A Very Special Sister

From a press best known for its illustrated books on American Sign Language comes an interesting--and valuable--twist on the arrival-of-a-new-sibling theme. A companion to A Very Special Friend , the book stars Laura, a school-age deaf child and her hearing friend and classmate Frannie--girls who speak to each other in ``two languages,'' sign and spoken. Though Laura is excited to learn that her mother is pregnant, she grows concerned as the birth approaches: if the baby can hear will her mother love her less? Finally she confides her fears to her mother, who supportively reminds her daughter that she hears her Mom's voice ``in her heart.'' Ultimately Laura is happy with her twin siblings because they can hear her ``when she spoke and when she signed.'' Though Levi's tale may strike some as saccharine, it nonetheless expresses a child's genuine concern with some poignancy. Gold's colorful artwork is unfortunately a bit rudimentary in execution. Despite these shortcomings, this well-intentioned bibliotherapy should find a responsive audience, as it deals sensitively with an issue rarely explored in trade books. Ages 5-8. (Aug.)