I’m the Boss of My Hearing Loss
Author – Amy Kroll
Illustrator – Tom Heimann
I love the title because it gives the impression that managing hearing loss is in the child’s control. The book shows the child showing off his hearing aids, a hearing aid’s parts and controls, and talks about wearing the FM at school. It talks about what a child can do to improve communication (look at the talker, use earphones at movies etc, appropriate seating in the classroom, asking friends to repeat if something is not clear, look for a quiet place in restaurants, wearing ear protection, taking care of hearing aids, seeing the audiologist regularly.
Liam the Superhero – the Cochlear Kid
Author – Heidi Dredge
Illustrator – Melissa Bailey
Liam is a little boy with a hearing loss who uses cochlear implants. He likes to be a superhero and wear a superhero costume. He knows he has special power – one that helps him hear. He shows them off. The book tells us about the special operation to put the implant inside the ear and how the implant works. The book talks about how many sounds Liam can hear with the implant. His mom explains to him how he got the superpower of the cochlear implant and how he learned to hear, and how he is her hero.
Harmony Hears a Hoot
Author – Fara Augustover
Illustrator – Tim Williams
Harmony is a little bird who is about to go to school. She fills her backpack with school supplies and with batteries for her listening devices. The book shows the giraffe who is the audiologist. She goes to school the first day and notices some students looking at her and asking what those things are in her ears. She says she is glad that they asked and she explains about hearing aids and cochlear implants. And explains that hearing aids help her to hear the same way glasses help people to see. Harmony reminds her teacher to wear the FM and Harmony explains that it helps her to hear. The book shows the speech-language pathologist helping Harmony to hear in background noise. At lunch Harmony knows she needs to face the person talking because of the noise. Harmony knows to raise her hand and ask if she doesn’t understand something. She loves school.
Sophie’s Tales: Learning to Listen
Author – Melanie Paticoff
Sophie is a dog who has a hearing loss. Her favorite sound is her owner’s voice calling her to come. She has a cochlear implant. Before she got the cochlear implant she could not hear but now she can hear her toys squeak. Before she got her implant she could not hear her sister or her owner calling her. Her owner said –“you can’t hear me, I think we need to visit the ear doctor”. The ear doctor (it doesn’t mention n audiologist) tests Sophie’s hearing and fits her with hearing aids. He can already hear his sister as soon as he gets out of the car. His hearing aids help but he doesn’t hear well enough so he gets a cochlear implant. On his way home he meets another doggy friend who asks about the cochlear implant and hears a lot of different things.
Sophie’s Tales – Overcoming Obstacles
Author – Melanie Paticoff
Illistrator – Chrissie Vales
This is the second book in the series. Sophie, the dog with a cochlear implant, is going to dog training. She is going to learn to walk through a tunnel, and over a ramp and through a tube. All the dogs like up for their first race. Another dog wins this race and the next one with Sophie coming in 2nd. The third race starts and Sophie is way ahead and looks back and sees Champ at the starting line. He says he is afraid that if he does this race his glasses will fall off and he won’t be able to see. Sophie tells Champ that she understands because he has a cochlear implant. She tells Champ that they will run together and that if Champs’ glasses fall off, Sophie will help him and if his cochlear implant falls off Champ will help her. Together they run and win the race together. They are best friends.
Leo Gets Hearing Aids and Leo Gets a Roger System
Author: Phonak
Leo the Lion was having trouble understanding everyone around him. He couldn’t play with his friends. He couldn’t hear the teacher in school and sat on the side during recess. His teacher gave him a note to take to his mom. At home he could watch TV because he could make it loud. His mom took him to see the ear doctor and Leo had his hearing tested by the audiologist. Leo needed hearing aids. He was surprised by how much he could hear with the hearing aids and loved them.
Leo was still having some problems hearing at school. He did well with some things but had problems hearing other things. He was still having problems on the playground. The teacher asked mom if hearing aids were performing well. Leo went back to the audiologist and she knew what to do and gave Leo a remote microphone system (Roger.) Leo loves it. He hears much better and his spelling test is much better after he gets the remote microphone. The family uses the Roger at home and Leo can now turn down the TV volume.
