“You did the right thing, Son. I'm very proud of you,” Danny is told in Jeanne Mansfield and Gail Lenhard's children's book, I Talk with My Hands: The Contest.
~ What ~
This seventy-page paperback targets children ages six to ten years old. With no extremely scary scenes, it focuses on a young deaf boy who enters a contest and has to deal with being bullied. The end of the book contains the authors' biographies, acknowledgments, and references/resources.
Being deaf can be a challenge at any age, but eight-year-old Danny Greene has not only learned how to sign with his hands but also is starting to read lips. When he builds a birdhouse and enters it in a contest to win a bicycle, he has to contend with a bully who has issues of his own.
~Why ~
This is a quick thirteen-chapter book for any young reader who loves competing to win a prize while learning to be kind to others. I appreciated the family dynamics helping the deaf boy be as normal as others. Since I took American sign language in college, I know a little about how talking with hand signals can be rewarding but also challenging. It is expressive when Danny deals with the bully and reacts by being thoughtful and considerate without retaliating.
~ Why Not ~
Those who do not like books about ASL might avoid this book, but they would miss out learning some complications of being deaf. Beginner readers may have trouble with some of the three- and four-syllable words.
~ Wish ~
While I appreciate this being a chapter book for the targeted age group, I wish there were drawings of the finger signs and not simply a short description that is incorporated into the story (so show the finger spellings or hand movements via illustrations). There are a few blank pages between chapters that seem wasteful.
~ Want ~
If you are looking for a book that explains day-to-day experiences of a young deaf child who deals with a bully, this would be enlightening for elementary-school-aged children.
Thanks to Elk Lake Publishing and the author for this complimentary book that I am under no obligation to review.
