In the beautiful yet simple story, Dancing Hands, Sam is surprised to find that her new neighbor, Mai, moves her hands in a way she has never seen before. Her gestures are elegant and smooth, it’s as if they are dancing to a silent melody. As their paths cross, Mai begins to teach Sam different words in Filipino Sign Language. They share their worlds with each other and discover a deep friendship along the way.
Authors Que and Marquez work in harmony with illustrator Alvarez to create this story. In the 29 pages that this book is comprised of, each individual page never exceeds two sentences. On many of the pages, there are no words in the physical sense. Rather, Alvarez depicts Mai and Sam learning sign language. Not only is it accessible, but it creates this powerful sense of communication by only showing their hands or the two girls together. To accompany this, the beginning and end of the book are covered in illustrations of the different words in sign language that are showcased throughout. It provides translations in English and Tagalog underneath each depiction of the words in Filipino Sign Language.
An aspect of this book that I greatly appreciated is the information about Filipino Sign Language and sign language in general at the end of the book. There is a full spread that answers the questions, “what is Filipino Sign Language?” “What is the difference between FSL and American Sign Language?” It also goes into further detail about sign language around the world and how people across different countries can communicate through International Sign Language. As someone who is not very familiar with sign language, they provided excellent context and allowed me to understand the story on a deeper level. I can envision educators and parents alike reading this to children to broaden their world, just like Sam and Mai.
What impressed me the most was the childlike wonder that the creators were able to capture. The magic of making a new friend shines through these pages. Every illustration is simple in its design, but that makes it even more impactful as a reader. The depictions of animals and flowers and trees are all created in such a way that it reminds me of how I would draw when I was a young girl. I saw myself in Sam and Mai because of the illustrations. It further enhanced their characterization as two young girls making sense of the world around them. At the heart of this book, it is a story about how friendship can overcome any barrier as long as it is approached with kindness and an open mind.
