5 Books for Deaf Awareness Month

September is Deaf Awareness Month! Are your shelves ready?

About four years ago, as a former audiologist and current American Sign Language (ASL) student, I became the author of the chapter book series Astrid the Astronaut (Aladdin/S&S). Astrid is hard of hearing and wears bilateral hearing aids and an FM system, but that’s not what the series is about—plucky Astrid is determined to become the first hard of hearing astronaut one day. These were very deliberate decisions. Unable to find many representations of hearing loss in kids’ books at the time, I wanted to make sure kids like my former patients had the opportunity to see the hearing loss aspect of their identity as something normal, and to increase empathy and understanding from their hearing peers.

When so many parents and teachers began to express to me how seen it had made their d/Deaf or hard of hearing kids feel to read Astrid and finally find a character like them in a book, I realized I needed to make it easier for that to happen. There were more books with d/Deaf characters out there. Librarians and booksellers needed a resource.

That’s how my Deaf Book Character List was born. I now curate an updated version every year, divided into Children’s and Teen/Adult, to help librarians and booksellers find books with d/Deaf representation to stock and recommend. And in honor of Deaf Awareness Month, here are five of my recent favorites for kids K-8, to make sure you have on your shelves for September (and the whole year long!)…

Terms to Know:

✅ “deaf” is a medical term, referring simply to someone who has little to no usable hearing.

✅ “Deaf” means a person signs and identifies as part of the Deaf community.

✅ “hard of hearing” is a medical term meaning that a person has some usable hearing.

❌ “hearing impaired” is considered by most to be an outdated, or even offensive, term.

The Gallaudet Eleven (ages 6-8): The deaf have a fascinating history, and

one of my favorite stories is that of the Gallaudet Eleven. These eleven

men, in addition to being deaf, also had damaged vestibular systems

(located in the inner ear), which made them immune to motion sickness.

NASA, during the frenzy of the Space Race in the 1960s, recruited them for

research, and several modern advancements for mitigating motion

sickness resulted from this collaboration. Deaf author Kerry O’Malley Cerra

has immortalized this true story into a picture book, with the expressive

illustrations of Deaf illustrator Kristina Gehrmann.

Deer Run Home (ages 10+): Historically, the deaf have faced plenty of prejudice. Today, they still fight for full access in too many situations. In Deer Run Home, a middle grade by award-winning Deaf author Ann Clare LeZotte, 12-year-old Effie’s parents refuse to learn ASL, her primary language, and instead communicate with her only through pointing. This novel-in-verse deals with heavier issues—like physical abuse and a parent who drinks—in age-appropriate ways, weaving imagery into poetry. When it becomes clear that Effie is being neglected, her school ASL interpreter intervenes, giving Effie an opportunity for a better life.

Hear Me (ages 10+): Even in loving families, there can be misconceptions about hearing loss. In Hear Me, also by Kerry O’Malley Cerra, 12-year-old Rayne’s hearing has been steadily decreasing over the last year. Her parents want her to have surgery to get cochlear implants, believing this is what’s best for her. But no devices can return hearing to normal, and Rayne is terrified of the surgery itself. She searches desperately for a way out—and how to convince her parents she doesn’t need to be “fixed.” 

Monster Hands (ages 3-6): ASL is a rich and complex language, and not everything has to be heavy! Monster Hands, written by ASL interpreter/author Karen Kane and Deaf author Jonaz McMillan, and illustrated by Dion MBD, is a delightful and empowering picture book about two signing friends—one is scared of the monster under his bed, so the other helps him create monster-sized shadow puppets on his wall to scare it away, using ASL.

The Loudest Silence (ages 12+): In addition to providing essential access to language, ASL is truly an art form in the Deaf community, and recently deafened Casey shows this in The Loudest Silence, by Deaf-Hard of Hearing author Sydney Langford. In this younger-YA platonic love story, Casey, an aspiring professional singer before her recent hearing loss, begins to embrace her deafness, thanks to her Deaf ASL teacher, her new singing coach, and her new friend Hayden, who is learning to accept his own anxiety disorder.

For more recs, check out my full Deaf Book Character List on my Bookshop affiliate page (https://bookshop.org/shop/riereadsandwrites). Free printable versions of each year’s update are available on my website (https://www.rienealwrites.com/dhh-book-lists).

Resources:

American Society for Deaf Children: https://deafchildren.org/ 

National Association of the Deaf: https://nad.org/ 

Learn ASL online from a Deaf teacher: https://languagepriority.com/collections/asl-classes 

Thank you to Access Books Bay Area for inviting me to share these wonderful books for Deaf Awareness Month. Happy reading, all! 💫

About the Author

Rie Neal is a Bay Area-based children's book author, former audiologist, and American Sign Language (ASL) student. She loves to write about space and amplify d/Deaf voices. Her works include the early chapter book series Astrid the Astronaut and middle grade novel Space for Saffron.