The Handmade Alphabet [ILLUSTRATED] (Hardcover)

by Laura Rankin (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
From a hand grasping two asparagus stalks to a zippered sleeve tracing the letter Z, Rankin's alphabet book is a glorious success as it displays the American Sign Language alphabet. The colored pencil illustrations on charcoal paper of varied hues depict one letter on each page--a pencil's eraser rubs away at a hand that signs the letter E , an icicle is balanced on a pinky, a muscular hand makes a V while holding a valentine. The hands here are as diverse and individual as the objects surrounding them--a baby's chubby fingers grip plastic keys, matronly hands with magenta-polished nails form the letter N , vivid bones of a hand, seen in an X-ray, show off X . Rankin's prefatory note describes how her deaf stepson "gained more thorough undertanding and total communication" when he learned sign language at Gallaudet University. In her third book, the artist proceeds to expand the awareness of those in the hearing world in an exceptionally striking ABC that speaks in an eloquent language all its own. All ages.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews
Exquisitely detailed, realistically portrayed hands of different ages, sexes, and colors demonstrate the positions for the manual alphabet used in American Sign; an object with the appropriate initial appears with each--the pointing finger for ``I'' reaches toward a dripping icicle; ``T'' sports three thimbles and a fistful of thread; ``X'' appears on an X-ray. An elegant roman capital completes each beautifully designed color- pencil illustration. The key includes the lovely jacket and title-page pictures, each of which adds something special--e.g., the hand on the title-page is overlaid with some of the many styles of letters that may be represented by the signs. The point of view sometimes varies from signer to observer, but the illustrations are so admirably clear that this should cause no confusion. An excellent introduction. (Nonfiction/Picture book. 2+) -- Copyright ©1991, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Dial; 1st edition (October 7, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803709749
• ISBN-13: 978-0803709744
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,116,913 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An exquisite book demonstrating the beauty of the hands., June 13, 2000

By A Customer

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

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous picture book portraying the sign language alphabet, November 20, 1999

By	Bill and Sheryl Savage (Wichita, KS) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Handmade Alphabet (Picture Puffins) (Paperback)

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.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A work of art, October 24, 2001

By	Marva Coleman (Los Angeles, Ca) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Handmade Alphabet (Picture Puffins) (Paperback)

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"