Can Bears Ski?

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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. 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.” 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. This is a lovely story showing a positive message about children with hearing loss. Boy Bear can feel the rumbling and noise of the curtains and his dad’s footsteps when he is woken up in the morning. He enjoys getting ready for school and then the snow outside, but then, while on his way to school, his dad tells him that he just ignored his friend and then asks him if Bears can Ski? But is that really what Dad Bear asked, or is Boy Bear suffering some problems with his hearing?

Can Bears Ski? by Raymond Antrobus, Polly Dunbar - Waterstones

The story line develops the relationship of the two main characters Dad Bear and Little Bear. As they discover Little Bear's deafness a variety of emotions surface. The question “Can bears ski?” really equates to “Can you hear me?” showing the experience of deafness how noises get all muddled and messages often misunderstood. It models a father who connects with his child by reading him books. Often their communication is not always clear. Sometimes Father Bear is frustrated and can lose his temper. Yet the story speaks to love and patience, a central theme to the story line. Little Bear despite his hearing difficulties is a strong, lively and resilient character. He likes to wear bold primary colors, is energetic, proud and happy. I liked the addition of adding realistic details such as Little Bear losing his hearing aids often and his father's impatience helping to look for them. I did note there are no deaf stereotypes in this story and Little Bear is not portrayed as a victim of deafness. Some unexpected characters added a new dimension to the story with a male primary teacher and a female audiologist. Bear feels sounds. He can tell the volume and urgency of his father’s voice by the movements in the things around him. Can Bears Ski? by Raymond Antrobus is a picture book about a little bear who cannot hear his dad or friends very well. He is constantly confused why people keep asking him "can bears ski?" only to find out later they were saying "can you hear me?" It turns out by the end he has been diagnosed with hearing loss by doctors. Here are some resources for anyone who wants to learn more for themselves and / or with their children this Deaf Awareness WeekLittle Bear can’t catch the funny joke at school when friends are laughing, but feels the crunch of snow on frozen pavements. Tina Williams is the Artistic Director of Pied Piper Theatre Company, which she set up in 1984 having trained as both an actor and a teacher. Join Deafinitely Theatre on Saturday 23 September 2023 for a one-night special charity fundraiser performance of The Vagina Monologues! Tina was head of Youth and Education at The Yvonne Arnaud Theatre in Guildford for fourteen years and toured nationally with YAT. Her plays have been performed in Europe and in Singapore. She has also directed ’Snowflakes’ for Oxford Playhouse. 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? | York Theatre Royal Can Bears Ski? | York Theatre Royal

This brilliant book has shown my children and I a little of what life might be like for a deaf child Ayling-Ellis, 27, who has been deaf since birth, found fame starring as Frankie Lewis in BBC soap EastEnders and went on to become the first deaf contestant to win Strictly.Speaking about signing for CBeebies, Ayling-Ellis said: “I am super excited to read my first CBeebies bedtime story in British Sign Language and it’s even more wonderful to share a story written by a deaf writer. One day his dad takes him to see an Audiologist who after performing some tests explains that little bear suffers from hearing loss and starts him on lip-reading course as well as giving him hearing aids. He soon learns that people weren’t asking him about skiing but rather ‘can you hear me?’ I love how most of the read-aloud for this book includes ASL signing in the video. It is quite inclusive, and what this book is all about. My favorite illustration overall is when the little bear is getting ready in the morning, and he describes the colors of his clothing. In the picture, he stands confidently and comments how he likes his colors LOUD! It's completely adorable. It is a good thing to include a wide array of books for your students/child, but great when it includes positive and confident representation like this book does. 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. 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.