K-Gr 3—Colin is having nightmares in his yolk-colored room. As he sleeps, eggs over easy zoom around like alien spaceships. It is time for a new paint job, and his mother opts for professionals to do the work. She gets the message relay number of Deaf painters and, via an interpreter, makes an appointment. Whereas this could simply be a didactic picture book on Deaf and hearing etiquette, the humor imbued makes it a delightful story about the joy of communication. The unique collage illustrations add warmth and render the two women painters in realistic signing stances. The facial expressions and hand shapes of the characters are also accurate. While the painters paint the trim white, they start to chat and, "splish, splat," their flying, signing hands (while holding brushes) suddenly turn the navy blue walls into a star-studded sky. Colin waltzes in and gestures that he loves his new dreamscape decor. Appended are a finger-spelling alphabet and two pages of words in American Sign Language used in the text. This is a great choice for discussing Deaf culture, emphasizing their love for communication in ASL, and the many ways hearing people can communicate with the Deaf.—Sara Lissa Paulson, American Sign Language and English Lower School PS 347, New York City
Colin hates his yellow room, so the painters that arrive, two deaf women, dutifully paint the walls. They get into a sign language discussion that, somehow unnoticed, splatters white polka dots all over the blue walls. While it's meant to be humorous, the flat story only succeeds in painting the two women as incompetent. Too-busy collage art accompanies the weak text.
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