The Best Books for Kids with Hearing Loss

Finding great books about children who are deaf or hard of hearing can be difficult. Many books are out of date with current technology, or are targeted to an adult audience. Here is a great selection of books for children with hearing loss:

Books with an Auditory/Verbal or Oral Approach

Cosmo Gets an Ear by Gary Clemente

What happens when a little boy has trouble hearing? This book follows the young Cosmo through the hearing tests, learning about hearing aids, and the discovery of many new sounds with his new ears.

Happy Birthday to My Ears by Elizabeth Boschini and Rachel Chaikof

This book is available as a board book or paperback, and is targeted to very young cochlear implant users. This book follows a young boy through his first year with a cochlear implant. In rhyming prose, it goes through the seasons of sound to a set of brand-new ears.

Abby Gets a Cochlear Implant by Maureen Cassidy Riski

Abby has a progressive hearing loss and wears purple hearing aids. Soon, she gets a cochlear implant and shows the readers how she learns to hear with her new ears.

Ellie's Ears by Elizabeth Boschini and Rachel Chaikof

A ten year old girl with bilateral cochlear implants explains her hearing loss to her mainstream 3rd grade class.

Rally Caps by Stephen J. Cutler and Jodi Cutler Del Dottore

A chapter book for slightly older children, ten year old Jordan is injured while trying out for his Little League team. Jordan is fearful of returning to baseball, until he meets an inspiring deaf friend at summer camp. Luca has a cochlear implant and has a wonderful "nothing is impossible" attitude.

Books with a Sign Language or Deaf Culture approach

Dad and Me in the Morning by Patricia Lakin

Beautiful illustrations follow the story of a young boy and his father through the day. The small boy puts on his hearing aids and explores the beach with his father, showing many ways to communicate.

Moses Goes to a Concert by Isaac Millman

Moses uses ASL and attends a concert. This book shows how Moses and his classmates enjoy the feel of music, as their teacher hands out balloons to help the children feel the vibration. Moses goes backstage and learns that the percussionist in the orchestra is also Deaf, and performs in stocking feet to feel the vibration of the drums.

Prudence Parker and a Sign of Friendship by Christine Burk

Prudence encounters Haley, a young Deaf girl, on a beach. Using her limited knowledge of sign language, Prudence strikes up a friendship with Haley. The girls play together, and Haley teaches Prudence more signs.

Can You Hear a Rainbow?: The Story of a Deaf Boy Named Chris by Jamie Riggio Heelan

Chris is a ten year old boy and uses a variety of communication modalities. This realistic picture book describes how Chris uses speech reading, sign language, and hearing aids to communicate.

Nobody's Perfect by Marlee Matlin

Megan is deaf and attends a mainstream school with an interpreter. She is thrilled to have a "perfectly purple" birthday party. She is disheartened with the new girl in class, Alexis, declines her invitation. Megan soon discovers the truth behind Alexis' refusal to attend her party, and uses her knowledge of sign language to help build a friendship with the new girl in school.

Great Books for Siblings

Elana's Ears by Gloria Roth Lowell

Lacey is a very happy dog, but feels a little displaced when baby Elana comes home. When Lacey tries to teach Elana to bark, she soon realizes that Elana has difficulty hearing. Lacey vows to become the best "big sister" in the world-in addition to becoming Elana's ears.