Silent Observer

Silent Observer is a biography about a young girl who lost all of her hearing after recovering from whooping cough in the 1800's. It describes how she learns to cope with her disability and eventually go on to graduate from the Halifax School for the Deaf. This story is wonderful for use in the classroom because the pictures are all hand-drawn and the story itself is easy to understand. It is written in a way that allows children to connect with the character because it is actually written in 1st person. I think this story would be good for children 2nd grade and up because of its length and the discussion that could follow.

A story about a child who becomes deaf when diagnosed with whooping cough. She struggles through life adjusting to deafness in her realtionship with family. Her major problem was being understood and understanding hearing individuals. Deaf children are common in our society, and need to be accepted just as normal people are.