Memorable, endearing, and classroom friendly. This 29 page American Sign Language telling of the classic fable maintains the integrity and moral lesson of the original, while offering its own special touches. The font choices are clear and consistent, interspersed with variable text length and emphasized words that should effectively hold the interest of children ages 4-8.

The art style has a distinct and hand-drawn marker feel, with a high contrast use of colors. The thin paper binding may be its only real drawback, as it may require extra care on the part of its intended audience. And of course, if the DVD were to be lost or damaged, the ASL element would essentially be forfeit. But all things considered, this re-imagining would make a fine addition to any child’s budding library.

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