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Book Spotlight: Can Bears Ski?

This #ownvoices debut children's book by award-winning poet Raymond Antrobus tracks a father-and-son journey into the discovery and management of deafness.


Is Little Bear ignoring his friends when they say hi, or is something else going on? All around him Little Bear hears the question, “Can bears ski?” What does it mean?

One day, Dad Bears takes him to the audiologist, and Little Bear learns that he has been experiencing deafness and will start wearing hearing aids. Soon he figures out what that puzzling refrain is: “Can you hear me?”

In this lyrical picture book, award-winning creators Raymond Antrobus and Polly Dunbar draw on their own experiences to tell Little Bear's story in a tale that will delight kids with deafness and all children learning to navigate their world.

“All young readers will enjoy figuring out just what “Can bears ski?” is supposed to mean and will benefit from learning about being hard of hearing, including how to talk to a hard-of-hearing person. Gently and thoughtfully teaches about being a hard-of-hearing kid.” —Kirkus Reviews

Purchase a copy today on Amazon and Bookshop!

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