Can Bears Ski?

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Bear is not sure that he always hears his Dad right. He seems to be asking him the same question again and again. Can bears ski? Can bears ski? What a random question to ask little bear. This book follows the story of a little bear who we find is hard of hearing. Antrobus and Dunbar have created a lovely book to show children what it is like to be hard of hearing. With the help of family and professionals the young bear who struggled to hear people talk and know what they were saying learns different techniques to help him such as lip reading and heading aids. 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. 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?”

CAN BEARS SKI? | Kirkus Reviews CAN BEARS SKI? | Kirkus Reviews

Deafinitely Theatre and New Diorama Theatre present Sarah Kane’s lyrical and haunting play about mental health. ★★★★ Time Out, ★★★★ The Guadian, ★★★★ Theatre Weekly, ★★★★★ West End Wilma 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. 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. 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?

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To celebrate Deaf Awareness Week, she will sign Can Bears Ski?, written by Raymond Antrobus and illustrated by Polly Dunbar. 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. Dad Bear has a hard time waking up this little bear, stepping so loudly that the radiator shakes and the bed "rumbles like a large empty tummy, etc. "I'm up! I'm up!" he says, dresses and shares he loves his colors LOUD. Snow is out the window and everything is still. Dad counts up the stairs to hurry for breakfast. Dad says something; Little bear thinks it's "Can bears ski?" Raymond Antrobus, a deaf poet, shows a little more about little Bear, on the way and at school, often hearing "Can bears ski?" In subtle ways, readers realize something is the matter and little Bear must not be hearing well. After a visit to an audiologist and seeing his audiogram, soon he gets hearing aids and lessons in lip-reading. We see him enjoying Dad Bear reading a book at bedtime. Figuring out there's a hearing challenge is shown in fun scenes with bears and various animals at school and in the neighborhood by Polly Dunbar, partially deaf. It also shows that there is a way to help. This brilliant book has shown my children and I a little of what life might be like for a deaf child

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

Is Little Bear ignoring his friends when they say hi, or is something else going on? A discovery opens new doors in a tale that will delight kids with deafness and all children learning to navigate their world.The story draws on the author’s own experience to show how isolating it can be for a deaf child in a hearing world. 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. 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’! It is an incredibly emotional journey for the reader and gives a tiny taste of how that journey might feel for the parent and child, a chance for us to look through the window and begin to understand and empathise so that we may better support families that we know. Little Bear can't catch the funny joke at school when friends are laughing, but feels the crunch of snow on frozen pavements.