This 30 page American Sign Language retelling serves up a timeless lesson about the consequences of lying, with concepts and word choices suitable for children ages 4-8. The structure is a bit slow going for the first third of the story, which may risk young readers identifying a little too much with the shepherd boy’s infamous boredom. Some parents may find the main characters motives may need added explanation to aid in the overall comprehension for their child.

The scribbly sort of watercolor artwork is charmingly antiquated in feel, though the limited color palette makes the effect a bit bland. As far as the material product goes, the slim paper binding may prove a bit flimsy for younger children. And if the DVD were to be lost or lost or damaged, the ASL element would essentially be forfeit. But on the whole, this is a worthwhile interpretation.

(The included DVD features a male ASL interpreter and allows for reading in Arabic, Bosnian, Cantonese, French, Haitian Creole, Mandarin, Portuguese, Russian, and Spanish.)