Book review: I'm Deaf and That's Okay

Written by Emily Bisby
Available from bookshops
Ages: 5 to 10

Reviewed by Angie, mum to Oliver (7) who's severely to profoundly deaf and wears hearing aids.

Oliver

"Oliver really enjoyed I’m Deaf and That’s Okay. The book tells the story of Timmy and his day in Year 2 at school. Timmy is a bit sad when the other children don’t want to play with him because they think he’s ignoring them, so the next day he explains to his class that he’s deaf and couldn’t hear them talking as he wasn’t facing them. It really hit home with Oliver and addressed some of the problems he faces at school but didn’t really understand before as he’s so young. This book has really helped.

Oliver’s favourite part is where Timmy tells everyone about his superpower – lip-reading! Again, this is something Oliver can do but has never really understood how cool it is! It’s a fun book which is also very helpful in understanding the problems a deaf child might face in a mainstream school. Oliver loved it so much that he took it to school, and his teacher read it to the class, who all really enjoyed it too!"