El Deafo, by Cece Bell

My big boy recently had a minor operation that had him off school for two weeks, so we tried to keep him occupied with a stack of books from the library. When he goes to the library to choose books he will often choose ones by authors he already knows, often books that he can read in a sneeze. I try to encourage him to branch out as I think he is capable of reading more challenging books, but then we run into the problem that the content is too mature for him. He is at the stage where chapter books are good, but he still likes some pictures.

We went together to the library to select some books for his time at home and when I picked up ‘El Deafo‘ and flicked through it I almost put it back, but I’m so glad I didn’t. We haven’t yet had great success with a book that is entirely comic-style, until this one. Jude loved it and devoured it in a day.

I also loved it. It’s not often that I get to read an entire children’s chapter book, but I made time for this one. I was really interested in the story and actually found it hard to put the book down. The story is a largely autobiographical telling of Cece Bell’s experiences as a child who becomes deaf as a 4 yr old and the challenges she faced. The story flows really well between her experiences of reality and her imaginings and daydreams.

Cece has included experiences that challenge many children, such as making good friends, feeling different and standing up for yourself. She also allows the reader to very clearly understand that children with hearing impairments (and really any other disability) are just like everyone else.

I highly recommend this book for 7-12 year olds. It is easy to read and interesting to look at, but it also covers important themes.

If I haven’t convinced you yet, check out the link below for a look at some of the pictures and the creative process behind the finished book:

https://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/gallery/2015/aug/04/cece-bell-el-deafo-in-pictures

I also found this interesting video of Cece Bell talking about her life and her book: