You Don't Need Words!: A Book about Ways People Talk Without Words

This 48-page picture book attempts to present a simple social history of nonverbal communication; unfortunately it suffers from faulty organization and design. Considerable material is covered here, to be sure: sign language (as used by both Native Americans and the deaf), body language, pictograms, flags, street and directional signs, and more. The information is in fact so wide-ranging as to require greater amplification and better means of accessing it--there is neither index nor table of contents. And the final eight pages, ``some extra information,'' seem an afterthought. Additionally, while Ryan's ink-and-wash paintings have spirit, the information they are meant to convey is often indistinct. The inclusion of three pages of photographs, together with numerous black-and-white pictograms, is out of sync with the rest of the book. Ages 7-10. (Nov.)