Can Bears Ski?
Raymond Antrobus author Polly Dunbar illustrator
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Walker Books Ltd
Published:4th Feb '21
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The debut children's book from Ted Hughes award-winning poet Raymond Antrobus that tracks a father-and-son journey into the discovery and management of deafness.
Boy Bear cannot hear Dad Bear coming to wake him up in the morning but he can feel the floor vibrate with his heavy footsteps. He can only grasp little bits of what his teacher says to him at school. He cannot catch what his friends are laughing at. And, all the time, Boy Bear keeps hearing the question, “Can Bears ski?” What does it mean? With the support of Dad Bear, Boy Bear visits an audiologist and, eventually, he gets hearing aids. Suddenly, he understands the question everyone has been asking him: "CAN YOU HEAR ME?"
Raymond draws on his own experience to show how isolating it can be for a deaf child in a hearing world. But through his lyrical and moving words, matched with Polly's stunning imagery, he also shows how many ways there are to communicate love. With a solid network, Boy Bear will find his place in the world.
The detail of how Little Bear can feel the vibration of Dad’s feet on the floor rather than hear his voice in the morning, and how he can feel the crunch of the snow under his feet when he walks to school, as well as the experience of visiting an audiologist, bring an authenticity to the depiction of being deaf or hard of hearing in childhood alongside a lovely story told in a relatable child voice. * BookTrust *
This is a lovely heart-warming story that you won't be able to forget. * Toppsta *
It was very interesting for Evie and really held her attention, it was particularly useful as a little boy at her nursery has to use aids to hear and she now has a basic understanding of why he needs them. I can see already that this book is going to be a valuable addition to Evie’s personal library. * Toppsta *
Perfect for the very young to get a basic understanding of hearing loss and also the challenges deafness presents. * Toppsta *
This multi-layered, skilfully woven story provides a brilliant insight into how children make sense of their experience when they don’t have the words to describe it. * The Scotsman *
- Winner of Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Honor 2021 (United States)
ISBN: 9781406382624
Dimensions: 250mm x 280mm x 8mm
Weight: 430g
40 pages