LING LING BIRD Seen and Heard: a joyous tale of friendship, acceptance and magic ears

Larger-than-life Ling Ling Bird forms an unlikely bond with tiny wee Chickadee in this uplifting tale of discovery, friendship and acceptance. While Chickadee gains a fascinating insight into the world of her dazzling new buddy who is deaf, Ling Ling Bird learns that being different does not prevent him forming special friendships. Amazing things are possible with a can-do attitude

This 32-page picture book with full color illustrations throughout is written for slightly older children and early readers (6-8 years). In the author's personal experience, this is the age when deaf children and their school friends really start to show an interest in the workings of their cochlear implants / hearing aids. This story encourages deaf children to aim for the stars, while acknowledging the hard work it takes to learn to listen and speak. The book uses ambitious language, which makes it ideal for family reading and for younger listeners to learn some of the terminology associated with hearing loss and hearing technology.

Answering many questions about life with cochlear implants ('magic ears'), highlighting both challenges and opportunities, this informative and entertaining book will help friends, families and teachers of deaf children to better support and understand their tough but rewarding journey into the hearing, speaking world. By championing Ling Ling Bird - a fun, optimistic character with profound hearing loss - it is hoped this delightful tale will help deaf children around the world build their self-esteem, pride in who they are and a strong sense of personal identity.

About Ling Ling Bird

This unstoppable, cochlear implant-wearing bird is on a mission to inspire deaf children to dream big, and to help more people understand both the ongoing challenges faced by (and the incredible opportunities open to) deaf children today. He describes the hours of speech and language therapy, dedication and focus needed to learn to listen and speak, while sending out a strong message that all the hard work will be worth it in the end. Ling Ling Bird is named after the six 'Ling Sounds', which roughly represent all the frequencies used in speech (mm / oo / ah / ee / sh / ss). Ling Ling Bird is proud of his cochlear implants and loves talking about them, explaining how they work and describing what it feels like to wear them...which is just as well, because the ever-curious Chickadee is full of questions As bold and brassy as his vibrant rainbow colors, Ling Ling Bird thinks that being a bit different is great fun. Nonetheless, he has a few lessons to learn about how to curb his over-exuberant behavior... So Chickadee gains a new awareness of how it might feel to be deaf, while Ling Ling Bird learns valuable lessons of friendship and acceptance.

Brief excerpts from the book:

"I've overcome my initial apprehension, thanks to this incredible invention," answered Ling Ling Bird, pointing to his head. "Now I have no worries and no fears because I have my magic ears ....

They capture sound from all around and send signals to my brain, loud and clear.

So, when you speak or shriek or squeak,

they help me to hear you

(but work best if I'm near you)."

Inspired by auditory verbal therapy, which teaches deaf children with cochlear implants and hearing aids to listen and speak, this book acknowledges that there are many different approaches to deaf communication (including listening and spoken language as well as sign language). Which route to follow is a deeply personal choice for each and every family based on what works best for them.

The author is grateful for the advice and support of the Auditory Verbal UK (AVUK) team.

About the Author
Saunders, Tanya: - 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