Laurie - Hardcover

Nijssen, Elfi

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 160537072X ISBN 13: 9781605370729

Publisher: Clavis Publishing, 2010

Synopsis

A valuable resource for children who struggle with hearing problems, as well as those who do not, this is a story about Laurie, a special young girl with a problem that makes her different from a lot of the kids around her: she cannot hear. Sometimes she doesn’t understand what other people are saying, and playing at the playground often leads to fights with the other kids. Luckily, Laurie’s dog Laika never makes her feel sad for being different. Then one day, Laurie goes to the ear doctor, and the hearing aid he gives her helps her to hear the world around her.

About this title

About the Author:

Elfi Nijssen is a police officer and the author of Luna. Eline van Lindehuizen is an illustrator.

From School Library Journal:

PreS-Gr 2–In a straightforward voice, Laurie describes the frustrations of being hearing-impaired: “I would love to be like other children. But I'm not. I don't hear well.” Shunned by her classmates, who don't understand her need to ask them to repeat their words or to look at her so that she can read their lips, the child feels she doesn't belong. Her mother takes her to an audiologist, whose prescription of hearing aids greatly improves Laurie's day-to-day social interactions–and her safety crossing the street. She discovers that sometimes she even misses the silence a bit and elects to turn the hearing aids down at noisy parties and alone in her room. Ultimately, Laurie learns to manage her disability and feels, at last, that she belongs. Based on the author's own experience, this is a sympathetic and believable story. Charming illustrations, rendered in a palette of softly washed blues and reds, appeal in their varied perspectives. The translation makes no mention of sign language and contains a few jarring notes. Readers may question why the child's parents didn't take her to an audiologist sooner and why they allowed her to cross streets alone. Laurie also continues to refer to her hearing aids as her “computer friends” after her mother corrects her. Still, on many levels this title complements Jeanne Whitehouse Peterson's classic I Have a Sister–My Sister Is Deaf (HarperCollins, 1977) and would be a useful additional purchase.–Kathleen Finn, St. Francis Xavier School, Winooski, VTα(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

About this edition

• Publisher: Clavis Publishing
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 160537072X
• ISBN 13: 9781605370729
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 30
• Illustrator: Van Lindehuizen Eline