Customer Reviews

The Handmade Alphabet (Picture Puffins)

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This is without a doubt the most beautiful book of dactyology (fingerspelling) that I have ever seen. Laura Rankin's artistry is such that each individual alphabetical element could be framed. The drawing on the frontface of the book alone is worth the price of the book...with the mingling of hands of different sizes and different colors which illustrate a part of manual language with unbelievable accuracy and incomparable beauty. This book is one of my treasures, which I share with children whenever I teach about what it is like to be deaf and the beauty of the sign language I choose to use. Karen Sadler, Science Education, University of Pittsburgh

Laura Rankin portrays the manual alphabet with beauty, creativity, and a little whimsy in her artful colored-pencil drawings. You'll be sure to be pleased with each splendid page, whether it depicts a china cup dangling from the thumb of a C-hand or the hooking motion of a J-hand taking a swipe of jam out of the jar. My husband intends to buy two copies, laminate the pages, and mount them on the wall of his elementary classroom as a captivating illustration of the sign language alphabet.

The beautiful illustrations - simple yet exquisite, worthy of framing. I first framed some of the pictures and presented them as gifts to some young deaf children with self esteem problems, but it was when I taught hearing adults and did the same thing that I really saw the great impact her illustrations had. It then became a "work of art"

Laura Rankin's The Handmade Alphabet portrays the letters of the alphabet along with their manual alphabet counterparts in American Sign Language. Each letter receives one page on which the uppercase letter appears in a black, serif font in the upper-left corner of the page and is accompanied by a realistic illustration of a hand demonstrating the manual alphabet of American Sign Language as well as an object cleverly representing the letter. "G" is demonstrated by a gloved hand; "K" is demonstrated by a baby's hand holding a key ring; "X" shows an x-ray of the hand demonstrating the sign. The illustrations of the hands are done in softly luminous colored pencil on charcoal paper, with exquisite detail. The hands are of different races, sexes, and ages. This book focuses solely on letters, but does offer a key that lists the words for the objects portrayed with each letter. Of course this book will be useful for deaf children or children with deaf parents or friends who are learning the alphabet, but may be useful for other children as well to drive home the concept of abstract symbol systems and the different ways sounds and meaning can be represented.

I found this book in our school library and was stunned by the artwork. I work in a school where the deaf children are mainstreamed into the school. Sign language books are always checked out! This is a big hit with the young students. I give the author an A+ for an excellent book!

As an artist, I loved the illustrations. I have always loved to draw hands, and these drawings are beautiful. I am also interested with the beauty and knowledge that signing combines, and this book conveys both wonderfully.

I saw it because a fellow asl student had it the pictures are amazing i loved the book

I purchased this book for my six year old granddaughter because she has been showing an interest in sign. It is one of the most beautifully illustrated books I have seen and the picture associated with each letter is something she can identify with.