23rd September International Day of Sign Languages

 

Theme for 2022:
Sign Languages Unite Us!

 Some books to highlight sign language:

• What the Jackdaw Saw by Julia Donaldson and Nick Sharratt

This book about friendship and sign language was created by Julia Donaldson, author of The Gruffalo, with a group of deaf children in a workshop organised by the not-for-profit organisation Life & Deaf which helps deaf children to explore their identities through poetry, film, performance and art. 

• Moonbird  by Joyce Dunbar and Jane Ray

A Moonchild blows a bubble that pops on an Earth baby and surrounds him in silence. He cannot hear or speak. His parents, a King and Queen, are devastated when they realise but a Moonbird teaches the little prince how to use his hands and eyes to communicate. 

• Hands and Hearts by Donna Jo Napoli and Amy Bates

A mother and daughter spend a sunny day at the beach together where they swim, dance, build sandcastles, and, most importantly, communicate. But their communication is not spoken; rather, it is created by loving hands that use American Sign Language. Readers will learn how to sign 15 words using American Sign Language with the help of sidebars that are both instructive and playful.

• Jack Signs by Karen Hardwicke and Amanda Walker 

The heart-warming tale of a little boy who is deaf, wears hearing aids and discovers the magic of sign language - based on a true story!

Our school library still has a copy of The River of Silence  a picture book by Sarah Bertels and Catherine Hewitt which is a children's story with the appropriate sign language symbols accompanying the written text. Colourful illustrations tell the story of a river in search of its sound, conveying the message that it is not necessary to hear to appreciate beauty. Written for the author's deaf son, the book won the Lothian Centenary Children's Picture Book Award.