Releasing today from Hands Up Press:
Little Hands and Big Hands: Children and Adults Signing Together, second edition
by Kathy MacMillan
Photography by Kristin Brown
Research shows that using American Sign Language with young children can
- reduce frustration for both caregiver and child
- increase IQ
- stimulate language learning
- enhance bonding
- raise a child’s self-esteem
- improve everyday life and communication!
Little Hands & Big Hands: Children and Adults Signing Together offers solid background information on signing with children ages birth to six, along with hands-on games, fingerplays, songs, and more that caregivers, librarians, and educators can use to smooth transitions, calm a fussy child, or engage a stubborn one. Each activity is accompanied by photos of the relevant signs.
“Author and ASL educator Kathy MacMillan has brilliantly combined the world of ASL with early literacy activities…Explanations and research support are seamlessly woven into each activity…I highly recommend this resource to anyone working with children from birth to age six.” -Betsy Diamant-Cohen, creator of the award-winning Mother Goose on the Loose early literacy program
Order now from the Deaf Camps, Inc. Online Bookstore (autographed copies that support a great cause!) | amazon.com | barnesandnoble.com | bookshop.org
Join me for an online book launch event for all ages:
Little Hands and Big Hands: Children and Adults Signing Together, 2nd edition
Online Book Launch Event with Kathy MacMillan
Thursday, January 12, 2023
6:00 pm Mountain Standard Time
Hosted by Clearview Library District
Sign, sing, read, and play together in this online storytime for all ages! American Sign Language interpretation and automatic captioning will be provided.
Register now!
Autographed copies of the book may be purchased here, with all proceeds supporting Deaf Camps, Inc.’s scholarship program. To request personalization, email deafcampsinc@gmail.com.
Potty?, Where Does a Pirate Go Potty?, and 16 books in the Story Time with Signs & Rhymes Series, including one title that was selected as an Oregon Book Awards finalist. She is a contributing author to the award-winning book, Oregon Reads Aloud. Dawn is a vocal advocate for school and public libraries and was honored as a 2015 Oregon Library Supporter of the Year by the Oregon Library Association. She is a frequent presenter at schools, libraries and educational conferences, and the founder of SmallTalk Learning, which provides American Sign Language and early literacy education. Dawn lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband, two kids, two cats, and a feisty dog. Learn more at
Kathy MacMillan is a nationally certified American Sign Language interpreter, librarian, and storyteller. She is the author of the Little Hands Signing series from Familius Press, Little Hands and Big Hands: Children and Adults Signing Together (Huron Street Press) as well as many other books for children, teens, librarians, and educators. She has worked in public libraries for over twenty years, and was the Library/Media Specialist at the Maryland School for the Deaf, Columbia Campus from 2001 to 2005. Kathy presents American Sign Language programs for families and workshops for workshops and educators. She also serves on the board of Deaf Camps, Inc., a nonprofit organization that provides camps for deaf and hard-of-hearing children and children learning American Sign Language. She lives in Baltimore, MD.
Stories by Hand 