Books for feelings and life
Books about deaf and hard of hearing kids
Look for stories by or reviewed by deaf people. These include sign language, hearing devices and school life.
Picks drawn from long-standing children's-librarian lists, ALSC notable and award records, and Common Sense Media age ratings, with each title and author checked against Open Library, Oct 2026. Checked 2026-10-25. Nobody paid to be here. The buy links are plain search links, not affiliate links, so Peabody earns nothing from them.
El Deafo
Cece Bell · Ages 8-12
A graphic memoir about the author's hearing aid and finding friends. A 2015 Newbery Honor book.
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Hand Talk: An ABC of Finger Spelling and Sign Language
Remy Charlip, Mary Beth and George Ancona · Ages 4-8
Shows the manual alphabet in photographs and words.
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Can You Hear a Rainbow? The Story of a Deaf Boy Named Chris
Jamee Riggio Heelan · Ages 6-10
A deaf boy and his family navigate school, signing and speech.
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Moses Goes to School
Isaac Millman · Ages 5-9
Moses and his classmates at a school for deaf children go through their day using sign language.
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Dad and Me in the Morning
Patricia Lakin · Ages 4-8
A deaf boy and his father watch the sunrise together, with signing and hearing aids in everyday use.
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Silent Lotus
Jeanne M. Lee · Ages 5-9
A deaf Cambodian girl finds that she can speak through dance.
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Moses Goes to a Concert
Isaac Millman · Ages 5-9
Moses and his deaf classmates attend an orchestra concert and feel the music.
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The Deaf Musicians
Pete Seeger and Paul DuBois Jacobs · Ages 5-9
A pianist who loses his hearing finds a band of deaf musicians in New York.
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Books about sadness and sad days
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Books about fear, the dark and monsters
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Books about worry and anxiety
Worry can show up as stomachaches, clinging or perfectionism.
Books about shyness and quiet kids
Shy and quiet are not problems to fix.
Books about loneliness and finding a friend
Loneliness is different from being alone.
Books about frustration and trying again
For the child who throws the pencil when the drawing is not right.