Sam's Neighborhood

PREORDER — Expected release: 02 February 2027. This book is not yet available. Dispatch is subject to supplier availability and publication-date changes.

From award-winning author Patricia McCormick, comes a picture book based on the true story of how one little girl inspired everyone on her block to learn American Sign Language (ASL), and how it transformed the whole community in the process. Perfect for fans of I Walk with Vanessa by Kerascoët, Be Kind by Pat Zietlow Miller, as well as readers looking for stories centering deaf protagonists. Sam loves her neighborhood.She recognizes her neighbors and wants to be friends. They want to be friends with her too.But it can be hard for them to understand each other: Sam talks with her hands. Her neighbors talk with their words—though she notices, they rarely talk with each other.Then one day, something wonderful happens that brings them all together.With 21 ASL signs illustrated within and backmatter that goes into Sam's real childhood story that inspired the book.

About the author

Patricia McCormick is a writer and teacher of creative writing. She lives in New York City with her husband and two children. Cut is her first novel.Ziyue Chen has illustrated several picture books, including Enough! by Emily Easton; When I Carried You in My Belly, Just Right Family: An Adoption Story, and Mela and the Elephant, and she is the cover artist for Give Please a Chance by Bill O'Reilly and James Patterson. When not illustrating, Ziyue enjoys reading, swimming, and spending time with her loved ones in her homeland, Singapore.