Miffy goes to sleep – A classic book with sign drawings
Who isn’t reading aloud from the book ‘Miffy goes to sleep!’ Now this classic book by Dick Bruna is also for sale with sign drawings. In addition to the recognizable illustrations and text in rhyme. This book helps read aloud gestures so that children who benefit from them can better understand the story.
Reading aloud with gestures
From January 26 to February 5 the National Read Aloud Days will take place. To make reading aloud more accessible to even more people, Mercis Publishing has published the book miffy goes to sleep, with gestures. Like the original classic book, this cardboard book contains illustrations on the right page and four lines of text on the left page. Above the text are added drawings of gestures from Dutch Sign Language, corresponding to specific words or word groups.
This makes it easier for the reader to visualize the text of the story.
Sign Language
This way of communicating is a form of Dutch with Signs (NmG). NmG is mainly used by hearing-impaired and deaf people, but also, for example, to support the language development of children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or a language development disorder (TOS). More information about NmG can be found on the site of the Dutch Sign Language Center.
Telling stories
The development of the book was initiated by Wyndham Mok and Saskia Boonzajer Flaes. “Our son Daniel (5 years old) has a language deficiency,” says Saskia. “Gestures help us communicate better with each other. There is also a need in reading aloud to tell stories with gestures.” Wyndham adds: “Picture books with standard gestures are unfortunately almost non-existent. That is why I contacted the publisher of the Miffy books. Daniel is a huge fan of Miffy, so how nice would it be if there could be a Miffy book in Dutch with Signs!”
Publisher Mercis Publishing
Karin van Zwieten, publisher at Mercis Publishing, was immediately enthusiastic about Saskia and Wyndham’s idea. “We had long wanted to create a physical Miffy book with gestures for deaf and hard of hearing children. When I contacted the Dutch Sign Language Center, I heard about Dutch with Signs for the first time. This made a paper edition with gestures possible.
It is wonderful that gestures can also stimulate communication with children like Daniel. We then let Daniel pick the title: miffy goes to sleep is his favorite book. Thanks in part to the financial support of the Dutch Foundation for Literature and the guidance of the Dutch Sign Language Center, this beautiful book is now available.”
Also check out the website of the Dutch Sign Language Center, here you can see movies of miffy going to sleep in Dutch with Signs and in Dutch Sign Language.
Sign drawings
The sign illustrations in the book were created by Alex Stuifbergen, who himself has experience with Dutch Sign Language: “Our son was in special education and thanks to supporting signs his speech slowly started to flow there. The teacher asked if as an illustrator I could draw basic emotions in gestures so that our son could better express how he felt.” Those basic emotions turned out to work very well for the rest of the class as well. Over the past 20 years Alex has created almost four thousand gestures for the Dutch Sign Language Center. “I am honored that my sign illustrations now stand next to Dick Bruna’s work.”
Miffy is going to sleep over, with gestures
Miffy goes to sleep, with gestures is the first picture book featuring a well-known character to appear in this form and is available in bookstores and through the Nederlands Gebarencentrum. The book is published in an extra large format with pages made of sturdy cardboard and a handy ring binder. This also makes it perfect for use in the classroom and by speech therapists.
Miffy goes to sleep with gestures also buy online
Miffy children’s book in gestures
I received the book Miffy goes to sleep with gestures and find it a beautiful book. The format is large and therefore very pleasant for (small) children to sit with on their laps. The pages are sturdy and because of the ring binder it is no problem if a child is a bit wilder with the pages.
Because the side is a ring binder, this book is also very good to use in the classroom during reading aloud, because you easily turn the side with the picture towards the children. Miffy goes to sleep with gestures is the Miffy book as you are used to, with the easy rhyme and nice simple illustrations.