Nita’s First Signs

Available now from Familius Press!

Text by Kathy MacMillan
Illustrations by Sara Brezzi
ASL/Deaf Culture Advisor: Dr. Barbara Kannapell
2018 Foreword INDIES Award Silver Winner
Featured in BookRiot’s 6 of the Best Baby Sign Language Books for Parents

American Sign Language makes it easy to communicate with your child, and Nita makes it fun! Nita’s First Signs teaches ten essential signs for every parent and child to know, including eat, more, hungry, milk, all done, ball, play, love, please, and thank you. A simple story about Nita and her parents teaches each sign in context, and repetition throughout each story makes them easy to practice. Even better, each page slides open to reveal accurate instructions on how to make each sign, plus tabs on the side of each page make it simple to locate every sign for later reference. Baby sign language collections aren’t complete without Nita!

Order now from the Deaf Camps, Inc. Online Bookstore (autographed copies that support a great cause!) | amazon.com | barnesandnoble.com | indiebound.org | Familius.com

Nita’s First Signs Teacher/Librarian Guide

“Nita’s First Signs is a wonderful introduction to the world of American Sign Language for children. The book is not only entertaining and creative with its depiction of signs, it encourages the reader to go to a video source as a means to reinforce the signs learned through real-time instruction. In the end, Nita’s First Signs demonstrates the value and fun of learning sign language for ALL infants, toddlers children AND adults, regardless of whether they are Deaf or hearing or hard of hearing.” – Marlee Matlin, award-winning Deaf actress, author, and activist

“This unique and fabulous book teaches ten popular ASL signs to enable basic communication between babies who are not yet talking and their parents. Ten commonly used words (such as more, thank you, all done, please, eat, and hungry) are highlighted. Slide-out panels contain simple instructions along with pictures that name and illustrate each sign. Color-coded tabs will help parents easily find the signs they are looking for. In addition to being beautifully illustrated, the construction of this book is amazing. This book will appeal to children and adults of ALL ages for the simple story, the lovely illustrations, and the access to American Sign Language that it provides.” – Betsy Diamant-Cohen, creator of the award-winning Mother Goose on the Loose early literacy program

“Choosing to teach your baby sign language can open the door to meaningful communication earlier than expected and help defray frustration in the future. Nita’s First Signs is a wonderful way to start that journey with your child.” – Alison H. Scott, MD, FAAP, founder/CEO of Baby Doc Box

“[T]he descriptions and the illustrations on the instructions are really easy to understand, making it easy for parents to perform the signs right away and teach them to their children. The ending to the story is absolutely adorable and will resonate with parents and kids alike!” – Babies to Bookworms Check out the full review and post offering great suggestions for following up the book with other signing activities.

More Reviews: Kiss the Book ~ Making Life a Bliss Complete

Nita’s First Signs on the Reading with Your Kids podcast (recording and transcript)

Click on the video below to see a demonstration of the signs in the story:

Nita’s First Signs Storytime with Kathy MacMillan

in Spoken English with closed captions

in American Sign Language

Nita’s Day: More Signs for Babies and Parents

Available now from Familius Press!

Nita’s Day: More Signs for Babies and Parents

Text by Kathy MacMillan
Illustrations by Sara Brezzi
ASL/Deaf Culture Advisor: Jevon Whetter
Early Childhood Advisor: Louise Rollins
Featured in BookRiot’s 6 of the Best Baby Sign Language Books for Parents

Nita and her family are back in an all-new adventure that teaches 10 basic American Sign Language signs for babies and their grownups to use throughout the day: wake up, change, clothes, eat, potty, go, play, bath, book, and bed. A simple story about Nita and her parents teaches each sign in context, and repetition throughout each story makes them easy to practice. Even better, each page slides open to reveal accurate instructions on how to make each sign, plus tabs on the side of each page make it simple to locate every sign for later reference. No signing book collection is complete without Nita!

“Kathy MacMillan has again created another engaging ASL board book for families that is sure to both entertain and educate…A must for every collection!” – Dr. Betsy Diamant-Cohen, Executive Director, Mother Goose on the Loose, LLC

“Tabbed pages make flipping to the correct sign easy for sleep-deprived parents using the book as a reference. Short, simple, descriptive sentences put the signs in context. Brezzi’s stylized cartoons are clear and accessible, employing a wide range of patterns and unusual colors…Deaf culture, ASL, and early-childhood content were vetted by experts, making it suitable for Deaf children or families who want to incorporate sign into their daily routine. A handy resource for hearing and Deaf families alike.” – Kirkus

“Nita’s Day: More Signs for Babies and Parents is not just for children, it engages parents as well and serves as a great introduction for anyone wanting to learn the basics of American Sign Language.” – The Children’s Book Review

Nita’s Day Teacher/Librarian Guide

Click on the video below to see a demonstration of the signs in the story:

Nita’s Day Storytime with Kathy MacMillan

in Spoken English with closed captions

in American Sign Language

Birth Stories for Books: Nita’s Day by Kathy MacMillan

Nita’s Food Signs

Now available from Familius Press!

- Text by Kathy MacMillan
- Illustrations by Ekaterina Ladatko
- ASL/Deaf Culture Advisor: Jevon Whetter
- Early Childhood Advisor: Louise Rollins

American Sign Language makes it easy to communicate with your child, and Nita makes it fun! With adorable illustrations by Ekaterina Ladatko, Nita and her family learn 10 ASL food signs throughout the day, from bananas to bread, and a cookie for dessert, putting each sign in context. Even better, each page slides open to reveal accurate instructions on how to make each sign, plus tabs on the side of each page make it simple to locate every sign for later reference. No signing book collection is complete without Nita!

A Children’s Book Council Hot Off the Press Pick

“Fun and informative from cover to cover, “Nita’s Food Signs: An Interactive ASL Board Book” is an ideal interactive board book introduction to American Sign Language and unreservedly recommended for family, daycare center, preschool, and community library Board Book collections for children ages 1-3.” – Andrea Kay, Midwest Book Review

“The signing instructions are very clear and easy for children to understand. Each page contains vibrant colors and engaging illustrations that children will enjoy. This book would make a great addition to any preschool classroom and household seeking to promote diversity…This story can also aid ASL comprehension and would be a great starting point for learning simple food signs. ASL is useful for young children who have not yet begun speaking, giving them another tool to express themselves. Therefore, this book is highly recommended.” – 5-Star Review, Children’s Literature

“Kathy MacMillan has done it again! Literacy for all children is foundational! Reading for young children should involve many senses to help scaffold early literacy for Deaf and nonDeaf children. In the series about Nita and her family, the author not only fosters engagement with the book through written print, stimulating art, and kinesthetic participation cultivating learning printed English, but also supporting literacy via American Sign Language (ASL). Research has shown that children that are taught and/or exposed to ASL at a young age (both hearing and Deaf children) have higher reading and writing scores at an older age as well as having fewer tantrums, boosting vocabulary, and more. Littles who learn some ASL do not have to fully be fluent in Sign Language to reap the benefits of higher reading scores.” – Dr. Lisalee D. Egbert, Professor and Coordinator for ASL & Deaf Studies

Order Nita’s Food Signs now! Autographed copies from the Deaf Camps, Inc. Online Bookstore | Bookshop.org | Amazon.com | BarnesAndNoble.com | Familius.com

Nita’s Food Signs Teacher/Librarian Guide