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ogold's review against another edition
4.0
This instructional book has clear photographs and simple directions that are easy to follow. I also appreciated the fact that the included phrases repeated several words often enough for me to memorize them without even trying. My only suggestion would be to include more commonplace phrases and sentences, as I have never told anybody, "Don't worry; the toothpaste will whiten your teeth," and I don't plan to. Overall, though, I highly recommend this book to a signing beginner!
ohnoitscoco's review against another edition
3.0
I have a couple complaints about this book. Once you get past the direction confusion involved with trying to mirror the photos--which was the only way to do it, just confusing--sometimes the photos don't completely match up with the brief descriptions of each sign. For instance, some descriptions might say to use an "A"/thumbs up sign, where the photo shows an "S"/fist sign. There were also some three-part signs that could have done with three pictures to show each step.
But all in all, this is a good resource for beginners just wanting to get some vocabulary down for Signed English (NOT American Sign Language/ASL). Even with the inconsistencies, the descriptions are generally easy to understand. Some signs are hard to display in still photos, so I would use this book as a jumping off point into a more visual medium like video or actual conversation. (December 2008)
But all in all, this is a good resource for beginners just wanting to get some vocabulary down for Signed English (NOT American Sign Language/ASL). Even with the inconsistencies, the descriptions are generally easy to understand. Some signs are hard to display in still photos, so I would use this book as a jumping off point into a more visual medium like video or actual conversation. (December 2008)
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