C.I. Quest - Saunders, Tanya

. .

Résumé :
Oh no! The farmer has lost his cochlear implant speech processors! All the animals on the farm join the search... but who will be the first to find the missing devices and be crowned today's Farmyard Hero? This rollicking rhyming story incorporates a wide range of 'learning to listen' animal sounds as we go on a journey across the farm in search of the farmer's missing magic ears! Gorgeously illustrated with a lovable cast of farmyard characters brimming with humour and personality, this book is ideal for early learners and early listeners - either for use at home or as a teaching resource for schools, teachers of the deaf, therapists and speech pathologists. The book can be used during or in support of speech and language / auditory verbal therapy sessions to practice a wide range of environmental sounds, to learn animal names and to discuss why different characters react in different ways and feel the way they do. This is an inclusive children's book, featuring a main character who is deaf, but it is not specifically about hearing loss - as such, it is a fun, engaging story for any small person. The young farmer in the story has hearing loss but, most importantly, he is just like any other child, having fun on the farm with his animal friends. Nonetheless some subtle deaf awareness messages are gently integrated into the story, making the book a helpful resource for mainstream teachers educating their pupils about hearing loss. At the same time, the book allows deaf and hard of hearing children who use cochlear implants, hearing aids or other assistive hearing technology to see themselves represented. As the author says, One thing I have learned as the parent of a deaf child is this: #RepresentationMatters is not just a buzz phrase with no meaning - it really does matter, and it really does make a difference to our children!

Biographie:
Having lived most of her life in the African wilderness with elephants literally on her doorstep, but now happily settled in the UK, Tanya Saunders is a writer, artist, lover of wild places and mother to twin daughters, one of whom is profoundly deaf and wears cochlear implants (her 'magic ears'). She believes that deaf children deserve the same opportunities in life as everyone else; it is not for us to set limits on what they can achieve but rather to give them the platform they need to learn, grow, and attain their goals as equals alongside their hearing peers. Tanya is a Parent Ambassador for Auditory Verbal UK (AVUK), an aspirational organization that teaches deaf children to listen and speak. Her writing is inspired by her own family's speech and language journey with AVUK, alongside numerous other professionals, friends and family members who, as a team, have made truly transformative contributions to her daughter's odyssey into the hearing and speaking world. Although not a professional therapist herself, as a 'parent practitioner' of auditory verbal therapy traveling this road alongside her daughter, Tanya's personal experience and observations can provide helpful insights for other families on the same path. Her vibrantly illustrated stories encourage deaf children to reach for the stars and reassure them that, while it may not be easy, all the hard work involved in learning to listen and speak will be worth it in the end. www.avidlanguage.com/author-tanyasaunders