Child's Play

Review of My First Signs

When asked to review a book about baby signing I was filled with trepidation! The usual textbooks (I use the term loosely) are quite uninspiring and mostly aimed at the parent or carer and not the child. On seeing ‘My First Signs’ I was pleasantly surprised, it is in colour (my previous experience of signing books being dreary and in black and white). It is illustrated with cartoon-like pictures that really appeal to children and adults alike. The little text there is explains how to perform the sign in an easy manner. The book is designed to be read with your child, not just as a reference. Emily and I had great fun looking at it together. I read out the signs and she showed me them, appearing to look at the pictures and copy what she saw. The signs she didn’t know, she grasped quickly by copying the pictures. I particularly like the fact that each picture is a full scene e.g. bathtime, so that we can talk about each picture and use the appropriate sign.
Although it doesn’t have a comprehensive list of signs it does contain the common ones for everyday use such as milk, food, more and drink. I would certainly recommend this book to anyone interested in starting to sign with their baby and those who have been signing for a while. I just wish that we had obtained a copy at the start of our signing days!

Julia Gilbert, Romsey & District NCT Newsletter. 1st November 2004

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