan’s latest offering, and it is just as good as the others. It’s called More Please! and it is a board book all about signing for/with baby. In her usual style, Cadjan has designed this book to be kid-friendly and appealing to babies. It is a sturdy board book, nicely sized compared to most books in the same category, and of course it is very colorful. It has illustrations reminiscent of the other offerings in her product line; and they are cartoonish and bold enough to catch my baby’s eye. I like how it is laid out — each turn reveals a two-page spread with a theme. For example, the “More Hugs Please!” section has a drawing of a boy hugging his mom. At the bottom are illustrated ASL signs for three words, ‘more’ – ‘hug’ – and ‘please’, complete with text describing how to properly perform the corresponding ASL sign. Then in the corner are hints for additional words to learn to sign from the illustrations on the page (the ASL instructions for these extra words are handily placed in an index in the back). This is how the entire book flows, and my kids love it. The drawings are interesting to them, and I like how the signing is spelled out so simply. We all have fun practicing the signs together and it is really helping to solidify the motions for my 16-month-old (who by the way still has not chosen to use his verbal words to communicate yet). This book is right on time for us, one that we certainly enjoy, but that also serves an educational purpose as well. Nancy Cadjan has done it again! We cannot wait to see what she comes out with next…
p.s. Totally unrelated, but I just gotta add… on the “More Milk Please” spread, Cadjan makes a note that most moms use the ‘milk’ sign for nursing (AS WE DO) and in the drawing there is a mommy in the background sitting on a park bench discretely nursing her little bundle (AS WE DO). I love it!!!
I haven’t heard of those books before. Have you seen the Signing Time! board books (www.signingtime.com)? My kids absolutely LOVE them! They follow along with the signs learned in the first 5 volumes of movies. We are patiently hoping that they continue to make more books!