Is Little Bear ignoring his friends when they say hi, or is something else going on? A discovery opens new doors in a tale for kids with deafness and all children learning to navigate their world. Actor Rob Delaney was the first person to sign a CBeebies bedtime story in 2018 using Makaton, which he and his family learned to communicate with his late son Henry, who couldn’t speak due to a tracheostomy.

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

With a set inspired by Polly Dunbarʼs stunning illustrations, puppetry and music, Pied Piper Theatre Company and Deafinitely Theatre are delighted to bring this beautiful story to the stage. When one day Bear is collected early from school and taken to an au-di-ol-o-gist we get to see Bear begin to get the support that he needs. A hearing test, an audiogram and a few more tests lead to hearing therapy, lip-reading classes and “plastic ears called hearing aids.” 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.

Can Bears Ski? That’s what it seems Dad Bear asks at breakfast. Then again, that’s what it sounds like at the lunch table when everyone is laughing at something David Bear says. However it’s not very clear. Teacher Bear asks too, ‘Can Bears Ski’? What does it mean? This book is about a young deaf bear. He talks about how he hears his father, through the vibrations of his voice. His father keeps asking him if bears can ski, but the kid isn't sure why. Eventually, his father takes him to an audiologist and gets him hearing aids.

Deaf Awareness Week: Can Bears Ski? | Edspire Deaf Awareness Week: Can Bears Ski? | Edspire

As Bear and his Dad walk to school, Dad Bear talks a lot. Friends call hello. Bear hears only the crunch of the snow until his father asks him again, “CAN BEARS SKI?” The story is also a mirror for deaf children and their families and I know from my own autistic son and dyslexic daughter how incredibly powerful it can be to feel seen in a story. 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. Following the success of Pied Piper Theatre’s Burglar Billlast year, this new two hander for very young children follows a similar format. There is little dialogue in Hare and Tortoise, lots of physicality and gentle joking, a neat narrative shape and some catchy songs. And it all sits very happily in the Yvonne Arnaud’s child-friendly studio space.and sold around the world. Polly is also the co-founder of Long Nose Puppets, an award-winning puppet company

Can Bears Ski? | Deafinitely Theatre Can Bears Ski? | Deafinitely Theatre

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 Ebony Feare is a deliciously charismatic tortoise, languorous with an impressive range of reptilian faces and stances and a resonant singing voice. Stefan Stuart’s ever impatient hare, more boyish than leporine, makes for an appropriately lively contrast despite his weaker singing voice.As the parent and wife of Hard of Hearing people, I appreciate this book so much. It’s cute, and describes the experiences of some of these kids. Audiologists, audiograms, and hearing aids are all discussed at appropriate age level. 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.