In honor of Better Hearing and Speech Month, we asked our teachers, speech-language pathologists and audiologists to share their favorite books that feature characters who are deaf and hard of hearing. Here are some of their favorite titles:
|
Title/Author |
Content |
Audience |
| Elana’s Ears, or How I Became the Best Big Sister in the World
By: Gloria Roth Lowell |
When Lacey realizes her baby sister, Elana, cannot hear she vows to become the best big sister by becoming Elana’s ears. | Early childhood-early elementary |
| Let’s Hear it for Almigal
By: Wendy Kupfer |
Almigal can’t wait to hear every sound in the universe thanks to her new cochlear implants, but she is most excited to hear her parents whisper to her at bedtime. | Early childhood-early elementary |
| Sophie’s Tales: Learning to Listen
By: Melanie Paticoff |
Sophie is a dog with hearing loss embarking on a journey to receive a cochlear implant. | Early childhood-early elementary |
| Sophie’s Tales: Overcoming Obstacles
By: Melanie Paticoff |
In the second book in the Sophie’s Tales series, Sophie learns to navigate life with a cochlear implant. | Early childhood-early elementary |
| Harmony Hears a Hoot
By: Fara Augustover |
Harmony is an owl with hearing aids who teaches her classmates all about having a hearing loss. | Early childhood-early elementary |
| Emma Every Day
By: CL Reid |
This series of four books focuses on Emma, a young girl with a cochlear implant using American Sign Language to communicate. | Elementary |
| Zola Gets Hearing Aids
By: Narita Snead |
Zola visits the audiologist and is worried about her classmates’ reaction to her new hearing aids. | Elementary |
| Zola’s Teachable Moment
By: Narita Snead |
Zola’s teacher has assigned her a project: to teach her classmates about any topic. Zola is nervous about choosing the right topic but soon discovers what she can teach her friends that will make a difference. | Elementary |
| Making a New Friend (Stories of Maya and Sid)
By: Akhand Dugar |
Maya is a young girl who wears cochlear implants and teaches her friend, Sid, all about hearing and how cochlear implants work. | Elementary |
| El Deafo
By: Cece Bell and Harry Abrams |
This illustrated novel features CeCe, a girl who loses her hearing at the age of four. Now, she must learn how to navigate the world with her Phonic Ear hearing aid. | Elementary-middle school |
| Rally Caps
By: Stephen Cutler |
Two boys, one with cochlear implants, meet at a summer camp and inspire each other to remember that anything is possible. | Elementary-middle school |
| Hearing Our Way Magazine
Founded by Melanie Paticoff, author of the Sophie’s Tales book series |
This quarterly magazine for kids and teens with hearing loss features relatable role models and strategies that focus on listening, language and self-advocacy skills. | Elementary-high school |
Reading stories that feature characters with hearing loss, or any other difference, is a great way to celebrate the concepts of diversity and inclusion for all students.
While these are some of our favorite books and magazines, discover many more resources by clicking on these links:
Healthy Hearing: Recommended children’s books about hearing loss
Listen with Lindsay: Books about hearing loss for kids and adults
Resources compiled by the CID staff
