Tina has written, adapted, directed and produced over twenty five plays for the company including a large scale national tour of Anne Fine's 'The Book of the Banshee', and 'A Little Princess'involving eight actors and eight young people. This book is a great one for showing children with hearing loss like boy Bear that there’s nothing to be afraid of and that everything works out well. The book is also a great one to share with children who don’t have hearing problems but who may encounter a child with some, like a school friend as it will show them some of the difficulties that children can face not hearing, with an ultimately positive message around the situation. I remember having a book like this at my primary school about being diagnosed with diabetes when it had first happened to me, and I remember it being a very helpful book to others in my class as they understood my condition better and therefore I do think this would be a great book for children to understand fellow kids with hearing problems. To accompany the book for parents and teachers who would like to use it at home or in the classroom Boy Bear cannot hear Dad Bear coming to wake him up in the morning but he can feel the floor vibrate with his heavy footsteps. He can only grasp little bits of what his teacher says to him at school. He cannot catch what his friends are laughing at. And, all the time, Boy Bear keeps hearing the question, “Can Bears ski?” What does it mean? With the support of Dad Bear, Boy Bear visits an audiologist and, eventually, he gets hearing aids. Suddenly, he understands the question everyone has been asking him: “CAN YOU HEAR ME?” Can Bears Ski? is a beautiful and poignant children’s book that is about childhood hearing loss. Little bear can feel vibrations, but when people speak to him he feels like they are all asking him the same question ‘Can Bears Ski?’. He doesn’t understand why everyone keeps on asking him that question.

Can Bears Ski? by Raymond Antrobus – Book Review Can Bears Ski? by Raymond Antrobus – Book Review

The situation for Bear is a sad one and the beautiful illustrations and text really tug at your heart strings. You just want to make things better for Bear. You feel sad for his friends and teachers, his family, who want to include him and talk to him but do not know how.This story is great for inclusion because it highlights the difficulties that children who are deaf or hard of hearing experience. It provides an opportunity for readers to put themselves in their shoes for a while. From CAN BEARS SKI? written by Raymond Antrobus and illustrated by Polly Dunbar. Reproduced by permission of Walker Books Ltd, London SE11 5HJ. www.walker.co.uk Actress and Strictly Come Dancing champion Rose Ayling-Ellis is to become the first celebrity to use British Sign Language to tell a CBeebies bedtime story.

Can Bears Ski? by Raymond Antrobus: 9781536212662

The story draws on the author’s own experience to show how isolating it can be for a deaf child in a hearing world. This is a book that would be perfect for a deaf child to read about something that they have in common with the main character. It is also a wonderful book to educate others about deafness and how a child might feel if they can’t hear or can only hear slightly. Even though little ones think they are only having story-time, actual learning is going on, too. One way to bring additional insight about someone with a hearing loss would be to think of other words, or sentences, that might sound different. For instance, the sentence, “can you hear me,” might sound like, “can bears ski?” Awareness of this and other challenges of hearing loss can clear up what may have seemed like a case of being ignored, to just a misunderstanding of words. Here are some resources for anyone who wants to learn more for themselves and / or with their children this Deaf Awareness Week Catherine Chapman’s designs – flowers, snow, carrots, russet leaves, and more – underpin the seasonal progression, once Tortoise has emerged from hibernation and we await the famous race.On Sunday, Ayling-Ellis will make her debut in the CBeebies story corner, telling the tale in BSL of a young bear and his father on their journey into the discovery and management of deafness.

Can Bears Ski? - CBeebies - BBC Rose Ayling-Ellis - Can Bears Ski? - CBeebies - BBC

I love how although the found bear can’t hear what people are saying and repeatedly hears can bears ski? Instead of can you hear me? The attention the authors gave to the small sounds that the bear feel including the crunch of snow as he walks along it, but also the silence. For example when dad bear has the TV on, the small bear cannot hear the tv but can see the man in a blue bodysuit skiing fast down a slope. In the story the boy bear unintentionally ignores his friends’ greeting, and he is unable to join in with the laughter of his friends at school lunches. The illustrations are just lovely and capture the expressions of Boy Bear and his father, among others, and I just love how everyone looks. The pictures just look perfect, showing some of the emotion that Boy Bear and his dad go through when he’s at the doctor and the difficulties Boy Bear has in understanding those around him. The story has a great ending and I just love the last part where Boy Bear finally understands the question he though everyone was asking ‘Can Bears Ski’! Bear is moved to the front of the classroom at school, he is still not quite sure what his teacher says.Tina’s original plays have had four residencies at The Fortune Theatre in London’s West End. Her most recent titles include ‘My BIG Little sister’, 'Robin’s Winter Adventure’, The Big ENORMOUS Present’ and ‘Zoom' which she co-wrote with Nicola Sangster, alongside ‘DIG!’ Pied Piper’s first play for babies and young toddlers.