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Book Summary
Book Summary
This is a colorful graphic novel that is an autobiographical telling of Cece Bell's experience with losing her hearing at the age of four after surviving meningitis, and how she learns to use hearing aids and gain confidence in herself as she goes through elementary school. Bell does a magnificent job illustrating the transformation she experienced as a young, insecure student that despised the fact that she was deaf and required a special hearing aid while at school. She struggled with making friends, fitting in with other children, and was constantly worrying about whether or not people thought she was strange. She often felt lonely and different.
The novel begins just before Bell falls ill, moves to when she begins first grade and sees her hearing aid as a thing others will make fun of her about, to her being a fifth grader that, with the help of a friend, sees her hearing aid as something that makes her "super". This is a beautiful novel that not only tells the real life story of a young girl growing into her own skin, it also is a story about a girl that grows up while hearing impaired and finds that if she shares her "super powers" she was able to find what she truly yearned for, friendship.
Bell, Cece. (2014). El Deafo. New York, NY: Amulet Books.
Response to Reading
Response to Reading
This is a great book to read with an upper elementary class, the illustrations are colorful and child friendly, the vocabulary is not too complicated, and the chapters are short and flow easily into each other. It would lead into lessons and discussions about differences in each other and what makes someone special. We would be able to incorporate lessons on empathy while reading through the chapters when Bell felt alone or targeted.
It is also possible to incorporate other content areas, such as Science and Social Studies by researching the development of the first hearing aids, the Phonic Ear, and where hearing aids have advanced to now.
Connections
Connections
I would possibly pair this novel with Wonder, written by R.J. Palacio, or Smile by Raina Telgemeier as they each deal with the struggles present with being seen as different while also facing the challenges of growing up.
In this video, Cece Bell talks about El Deafo, and she even puts on a Phonic Ear and explains how it works with the microphone her teachers wore around their necks.
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