Books are a great way to introduce children to deafness.
Through a variety of characters and stories, as well as whimsical illustrations, children’s books can help your child understand and accept their deafness. In addition, they can also help hearing children learn about deafness in others.
You are reading: Books for deaf children
Don’t know where to start? We’ve rounded up our top 7 children’s books on deafness. Happy reading!
1. me and dad in the morning – patricia lakin, illustrated by robert g. steel
‘me and dad in the morning’ tells the story of a relationship between a father and his deaf son.
The couple wake up early one morning and walk to the beach, where they share tender moments on their way to see the sunrise. While using nonverbal communication, the book draws attention to the incredible bond between father and son.
The simple story combined with beautiful watercolor illustrations makes the book appealing to children and adults alike.
2. ranvir can’t hear – genevieve yusuf, illustrated by shermain phillip
Set in India, ‘Ranvir Can’t Hear’ is a magical story in which an elephant sets out on a journey in search of his hearing. On his travels, he meets friends and discovers that they, too, have things they can and cannot do. And along the journey, Ranvir discovers his special talent.
This colorful and vibrant story conveys a strong message of inclusion and empowerment. the author, genevieve talked about the inspiration for her book on her blog:
“a family member, who had traveled to india to work with the hear the world foundation, contacted us with stories from the rangammal school for hearing impaired children. he told us how happy the children were and how excited they were to meet her. The photos of these happy, energetic and beautiful children have just arrived.
the school, which is run by the sylvia wright trust, relies on donations every year to keep it going, so we decided to write a book where 10 pence from every unit sold can go to her fund.”
3. freddie and the fairy – julia donaldson, illustrated by karen george
This fairy tale tells the story of freddie who meets bessie-belle, a fairy who offers to fulfill all his wishes. however, bessie-belle can’t hear very well and freddie tends to mutter. Fortunately, the fairy queen is on hand to explain why.
‘freddie and the fairy’ addresses the importance of clear communication with people who are deaf or hard of hearing, and provides simple ‘rules of thumb’ to follow. is the perfect book for deaf and hearing children to read together, where they can start learning about communication and accessibility.
Author Julia, who is hard of hearing and advocates for inclusion in children’s books, said in an interview:
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“I was very touched by the positive response to freddie and the fairy from deaf children, their parents and their teachers, and realized how much it meant to children with hearing problems, and in particular with hearing aids, see a character as themselves in a book. that was one of the reasons why, when I became the children’s laureate in 2011, I decided that I would do everything I could to promote stories for and about deaf children.”
4. let’s hear it for almigal – wendy kupfer, illustrated by tammie lyon
In this picture book, we are introduced to Almigal, a girl with hearing loss who is determined to hear every sound thanks to her new cochlear implants. almigal is a fun-loving, spontaneous character who is particularly relatable to children with cochlear implants.
‘let’s hear it for almigal’ celebrates our unique differences as individuals and provides children with an important lesson on inclusion.
author wendy, whose daughter ali has severe hearing loss and cochlear implants in both ears, discussed why she wrote ‘almigal’:
“There are all these wonderful children’s books that deal with various topics, but none feature a child wearing a hearing aid.
It started as a self-esteem project for children with hearing loss, but it has become so much more. for children, anything that makes them feel different is a challenge. they can be freckles. it may be being the tallest kids in the class. almigal [has] a universal message of inclusion, and mutual acceptance and respect.”
5. el deafo – cece bell, illustrated by cece bell and kate fitch
This semi-autobiographical novel follows Cece, a young woman with hearing problems. Cece moves to a mainstream school where she, as the only deaf student, struggles to make friends. She however, soon discovers that she can harness the power of her phonic hearing to become deaf, hearing for all.
‘the deaf’ is a bright and fun book that portrays colorful animal characters with superhero powers. the powerful message teaches kids about confidence and self-empowerment.
6. all the ways i hear you – stephanie marrufo, illustrated by priscila soares
in ‘every way i hear you’ we meet sy (author stephanie marrufo’s son), a deaf boy who wears hearing aids.
sy introduces us to his deaf, hard of hearing, and deafblind friends, who explain the different hearing devices and communication styles they use.
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From cochlear implants and bone anchored hearing systems to sign language and communication boards, this book is an amazing guide to the different options available to deaf children. and refers to the importance of personal choice.
is a great place to start if you’re looking to educate your child about communication choices.
7. proud to be deaf – ava, lilli and nick beese, illustrated by romina marti
ava is a 7 year old deaf girl and she is proud of it! She loves her deaf community, her bilingual ability, and that she experiences the world differently than hearing people.
in ‘proud to be deaf,’ ava introduces us to her family, school, friends, hearing aids and bsl. The book also features illustrations of hand signs to help readers learn and follow the BSL.
this book celebrates deafness and strives to inspire other young people to be proud of their deafness
nick beese, father of ava and co-author of the book, spoke about his motivations for writing the book:
“after reading the book, we hope deaf children feel inspired, special and proud. hearing children who have a deaf family member can also learn more about and be proud of the rich community and culture they are immersed in.”
Do you know of any other amazing children’s books about deafness? tell us! we’d love to include them.
This article was written by rebecca, who has a background in communications, project management, and event management. Passionate about writing, Rebecca loves researching and writing about important issues affecting the deaf and hard of hearing communities.
Looking for more support? take a look at deaf unity projects to see what we can do for you, and visit our articles & interview page for more tips and advice for the deaf.
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