The Handmade Alphabet

Gorgeous pencil illustrations of diverse human hands--male and female, young and old--signing the letters of the alphabet make this alphabet book an incredible learning resource. The entries are further supplemented with objects that begin with the same letter. Author Laura Rankin was inspired to create this book by her deaf stepson. It is a wonderful introduction to the alphabet and to sign language, and the art is beautiful enough to merit sharing it with adults as well.

Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book

"Brilliant . . . Hauntingly luminous."--The New York Times Book Review

"Exquisitely detailed, realistically portrayed hands of different ages, sexes, and colors demonstrate the positions for the manual alphabet used in American Sign. An excellent introduction."--Kirkus Reviews

Author: Laura Rankin
Publisher: Puffin Books
Published: 11/01/1996
Pages: 32
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.29lbs
Size: 9.97h x 8.46w x 0.10d
ISBN: 9780140558760
Audience: Ages 4-8


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 11/18/1996

About the Author
Laura Rankin is the creator of The Handmade Alphabet, a Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book, and Ruthie and the (Not So) Teeny Tiny Lie. She is the illustrator of many other books for children, including A Balloon for Isabel, by Deborah Underwood. She lives in Easton, Maryland.