Dancing Hands: A Story of Friendship in Filipino Sign Language Hardcover – Picture Book, July 18, 2023

"Dancing Hands" is a heartwarming picture book that beautifully captures the essence of friendship and the power of communication beyond words. The authors skillfully weave a tale of connection between Sam and her new neighbor, Mai, who communicates through the graceful dance of her hands in Filipino Sign Language. The story unfolds with moments of miscommunication, highlighting the universal challenges of bridging language barriers. As Sam learns Filipino Sign Language from Mai, readers are treated to playful illustrations that vividly celebrate the expressive beauty of sign language.What sets "Dancing Hands" apart is its thoughtful approach to storytelling. Unlike many children's books on sign language that focus solely on instruction, this book seamlessly integrates the language into a narrative about friendship. The result is an insightful exploration of the experience of making friends while overcoming language barriers. Beyond the story, the inclusion of back matter discussing various sign languages worldwide and endpapers illustrating the signs used in the book adds educational value, making it a rich resource for young readers.This delightful picture book serves not only as an introduction to the world of sign language but also as a catalyst for empathy and understanding. Through the blossoming friendship of Mai and Sam, readers are encouraged to embrace new experiences and appreciate the beauty of connections formed when we overcome perceived barriers. "Dancing Hands" stands out as an excellent choice for parents, educators, and caregivers looking to instill important values of empathy and inclusivity in young minds, all while providing an engaging and educational reading experience.

This is a very special and lovely book that touches our family’s heart since we know someone who is deaf and Filipino. The illustration is heartwarming and short, which is good for kids with little attention span. I was reading it to my five-year-old and explaining to her how Sam and Mei are communicating through their hands, just like how we communicate with our Filipino friends. I really like that it has some basic sign language inside the front and back cover. It’s simple and easy to practice. I also like that it has English and Filipino definitions because it teaches us some Tagalog words as well. This is such an excellent book to have and knowing that there are multiple sign languages around the words, just like having different languages and cultures. I also really like that in the back it has some input explaining why sign language is declining and how the UN promoting it. Overall highly recommend it.

Dancing Hands is about a girl who has recently moved and befriended her neighbor, Mai, who speaks in sign language.Dancing Hands is a cute story. Its art style is simple but reminds me of yarn. The prose is easy and suitable for the target audience. There are even a few pages that have no prose. Instead, the reader is supposed to look at the page's illustrations and use the glossary that adorns the inside of the cover to understand what is being expressed. To bring us into Mai's world, even just for a few pages.There is also a page in the back that discusses Filipino Sign Language.

Dancing Hands is a gentle story about two girls becoming friends in spite of communication barriers. They are friends before they learn to communicate, but their friendship grows deeper as one girl teaches the other sign language.The book was originally published in the Philippines, and the symbols and signs depicted in the book are Filipino Sign Language. The story itself makes no mention of this - the English translation simply refers to "Dancing Hands" - but there is some supplemental educational information explaining various 'international sign languages' and the relationship between Filipino Sign Language and American Sign Language.The real joy of this book for me, though, is the illustrations. The style is simple but multi-textured that's somehow both gentle and whimsical. The way that illustrator Fran Alvarez draws hair is mesmerizing and unique, and the art overall illustrates the simple story into something memorable.Sweet but not saccharine, uplifting, and beautifully executed. Highly recommended.

I got this and sat with my kids as my 10 year old read it to my 4 and 2 year olds. All three kids and myself enjoyed it and stayed engaged. I thought it was a beautiful story with lovely illustrations. The book is a nice hardcover with a jacket. There are examples of some words with the Filipino sign for that word as well as the Filipino word. This makes for a great learning experience. In general it is a nice story for young children to learn about different ways people can communicate and build friendship.The story is very short, it is a quick read which is nice for short attention spans. I thought this was a lovely book and I highly recommend. It is great for exposing kids to the ideas of people who are different from themselves, different cultures, languages, and much more.

Overall loved this for my nephew. Easy for him to understand and pictures are vibrant. Cover is made nicely and pages are glossy and don’t stick together. Wish the story was a bit longer but over all it serves it purpose.