These books are written by a mother & her children. The design of the books is focused on & directed by her 5 youngest children. The heart of these books is driven by the love for children and empowering them to explore their creativity through interactive learning and using their special talents and enthusiasm. Being a homeschooling mom of 9 special needs children, Eimiko believes in the beauty of the simple design which engages young readers. This mom, and her children, are passionate about the writing of their books, sharing their stories, art & the wonder of communicating through sign. In spite of their special needs, the children live their lives in the freedom & understanding they are not limited by anything but their beliefs. They believe they can do anything and learning to sign since infancy has fostered this belief & empowered them to see themselves as vital and blessed contributors to our world. This mom is not just a writer, but seeks to be an inspiration with her books. They are built on a foundation of love for Sign Language & children. Through the support of her friends & loved ones, these special books are now available for all to enjoy. By using and highlighting American Sign Language (ASL), these books can be used as Special Education curriculum. Readers benefit from the support it gives to the learning of all ages. Children can learn to communicate using sign language even before they can learn to speak. Learning to sign before they’re a year old gives them another way of expressing their needs and feelings. These books contain a range of basic signs, clearly pictured with simple visuals and an engaging story line. They are designed to reinforce learning in the young brain. Hand movements have been shown to jump start the right & left-brain connections, increasing the ability to learn, promoting long term memory & building critical thinking skills. These are just some of the documented advantages of teaching sign to young children: Increased Cognitive, Critical Thinking & Problem-Solving Skills up to a +12 IQ point advantage - Earlier Speech Development & Increase in Vocabulary Usage and Understanding - Supports Emotional Development by giving the young learner another way to communicate. - Improves development of empathy & other more mature emotional behaviors. - Increased comprehension (reading and oral) and memory retention, short & long term. Learning American Sign Language (ASL) enables children to communicate more effectively, reducing frustration & improving relationships. Signing supports kinetic, visual, & auditory learning for children of all ages, & helps children remember words because muscle memory is involved. It also reinforces the recognition & learning of written languages (ABC’s), shapes, colors, numbers, animals, & the world around them. The themes of these books give special needs children extra support to learn & improve memory development. Simple graphics provide appropriate stimulation supporting focus and recognition. Clear & cheerful images are easy for children with dyslexia and vision impairments to follow. The story lines are born out of everyday questions from, and conversations with the children. The fictional characters of their imaginations are woven into fun adventures or interactive stories. With a love for education & seeing the need for helpful materials for all parents or teachers, Eimiko has designed these books for children to enjoy alone or in groups. They are age appropriate for young children and older children can easily read to & teach the signs to younger children. The design of the characters in the books is taken from photographs of her children & turned into caricature type images. This amazing family hopes you love reading their books.