“Our new neighbors’ hands are dancing”-- Joanna Que & Charina Marquez
I am so excited to share this wholesome tale of friendship, as my pick for diversity in children’s literature. After I read The Silence Between Us, I wanted to find a children’s picture book that focused of a member of the Deaf community. However, there were not many books to choose from. When I found Dancing Hands: a story of friendship in Filipino sign language, I was elated. Joanna Que & Charina Marquez create a story of not only acceptance for diversity, but a celebration of it. Fran Alvarez’s joyful illustrations provide a whimsical quality to the tale.
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The book is full of illustrations that show how the girls discuss their interests, dreams, and the world around them. though FSL which are like ASL, but uniquely beautiful. The book features a FSL picture dictionary and an explanation of FSL. It also includes an explanation of the decline of sign languages. I use some ASL in my classroom, so I think my students would be very excited to see the sign for water in this book.
From this book, I actually learned the Filipino sign language exists: something that I was ignorant of before. The additional information in this book make me curious to explore sign language and other ways people communicate. If you are interested in the topic of sign language and Deaf Culture, I highly recommend reading True Biz by Sara Novic (2022); it covers the history, culture, and dialects of the Deaf Community in a narrative form with tidbits of information about the context of the novel. If you are interested in learning ASL the Oklahoma School for the Deaf offers online courses in the Spring and Fall.
In the Classroom
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