I’m a member of NetGalley, and they send frequent e-mails showcasing new books available for request. One recent update mentioned a children’s book about a girl with cochlear implants, which caught my attention immediately. My sister is a deaf educator who teaches pre-school kids with cochlear implants how to listen and speak. Over the years I’ve learned a lot about the subject from her – I even visited several schools with her when she was looking for a job. So I was excited to see a book for kids with implants. I requested it and was approved to download it right away! This was notable because in my year of membership, I hadn’t been approved for ANY of the books I requested, even from small publishers. So Handfinger Press, thanks for taking a chance on an unknown kid. ;)
Let’s Hear It For Almigal by Wendy Kupfer (illustrated by Tammie Lyon) is a very cute book. Ali, who prefers to be called Almigal, wears hearing aids. They don’t bother her, but she feels a little sad about the quiet sounds she still misses, especially her parents telling her they love her when they tuck her in at night. Then she gets cochlear implants and is able to hear everything! However, there are still some tough times as she works to learn how to hear, and to take good care of her implants (e.g. not swimming in them, or putting them on the dog). This book made me smile, and the illustrations are adorable even on a Kindle. I definitely recommend it for all kids, but especially those who have hearing difficulties or know someone who does. I’m sure it would encourage them – Almigal’s upbeat attitude is contagious!
You can get Let’s Hear It For Almigal at Amazon, B&N, and several other book outlets.
Aww, that sounds very sweet!