Children's Books About Deaf and Hard of Hearing
Arthur, C. (1979). My Sister's
Silent World. Chicago, IL: Children's Press.
Heather's sister describes hearing aids, speech training,
Heather's school, and a family outing to the zoo. (Grades
Aseltine, L., Mueller, E.
and Tait, N. (1986). I'm Deaf and It's Okay. Niles, IL: Albert Whitman
A young deaf boy who is apprehensive about wearing a
hearing aid as an adult is helped by a deaf teenager.
Baer, J. (1992). Unheard Voices.
Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House Publishers.
Ruth finds the adjustment to a new town and school
difficult. When some girls at school befriend her, they
learn through their friendship what it is like to be deaf.
[Christian perspective.] (Grades 7-10)
Blatchford, C. (1998). Going
with the Flow. Minneapolis, MN: Carolrhoda Books.
Mark, a deaf fifth grader, finds adjustment to his new
school difficult until his classmate Keith, captain of the
basketball team, challenges him as a team member.
Booth, B. (1991). Mandy. New
York, NY: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books.
Mandy depicts the loving relationship between a young
deaf girl and her grandmother. While walking in the park
together, Grandma loses a special pin. Later, Mandy
braves the dark and an oncoming thunderstorm to search
for the pin. (Grades 1 and up)
Caisley, R. (1994). The Quiet
World. Santa Rosa, CA: SRA School Group.
When David learns that his younger brother is deaf, he
plugs his ears with cotton, dons earphones, and goes to
the park. He spends his time experiencing an afternoon
through his other senses and then returns home tells his
mother what a quiet world is like. (Grades 1-up)
Clemente, G. (1996). Cosmo
Gets an Ear. Los Alamitos, CA: Modern Signs Press.
This humorous tale of Cosmo's adjustment to his first
hearing aid is told by his sister through text and playful
illustrations. After his diagnosis, Cosmo and his best
friend, Gilbert, search for his "lost" hearing. Many puns
and silly jokes enliven the text. (Grades 1-6)
Golder, S. & Membling,
L (1988). Buffy's Orange Leash. Washington, DC: Kendall Green Publications/Gallaudet
Buffy is a hearing ear dog trained to work for deaf
people. (Grades K-3)
Gray, D. with Lewis, G. (1995).
Heather Whitestone/Today's Heroes Series. New York, NY: Zonderman, Division
This book profiles Heather Whitestone who in 1995
became the first deaf woman to be chosen Miss America.
Hall, E. (1982). Is It Catching?
Ellen Hall, P.O. Box 8005, Suite 192, Boulder, CO 80306
Written for young children with deaf siblings, this book
gives simple explanations for many complex issues.
Hirsch, K. (1981). Becky.
Minneapolis, MN: Carolrhoda Books, Inc.
Living with a hearing family while attending a school for
deaf students during the week, Becky teaches the family
about the problems facing deaf people. (Grades 1-4)
Hlibok, B. (1981). Silent
Dancer. New York, NY: Julian Messner.
A 10-year-old deaf girl and other students from the
Lexington School for the Deaf study ballet at the Joffrey
Ballet School. Non-fiction. (Grades 3-6).
Hodge, L. L. (1987). A Season
of Change. Washington, DC: Kendall Green Publications/Gallaudet University
A junior high student, 13-year-old Biney faces the
challenges of growing up with a hearing loss. (Grades
Hodges, C. (1995). When I
Grow Up . Hollidaysburg, PA: Turtle Books, Jason & Nordic Publishers.
At Career Day, Jimmy, a deaf boy, meets deaf adults with
varied and interesting careers and learns about potential
careers for himself. (Grades K-4)
LaMore, G. S. (1986). Now
I Understand. Washington, DC: Gallaudet University Press.
This fictional account of a young boy with a hearing loss
who is mainstreamed includes information about hearing
loss, hearing aids, and communication. (Grades 3-6)
Lakin, P. (1994). Dad and
Me in the Morning. Morton Grove, IL: Albert Whitman & Co.
A boy and his deaf father enjoy the morning together.
Leutke-Stahlman, B. (1996).
Hannie. Hillsboro, OR: Butte Publications.
This year-in-the-life tale of friendship, loyalty, and
growing up introduces Hannah and her two deaf sisters.
Levi, D. H. (1989). A Very
Special Friend. Washington DC: Gallaudet University Press.
A lonely six-year-old girl finds a new friend who talks in
sign language. (Grades K-3)
Levinson, N. S. (1990). Annie's
World. Washington, DC: Gallaudet University Press.
When her father is transferred to a new city and her
family moves, Annie, a 16-year-old deaf girl, finds her life
disrupted. Annie transfers from the residential school for
deaf students to a mainstream program where she is the
only deaf student. (Grades 7-12)
Millman, I. (1998). Moses
Goes to a Concert. New York, NY: Frances Foster Books/Farrar, Straus, Giroux.
A group of deaf children attend a concert, holding
balloons in their laps to feel the vibrations. The
percussionist in the orchestra is also deaf and after the
concert she tells them her story (in ASL) and allows them
to try out all her instruments. Cartoon illustrations of sign
language augment the printed text. (Grades PS-2)
Okimoto, J. D. (1993). A Place
for Grace. Seattle, WA: Sasquatch Books.
Grace is a stray dog who wants to be a service dog for
blind people. Instead, a deaf man chooses Grace to be
his "hearing dog" and she starts the rigorous training
program. Despite some challenges, Grace passes her test
and becomes an official hearing dog with a special knack.
Pace, B. (1987). Chris Gets
Ear Tubes. Washington, DC: Gallaudet University Press.
This book explains in language a child will understand
what happens before, during, and after surgery for ear
tubes. (Grades PS-1)
Peterson, J. W. (1977). I
Have a Sister, My Sister is Deaf. New York, NY: Harper and Row Publishers.
A girl talks about her younger deaf sister, what she can
and cannot do, and how they communicate and play
together. (Grades K-3)
Riskin, M. (1981). Apple is
My Sign. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company.
Harry, a 10-year-old deaf boy, goes to a residential
school and when he comes home at Christmas shares
what he has learned with his family. (Grades 5-8)
Rosenberg, M. (1983). My Friend
Leslie: The Story of a Handicapped Child. New York, NY: Lothrop, Lee, &Shepard
Illustrated with photographs, this book introduces Leslie,
a child with multiple disabilities, who is mainstreamed into
a regular kindergarten class. Non-fiction. (Grades 1-3)
Scott, V. (1986). Belonging.
Washington, DC: Kendall Green Publications/Gallaudet University Press.
Written by a deaf author, Belonging tells the story of
Gustie Blaine who contracts meningitis at age 15. (Grades
Shreve, S. R. (1993). The
Gift of the Girl who Could Not Hear. New York, NY: Beech Tree Books.
Thirteen-year-old Eliza, a gifted singer, and her best
friend Lucy who was born deaf help each other prepare
to try out for the 7th grade musical, a production of
Annie. (Grades 5-12)
Starowitz, A. (1988). The
Day We Met Cindy. Washington, DC: Kendall Green Publications/Gallaudet
This non-fiction account relates Chad's fear that the
other children in his first grade class will laugh when they
meet his deaf aunt. Instead, the class learns signs from
Cindy. The illustrations by the children depict the many
other things they learned from this experience.
Non-fiction. (Grades K-3)
Sullivan, M. B., Brightman,
A., Blatt, J. et al. (1979). Feeling Free. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley
This book offers glimpses of children with disabilities, two
of whom have hearing disabilities. Gordon, a hard of
hearing boy, discusses his speech, communication, and
interaction with hearing people. Kim, a deaf sixth grader
with a deaf brother talks about her experiences in public
school and at home. (Grades 4 and up)
Walker, L A. (1985). Amy,
the Story of a Deaf Child. New York, NY: Lodestar Books, E. P. Dutton.
The introduction and conclusion of this book discuss the
Supreme Court case sparked when Amy's parents request
a full-time sign language interpreter in the school Amy
attends with hearing classmates. Amy narrates the main
text of this book, telling about her family, her hearing and
deaf friends, how she communicates with her teachers
without an interpreter, her school, and anecdotes from
her life. Non-fiction. (Grades 4-6)
(Annotation prepared by the
Deaf Education Network and Clearinghouse)
Joan Fleitas, Ed.D.,
Associate Professor of Nursing,
Fairfield, Connecticut 06430
Last updated: January 15, 2001