Book review: Ali and Aidy go to the Beach

Written by Hameeda Raj
Available from Amazon
Price: £6.99
Ages: 0 to 5

Reviewed by Kate, mum to Xander (3) who has severe to profound hearing loss, and Rowan (1).

This picture book tells the story of Ali and his friend ‘Aidy’, his hearing aid. The story introduces Ali, the adventures that he and Aidy have and all the sounds Aidy helps Ali to hear. Xander had great fun reading this book, looking at the pictures and making a long list of all the things his hearing aids help him to hear.

The book was great for having discussions about deafness with younger children, and Xander related to Ali as a character. He especially enjoyed the Sign Supported English (SSE) layout of the book, with the relevant British Sign Language (BSL) signs pictured above the words of the story, so we could read and sign together.

The story is simple, but that made it easy to follow. Xander enjoyed reading
the book multiple times, meaning he could practise his vocabulary and signing. We enjoyed adding actions and expressions to the story and ‘acted’ part of it out, resulting in much laughter.

This book is a useful resource for families with a younger deaf child, or families that use SSE. The layout was clear and the pictures were bright and colourful.