This is the best book I have found to teach young children about Sign Language. I have used it with my own children and with my Girl Scout troop. The signs are easy to copy for young children and they enjoy learning Sign Language. Many of the books on Sign Language are too hard for young children this is simple. If you want a book that helps introduce signing this it.

I have had this book for years and loaned it to our youth minister. He found it to be a favoriate with the youth and would like to have several copies. They have used it in preparing performances such as "The Lord's Prayer", etc. One of the best and very simple to learn hand language.

I borrowed this book from our public library and have used it with my 4-year-old daughter. She is very bright and this book has greatly contributed to her learning experience. I hope that the book will be published again soon, because I would like very much to add it to her library. It is much easier for a child to learn this type of thing than it is for an adult, because they can focus their attention more completely on what they are doing. I think that the book is wonderful.

This is an excellent book of sign for children. They learn about sign while they learn about zoo life. The signs are perfectly photographed (unlike other books where they are illustrated and hard to read). It is also fun that your child learns while watching other children sign. Kids love to learn from other kids. One other great thing about this book is that each animal not only has the sign but the name of the animal is signed also ( so your child learns the proper spelling). I have purchased a lot of sign books and this one is my favorite one.

I was given this book for Christmas. I didn't expect it to be any good, but I was wrong. From the very first page, questions rose from my mind. But the most prominant question was - WHY didn't I read it sooner?
This is the story about a group of friends torn apart by one tragic night of poor decisions and a life time of anyting but happy endings.
Aimee was the victim of sexual child abuse.
Zoe was the victim of a friendship that couldn't win.
While reading, you're bound to form questions in your mind. Write them down, as see just how quickly they're answered. I garuntee it'll be quickly.
MaryBeth Miller has a style of writing I've been yearning for in the mix of boring young adult dramas. Her unique voice touches, GRABS you and rips you in to the world of Zoe.
One thing is for sure.
You won't forget Zoe or Aimee after you read.

Though I read this book more than four months ago now, clips of the author's gentle yet unyeildingly powerful words still flash before my mind.

The book is about a group of friends torn apart by a sequence of terrible events. Aimee, the best friend of lead character Zoe, commit suicide about a year ago when the book takes place. Zoe was charged with murder because she was sleeping over at Aimee's house that night. We get conflicts of viewpoint throughout, which makes for an incredibly moving storyline, but we also feel Zoe's shame and inability to forgive herself. Though she was proven not guilty at trial, she still feels responsible.

You also get a wonderfully emotional look at Zoe's life. The author speaks so genuinely, it's impossible to believe that she hasn't lived Zoe's life. The words flow easily and make the story both darkly wonderful and easier to relate to. Zoe feel entirely unloved by her parents, and feels that her group of friends from "there" were the only people who ever understood her. All the bad memories are covered by the wonderful memories.

It's a book that keeps you guessing. Will Zoe and Chard be able to make it as more than friends? Can her parents, in spite of their possible divorce/separation, become closer to her and show her she's cared for? And, most importantly, can Zoe ever overcome her traumatized adolescence?

Buy the book and find out!

A Review by Tiffany

Best Friends with Aimee, Zoë did everything that they every wanted to do. They had the cutest boys in the world. The ones that are caring and won't go tell his best friend everything that they did the night before. But one night everyone's life comes to complete stop. Zoë ends up with charges against her and Aimee is dead by her own hand. After everything went wrong Zoë has been herself since. Her family life is torn apart and the one person she ever loved she can't even see him.

I like how this book keeps going back and forth to the past and present. It keeps me reading. It leads up to what she really has now. Her life is a mess. At least her love Chard is still by her side. And that nothing can put them in the way of seeing each other. I learned that every life is precious. That one fatal move can hurt some ones life forever. Mary Beth Miller is one of the best authors. Every page leaves you in a wondering mind. Like what is going to happen on the next page. For a while there I thought it was based on a true story. I think that it should be a movie.

I would recommend this to anyone. All ages should read this book in there life. It might make a big difference.

This book is an alright book to read, if you were acting it out in Drama. If the book was written in regular form, then it would be good for the classrooms. This book was interesting to read but hard to understand. You had to some what jump back and forth between people talking. I feel for the people who had to be put in the concentration camps, and were forced to work against their will just to keep their family members alive. I do not think that people have a right to degrade other humans beings of their own kind or culture.

In this book, not only does Miller define a modern hero, but he also finds distinct parallels between the Salem Witch Trials and the Red Scare. The book shows an array of impressionable characters who will not only spark emotion in you, but will make you think. There is the everlasting struggle between Good and Evil, Personal belief and Broad interpretation, Individual and Society, and most importantly personal judgement. Could a similar circumstance happen again right here in America? Most definitely. Do people allow themselves to be suppressed and deceived? Absolutely. Does Miller allow his readers to see their selves, peers, and beliefs in a new light? Without a doubt. This book is a piece of history in more ways than one.

The last time I read "The Crucible" was in high school back in the 1960s. Over the years I had forgotten much of what it was about, however it wasn't until I listened to the excellent production by L.A. Theatre Works that the raw emotions of this gripping story came to life.

As a few other reviewers here have suggested, this story works better as a play, not just a high school "textbook." I'd suggest that any students who have to read this book also take the time to listen to this recording.

My impression this time is that a merciless, judgmental religion is no true religion. I hope that young readers, or listeners, will realize that this is not the type of religion that Christ intended.

North Dakota State Univ uses this in its intro to American Gov't course. It is an easily readable text that covers everything that a government text should. Lots of links to the Internet are included as well, and the info is very up-to-date. Covers impeachment and everything else. I'll bet that the next edition includes the whole 2000 election fiasco. I only noticed one error, but that's probably due to the fact that I live in the state referenced.

If your children can't wait one more minute for Christmas, this will occupy
them for a few minutes until they start dreaming of presents again.

Each page has a scratch and sniff sticker that is cleverly hidden in the pictures.

Scents: Christmas Tree, Candy Canes, Spicy Cookies, Soap, Chocolate.

Our language delayed 3 year old loves the handtalk series. In this birthday story with a magical touch, the photos tell the story (there is text) and the characters sign along with the action portrayed. It's easiest to sign if you already know the signs as the photos don't always capture the exact motions.

Handtalk School by Mary Beth Miller and George Ancona, takes the reader on a fun and informative tour of a day in the life of children at a residential school for the deaf. From the moment the students wake up in the morning they are caught up in the excitement of preparing for the school play. From creating the props and costumes in art class, to learning their lines in history, to calling home on a TTY, the day circles around the preparation and the performance of the Thanksgiving day show.

Handtalk School is full of colorful photographs and a narration provided in sign language. In addition to being a fun story, the book also provides the nonsigning reader with some beginning signs and an insight into Deaf culture. ASL users will notice that despite the books claim of being in ASL, the story is actually told in a hybrid of ASL and Signed English. Despite this, the signs are easy to follow and the book can be enjoyed even by those with little to no English reading ability. Parents of deaf children may also appreciate the list of residential schools for the deaf listed in the back of the book.