Mimi Vance's Words by the Handful. Babies Can Talk.

Houston, TX, August 29, 2010 --(PR.com)-- Parents who want to use sign language with their babies but are already overwhelmed by their new little bundle of joy can relax. Mimi Brian Vance and Bright Sky Press have created the Words by the Handful Series (Fall 2010) to provide a simple way to bring American Sign Language into the home.

In a set of four books, the Words by the Handful Series teaches signs through entertaining, read-aloud children's stories. Five different signs for the words babies need most appear in each story. Join Baby Ellis and his friends as they find the signs to communicate their needs to the adults in their lives. The stories give parents ready access to this tool for early communication – promoting parent-child bonds, and boosting development at the same time.

Each Words by the Handful book introduces signs in a child-friendly context, and in a format that invites daily repetition – a must for early learning. This method provides moms, dads, grandparents, and caretakers an active way to join in the signing fun. Read a book in about five minutes, learn five signs, and teach them to baby as you read. It’s easy.

As parents look for ways to enhance intelligence in our youngest children, baby sign language is moving into mainstream use. Babies learn to communicate and parents offer their children a fun skill that can make the terrible-twos a little less terrible. Mimi Vance's books offer the benefits of signing through stories that are thoroughly enjoyable for both parent and child.

An all-around excellent communicator, author Mimi Brian Vance brings a wide variety of linguistic experience to the Words by the Handful program. Recipient of the U.S. State Department's Meritorious Honor Award for outstanding service, she also did graduate linguistics work at the University of Nairobi as a Rotary Foundation International Scholar. As a Foreign Service Officer in the U.S. Department of State's Diplomatic Corps, she served as General Services Officer in Bujumbura, Burundi, as Consular Officer in Cape Town South Africa, as Special Assistant to U.S. Ambassador Pamela Harriman in Paris, as well as in other State Department roles in Panama and the United States. She is fluent in several languages. She teaches sign language to babies and their parents, trains preschool teachers to bring signs into the classroom, and works with the Houston Public Library system to give signs the widest possible reach in the community. Her WordsbytheHandful.com website is a rich sign language resource.

Mimi has taken the impressive communication skills that have served her around the globe and created a warm and welcoming way of providing families with the tools to both enhance family bonds and promote literacy. As the mother of two, she has first-hand experience with the challenges of early motherhood, and she has seen how effectively American Sign Language can improve family life.

Title: Words by the Handful: Four Stories to Help You and Your Baby Communicate (Boxed Set)
Publisher: Bright Sky Press, Distributed by Book Masters
Publication: September 2010, $29.95, Board Book, ISBN: 978-1-933979-72-4
Individual Titles within Boxed Set:
Milk and More, ISBN: 978-1-933979-73-1
Boat and Bath, ISBN: 978-1-933979-76-2
Book and Bed, ISBN: 978-1-933979-75-5
Baby and Bunny, ISBN: 978-1-933979-74-8
$9.95, 5.25” X 5.5”, 20 color illustrations

Review copies available upon request.

For ordering information, contact Bright Sky Press at
1-866-933-6133 or visit our website at www.brightskypress.com
2365 Rice Blvd., Suite 202, Houston, TX 77005

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