LITERATURE + LECTURES

Prepare yourself for another great author event from your friends at Brazos. On Saturday, December 4, join us as we welcome author Mimi Brian Vance. Beginning at 10:00 AM she will discuss and sign her book collection, Words By the Handful: Sharing Sign Language with Your Child: Four Stories to Get You and Your Child Communicating.

The Words By the Handful series of children's picture books teaches American Sign Language to babies through interactive stories. Each book weaves five essential signs into a story, enabling the adult reader to learn sign language while teaching babies to sign. Hearing babies can use signs to communicate effectively long before they can speak words. Providing a context for the introduction of each sign, these educational stories focus on communicating essential messages through repetition and reading aloud while encouraging long-term developmental benefits by stimulating early communication skills.

About the author: Mimi Brian Vance served for nearly a decade as a U.S. Diplomat with the U.S Department of State. A native of Louisiana, she is a life-long language specialist. She teaches sign language to babies, toddlers and their families in Houston, Texas, and conducts training for pre-school teachers who want to incorporate signs into their classrooms. She has worked with the African Wildlife Foundation, Jane Goodall, the Houston Zoo, and the Black Bear Conservation Coalition.

Author's site: http://www.mimivance.com/.