The Night Before Christmas: Told in Signed English (Hardcover)

by Harry Bornstein (Adapter), Karen L. Saulnier (Adapter), Clement C. Moore (Author), Steve Marchesi (Illustrator), Jan Skrobisz (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

Review
This book brings renewed delight with the addition of sign drawings. Mastering the language of this book would be a fascinating project for a class or family wishing to share this holiday tradition.

Product Description
A classic poem is presented in a format for deaf children, utilizing American Sign Language and rhyme for vocabulary and grammar building as well as holiday enjoyment, accompanied by full-color illustrations. UP.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 56 pages
• Publisher: Gallaudet University Press; 1st edition (September 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1563680203
• ISBN-13: 978-1563680205
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 8.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #574,138 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars not respectful of asl's beauty, September 15, 2001

By	gravity (oregon) - See all my reviews

i am just learning asl, but i was very dissapointed with this book's approach because i find signing to be so beautiful. The book is set up like a regular kid's book, with written text underneath a picture. The signed english is off in a box by itself, partly covering the picture. There is a ugly line drawing of the sign for each word of the text, with the word again written under it. The signs look out of place, and were the last thing my eye wandered to. I would not read this book to a deaf child, because i felt like it made the signs look like afterthoughts, or intrustions on english, rather than important events of their own. The signs are presented as isolated from the story and colorful illustrations, and they are very small and unattractive looking. i want any book i share with a child to convey the beauty and integrity of signs, and give the child pride in his culture. i would have liked it more if the signs were at least nicely drawn, or if the text was only shown once, as a key to the signs. I also wonder about the choice of translating a rhyming story like the night before christmas into a visual language like sign where rhymes carry no meaning. While i did learn a few new signs from it, i would recommendend buying a child's sign langauge book with pictures and signs for common words, or buying a children's book and drawing signs next to its text; your sign illustrations will probably look more inviting and send a better message about the importance of sign langauge

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Helps kids learn to communicate in English, March 17, 2003

By A Customer

This is a wonderful series of children's books, using simplified versions of classic stories that families can enjoy together, especially if the deaf child has hearing parents. The signing technique used is Signed English, as opposed to ASL, so there a sign for each part of every sentence. S.E. was developed to teach kids about communication through the English language as well as through sign. A great resource for learning and literacy.