Summer 2020

Did You Know: Summer Reading

There are many books with deaf and hard of hearing characters that make for some fun summer reading. Click here for a list of more than 200 books with DHH characters. Here are some summer reading recommendations.

Feathers

by Jacqueline Woodson

"Hope is a thing with feathers" starts the poem Frannie is reading in school. Frannie hasn't thought much about hope. There are so many other things to think about. Each day, her friend Samantha seems a bit more "holy." There is a new boy in class everyone is calling the Jesus Boy. And although the new boy looks like a white kid, he says he's not white. Who is he? During a winter full of surprises, good and bad, Frannie starts seeing a lot of things in a new light-her brother Sean's deafness, her mother's fear, the class bully's anger, her best friend's faith and her own desire for "the thing with feathers."

Suggested reading for children 10 and over.

You're Welcome Universe

By Whitney Gardner

When Julia finds a slur about her best friend scrawled across the back of the Kingston School for the Deaf, she covers it up with a beautiful (albeit illegal) graffiti mural. Her supposed best friend snitches, the principal expels her, and her two mothers set Julia up with a one-way ticket to a “mainstream” school in the suburbs, where she’s treated like an outcast as the only deaf student. The last thing she has left is her art, and not even Banksy himself could convince her to give that up. Out in the ’burbs, Julia paints anywhere she can, eager to claim some turf of her own. But Julia soon learns that she might not be the only vandal in town. Someone is adding to her tags, making them better, showing off—and showing Julia up in the process. She expected her art might get painted over by cops. But she never imagined getting dragged into a full-blown graffiti war.

El Deafo

By Cece Bell

Going to school and making new friends can be tough. But going to school and making new friends while wearing a bulky hearing aid strapped to your chest? That requires superpowers! In this funny, poignant graphic novel memoir, author/illustrator Cece Bell chronicles her hearing loss at a young age and her subsequent experiences with the Phonic Ear, a very powerful—and very awkward—hearing aid.

That Deaf Guy A Wild Ride

by Matt Dalgle

"That Deaf Guy: A Wild Ride!" by Matt and Kay Daigle is a 8.5" x 8.5" humor book featuring a 140+ pages of the very best of "That Deaf Guy" webcomic strip (2012-14).

Super Kena

by Becky Cymbaluk

Fierceness comes in many forms, but Super Kena’s fierceness arrives in the form of powerful determination. When kids at school make fun of her hearing aids, Kena gets a super idea. She will gather her differently-abled classmates to create a team of superheroes! There’s Amazing Anna, whose glasses give her perfect vision. An insulin pump helps Watchful Wendy fight her diabetes. Using his super wheelchair to zip around is Zippy Zach. Quiet Quinn battles his stutter with the help of a speech teacher. A food allergy is no match for Precise Priya, who always makes sure to be careful around peanuts. And Determined Danny can run as fast as the wind with the power of his asthma inhaler! Together they use their unique super powers to make a difference in the world by spreading understanding and acceptance . . . one classroom at a time.

Suggested reading for ages 4 to 8 years old

You Don't Know Everything Jilly P!

by Alex Gino

Jilly thinks she's figured out how live works. But when her sister, Emma, is born deaf, she realizes how much she still has to learn. The world is going to treat Jilly, who is white and hearing differently from Emma, just as it will treat them both differently from their Black cousins.

Suggested reading for children 8 and older

The Orange Houses

by Paul Griffin

Character contemplating getting a cochlear implant. Meet Tamika Sykes, Mik to her friends (if she had any). She's hearing impaired and way too smart for her West Bronx high school. She copes by reading lips and selling homework answers, and looks forward to the time each day when she can be alone in her room drawing. She's a tough girl who never gets close to anyone, until she meets Fatima, a teenage refugee who sells newspapers on Mik's block. Both Mik and Fatima unite in their efforts to befriend Jimmi, a homeless vet who is shunned by the rest of the community. The events that follow when these three outcasts converge will break open their close-knit community and change the lives of those living in the Orange Houses in explosive and unexpected ways.

A Silent Voice Manga Series

by Yoshitoki Oima

Shoya is a bully. When Shoko, a girl who can’t hear, enters his elementary school class, she becomes their favorite target, and Shoya and his friends goad each other into devising new tortures for her. But the children’s cruelty goes too far. Shoko is forced to leave the school, and Shoya ends up shouldering all the blame. Six years later, the two meet again. Can Shoya make up for his past mistakes, or is it too late? There are 7 books in this manga series

Freddie and the Fairy

by Julia Donaldson

Freddie finds a fairy, tangled in a tree. Freddie is desperate for a pet, so when he rescues Bessie-Belle and she offers to grant his wishes, he knows just what to ask for. The only problem is that Bessie-Belle can't hear very well, and Freddie tends to mumble, and Freddie is given a net. So they keep trying. Luckily, the Fairy Queen is on hand to explain.

Rickey the Rock that Couldn't Roll

by Jay Miletsky

When the rocks get together to play and roll around their favorite hill, they find that one of their friends, Ricky, can't roll with them. Unlike all of the others, who are all round, Ricky can't roll because he's flat on one side.

Suggested reading for ages 3 to 8 years old

Parent Resources

Minnesota Hands and Voices

has some fun upcoming events. Check them out in the activities section below and register if interested. Also check out the Hands and voices parent newsletter at https://www.mnhandsandvoices.org/news-events/focus-newsletter

Deaf/Hard of Hearing Guide

Many students who are deaf and hard of hearing have never met someone just like them and may be struggling with their identity as a hard of hearing or deaf person. Would you like to connect with a DHH role model in your area that could meet with your child outside of school and help them learn about things like peer friendships, using technology, self-esteem and identity, and thinking about the future? Lifetrack in Minnesota offers a program that you should take advantage of! Learn more about the program HERE and read about the guides in Minnesota.

Lifetrack Deaf Mentor

The Deaf Mentor family program is offered to families who have a deaf or hard of hearing child. They work with families and use research-based curriculum to promote communication and language skills. For more information about the program click HERE.

College Scholarships for Students who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing

Is your child in the process of applying to college? HERE is a list of available scholarships for students with hearing differences.

Upcoming Activities

The Sound OFF Ladies Graduation Celebration Together 2020

Join the Sound Off Ladies on Facebook at Facebook.com/Thesoundoffladies to celebrate the accomplishments of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Class of 2020. Along with 20 other Deaf and Hard of Hearing celebrities, we will be sharing words of wisdom and inspiration. We hope that graduates, their families and friends, the Deaf community, and beyond will join us for this amazing event. We will be airing on Facebook at Sound Off Ladies on Sunday, June 14 starting at 8:30pm EDT. Join us!! 0ur event will be in ASL, voice interpreted and captioned in English and Spanish. And please check out @thesoundoffladies for daily updates on our guests!

MN Hands & Voices Family Picnic

8/6/20 5:00-8:30

Como Park Midway Pavilion