"I'm Deaf and It's Okay" Review

I’m Deaf and It’s Okay

By: Lorraine Aseltine, Evelyn Mueller, and Nancy Tait

Illustrated by: Helen Cogancherry

I’m Deaf and It’s Okay tells the story of a young boy who has to wear hearing aides and believes that he will not have to wear them when he is older. The boy, who is never named, feels left out and hates that people treat him differently. He says, “Some people make weird faces when they talk to me. They stretch their mouths wide and speak very loudly…Do they think I’m stupid?” The authors do a good job of showing the feelings of a young child who is struggling with being different. The book begins with the boy in his room at night and he “can’t see much” and “can’t hear anything”. Many children who are not able to hear have probably struggled with this and it may be comforting to know that they are not the only ones who feel alone. After meeting David, an older boy, who also wears hearing aids, the boy learns that it’s okay to be deaf. David’s talk to the boy’s class helps send the message to deaf children that being deaf doesn’t mean you are incapable of doing what hearing people can do. This book highlights the feelings that a young deaf child may feel and helps them to see that it is okay to be deaf. The life-like pencil drawings of the characters of the book make the characters come to life. The young boy does not look any different from his hearing peers, except for his hearing aid. This helps to send the message that deaf people are just like hearing people, they just can’t hear.

Aseltine, L., Mueller, E., Tait, N. (1986). I’m Deaf and It’s Okay. Illinois: Albert Whitman & Company.