Can Bears Ski?

by Raymond Antrobus

Little Bear feels the world around him. He feels his bed rumble when Dad Bear wakes him up in the morning. He feels the floor shake when his teacher stomps to get his attention. But something else is missing, like when his friends tell jokes that he isn’t sure he understands, or when all around him Little Bear hears the question, “Can bears ski?” Then, one day, Dad Bear takes him to see an “aud-i-olo-gist”, and Little Bear learns that he has been experiencing deafness and will start wearing hearing aids. Soon he figures out what that puzzling refrain “Can you hear me?”

Little Bear’s new world is LOUD and will take some getting used to, but with the love and support of Dad Bear, he will find his way. In this lyrical book, award-winning creators Raymond Antrobus and Polly Dunbar draw on their own experiences to tell Bear's story.

Genres: Picture Books, Disability, Childrens, Animals, Fiction, Juvenile, Family

Audible Audio

First published November 10, 2020

About the author

Raymond Antrobus is a deaf poet and teacher. He has won the Ted Hughes Award and became the first poet to be awarded the Rathbones Folio Prize. About Can Bears Ski?, his first picture book, he says, "It's the book I could see myself reaching for as a child, and I can't wait to have it exist in the world.” He lives in England.

Reviews

[Hilary · Rating 3 out of 5]

A young bear often doesn't hear his father and keeps wondering why people ask "Can bears ski?" Eventually he goes to an audiologist and finds he needs hearing aids.

This is a nice story about discovering you are different and learning to live with a disability. The book doesn't spell it out for you but it was fun guessing what they were really asking "Can you hear me?"

Both author and illustrator have a close family member who has hearing problems and this feels like it would be a comforting read for children who might be affected by this problem. Only minor downside for me that was Daddy bear was perhaps a little grumpy but other than that it was quite an interesting story.

[Stace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Reviewed on www.whisperingstories.com

Can Bears Ski? is a beautiful and poignant children’s book that is about childhood hearing loss. Little bear can feel vibrations, but when people speak to him he feels like they are all asking him the same question ‘Can Bears Ski?’. He doesn’t understand why everyone keeps on asking him that question.

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?’

What a fabulous children’s book this is. I can hazard a guess that there aren’t many children’s books out there that are about hearing lose/deafness. I commend the author who is deaf himself for writing a book he would have loved as a child.

This is a book that would be perfect for a deaf child to read about something that they have in common with the main character. It is also a wonderful book to educate others about deafness and how a child might feel if they can’t hear or can only hear slightly.

I adored this book. Not only does it have an amazing story, it also has marvellous full-page illustrations throughout that show you the emotions bear goes through, especially when he suddenly hears the world so loudly, something I can only imagine must be quite distressing at first and hard to get used to if the world you have lived in for so long is silent.

[Abby Johnson]

Little Bear is not sure why people keep asking him "Can bears ski?" He doesn't know! But after getting his hearing tested at the audiologist's office and receiving his first hearing aids, Little Bear realizes that wasn't what they were asking all along. And now the answer to "Can you hear me?" is mostly yes. Deaf author Raymond Antrobus has written the book he would have liked to have had as a child and this is a must-buy for library shelves. It's a great introduction for young children who are experiencing hearing difficulties or who are getting their hearing tested.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute book about a child – or, in this case, a bear cub – facing up to hearing loss. The title is based on the sort of misunderstandings that Antrobus is still prey to despite hearing aids and lip reading (as described in his poetry collection The Perseverance). The drawing style is classic and nostalgic, bringing to mind books like The Snowy Day and characters from Pooh to Arthur. My only quibble? I’m not sure the title actually sounds (or looks) like what it’s supposed to in the book. (From the copyright page: “Amnesty endorses this book because every child has the right to learn and play.”)

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the parent and wife of Hard of Hearing people, I appreciate this book so much. It’s cute, and describes the experiences of some of these kids. Audiologists, audiograms, and hearing aids are all discussed at appropriate age level.

Books about Hard of Hearing/Deaf kids are few and far between. It’s getting better, there have been a few middle grade titles recently. Picture books are especially rare. When my son got his hearing aids 2 years ago, I read every picture book I could find through the library. They were extremely outdated and a little cringeworthy. I’m happy this book exists.

[Bettendorf Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

People keep asking little bear "Can Bears Ski?" What could this mean? Little bear keeps this question on his mind as father bear investigates with a doc. about little bear's hearing.

This is the first d/Deaf picture book I’ve seen and I’m glad to see it on our shelves. I feel this will connect with children who are losing the ability to hear with events that could happen to them like misinterpreting questions, being moved to the front of the class, and doctor visits. One thing I really like about this book also is how little bear feels the world around him and has in book examples of how he navigates life by vibrations and visuals. I think this is an excellent d/Deaf representation read!

[Shiloah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Books like this are great. My youngest wears hearing aides. We always appreciate awareness.

[Darcy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute story that I was looking forward to sharing.
However, for its aimed audience, I felt the narrative was not engaging nor clear enough with its message.

My 4 year old daughter (who is an advanced frequent reader) did not stay focused to get through the entire story - even after multiple attempts, which is quite rare for her.

I certainly enjoyed the book more than she did!

Illustrated pleasantly enough.

2.5*

[Danni Green · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this super cute #ownvoices picture book about a kid who gets hearing aids. Some awkward language usage in the synopsis but the book is really sweet and it felt like it reflected what people who use hearing aids have described to me about them. Loved the single dad representation, too.

[Tracie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little Bear doesn't understand why everyone thinks he is ignoring them and why everyone keeps asking him, "Can bears ski?" until a trip to the audiologist clears the air.

There are very few books for children about hearing loss, and even fewer that deal with the topic with such warmth, grace, and fun--making this a true stand-out.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super adorable. Watching Dad Bear worry about his little bear through tests and such but he's supportive and that's what is beautiful. I love how at the start little bear talks about how things feel rather than sound. A wonderful book.

[Juniper Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can Bears Ski? Tells the story of a young bear cub who is struggling to hear. This book describes how baby bear can feel sound around them to indicate how they can sense sound. I really enjoyed this book, since it provides a different perspective than mine.

[Chelsea Elwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very sweet story with charming illustrations. This book does a great job with the protagonist discovering and adapting to learning that he is Hard of Hearing.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an adorable story about a little bear who is hard of hearing and gets hearing aids. It made me so happy to read this - and I got my hearing aids just 8 months ago at the age of 40.

[Chloe]

So cute.

[Lauren Hegedus · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very sweet book about a smol bear’s journey to getting his first pair of hearing aids :’)

[Shannon (That's So Poe) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a great picture book about a little bear getting hearing aids! Loved the artwork, and loved the way it talked about the process of going to the audiologist, as well as how the little bear struggles to understand what people are saying.

[Meg Deeney · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a young deaf bear. He talks about how he hears his father, through the vibrations of his voice. His father keeps asking him if bears can ski, but the kid isn't sure why. Eventually, his father takes him to an audiologist and gets him hearing aids.

This is a sweet book to explain deafness to children, whether the child is hearing or deaf. I definitely recommend this book for parents and teachers alike, especially if they have a deaf child. It explains deafness in a way that children can understand. It also explains the difference between being deaf and being hearing.

[Tracy Lander · Rating 5 out of 5]

A little bear is struggling to understand why people keep saying "Can bears ski?". He doesn't heaar his friend say Hello, the teacher speaks to dad. He goes to an audiologist. He gets hearing aids!
Bought this specifically so that a child in yR can see a character who wears hearing aids - he has just had some fitted. Perfect book recommended to me for this purpose.
Really fun, lovely illustrations.

[Robin · Rating 1 out of 5]

An HOH bear gets hearing aids. Sad.
Clearly this book is not for me. I wanted the characters in the story to meet the little bear half way, not just have him wear hearing aids, learn lip reading, and attend "hearing therapy". No Deaf mentor. No ASL for him and his dad. No closed captions or adaptive devices. Sad.

[Halon W · Rating 3 out of 5]

cute enough, and a decent intro into the subject of hearing loss

i agree with some of the other commenters though--there should be more effort on building HoH/deaf resources and community for the little bear, instead of just a push for hearing aids and lip reading

[Kristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This really needs a note or informational section in the back.

[Sue Ready · Rating 5 out of 5]

An endearing children's picture book that speaks to the hearts of those faced with hard of hearing issues. The book explores diversity with a creative approach for ages 4-7. It's also a helpful book using age appropriate terminology, e.g. audiologist and audiogram. Young readers will enjoy figuring out what the title “Can Bears Ski?” is supposed to mean. They will also benefit from learning more about the issues of someone hard of hearing and how to talk to them. It's the perfect book for teachers, parents and classmates. Sign language is not a part of the story line. The story follows Little Bear who is just discovering his deafness. It is Antrobus's children's debut book.

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.

Polly Dunbar, illustrator, is partially deaf and grew up in a home with a mother who is deaf. What a collaborative pair Dunbar and Antrobus make bringing their own personal experiences with deafness to the story. Readers with hearing loss will find it relatable to their own lives. Dunbar's illustrations make the story shine with her attention to detail and how she effectively captures the characters' emotions. Her depiction of Little Bear's home, school setting and an audiologist's room add realism to the story line. Sound and silence are captured beautifully in the illustrations complimenting the text. Vibrations in Little Bear's bedroom with movement and going down the stairs indicate sound. Bold use of color with some busyness on pages indicate how noises seem confusing to Little Bear. Silence is suggested with snowfall and the hush of a quiet room in the library. The device of using number repetition several times illustrates how those with a hearing loss need something repeated more than once. My favorite page is when Little Bear with his newly acquired hearing aids discovers his new world is loud and he needs to get used to it.

The author and illustrator bring first hand knowledge to the story. What a wonderful book for helping kids better understand sensitive issues for those experiencing hearing loss whether it be in their family, neighborhood or school. This book fits a niche in the market for needed books on diversity for young readers experiencing hearing loss.

[Cat Strawberry · Rating 5 out of 5]

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?’ is a lovely hardback book filled with thick matt pages of colourful illustrations and text. The story focuses on Boy Bear and his day at home and later school where he doesn’t understand what his teacher is saying, or what his school friends are laughing about and the only thing he keeps hearing everyone ask is the question ‘Can Bears Ski?’. As is obvious, poor Boy Bear is suffering from hearing loss but is soon taken an audiologist to try to fix things. This is a great story to read to any children who suffer from hearing loss themselves as well as a great book to teach others what it can be like for children to experience hearing loss. The story is a positive one and ends well, although it does show some of the real life problems Boy Bear, and kids in general with hearing loss can have with not losing their hearing aids and other problems. It has a lovely and positive ending, and boy Bear finally manages to realise the question that everybody has really been asking him.

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’!

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.
-Thanks to Walker Books for a fre copy for review.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can You Hear Me?

PLEASE READ THIS REVIEW ON MY BLOG: http://bookreadingtic.com/2020/12/22/... THANK YOU!

Little bear is confused. He is constantly asked, “can bears ski”? It happens at school and at home. He doesn’t know the answer. When there is a sound, little bear speaks of the vibration, or the things he feels when there is a noise, instead of the words spoken. One day, he goes to a special doctor for hearing, and his world changes.

This book has two goals: to tell a fun and interesting story, along with introducing children to some things faced by a person with a hearing loss or who is deaf. Both goals are met by the author and the illustrator, who themselves have hearing losses. Raymond is deaf, and Polly is partially deaf. Because of that, the two bring first-hand knowledge to this tale.

Even though little ones think they are only having story-time, actual learning is going on, too. One way to bring additional insight about someone with a hearing loss would be to think of other words, or sentences, that might sound different. For instance, the sentence, “can you hear me,” might sound like, “can bears ski?” Awareness of this and other challenges of hearing loss can clear up what may have seemed like a case of being ignored, to just a misunderstanding of words.

I recommend this 5-star picture book. It is hard-backed, over-sized, along with being well-illustrated, and it will be enjoyed by children through third grade.

Candlewick Publishers, for the purpose of review, has provided Tickmenot with a complimentary copy of, Can Bears Ski?

[Alex Baugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I chose this book to read to my young readers not because any of them are hearing impaired but because two of them live with grandparents whose hearing is not as good as it once was. I only know this because it has come up in conversations, not usually in a positive way. Little Bear wonders why people, including his dad, keep asking him "can bears ski?" He even wonders if he's heard the question right. And sometimes when friends say hello, Little Bear doesn't say hi back. One day, Dad Bear takes Little Bear to a special doctor who put headphones on his ears and tells him to put a block on the table each time he hears a sound. Even the doctor wants asks "can bears ski?" Soon, Little Bear is learning how to lip read and the doctor puts hearing aids in his ears, asking "can you hear me?' What I like about this book is that it explains things so well for young readers, giving the proper name for the doctor Dad Bear takes Little Bear to, and explaining just what that doctor does with him. It also talks about how people can help Little Bear understand them better simply by changing their speaking habits for him, like looking directly at him when they have something to say. This book really started a good conversation with my kids about hearing and hearing loss, and they were surprised to learn it can happen to kids as well as grownups. I loved the digitally rendered ink and painted illustrations, which were clear and simple, just like the text.

[Tori · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

Can Bears Ski? is a unique book focusing on the medical issue of hearing loss in children. I personally have never seen another book that touches on this topic and I feel like it handles explaining it well to kids. The little bear feeling bad about "ignoring" his friend and not being able to hear when his dad is waking him up or getting ready to leave for school are very real issues for kids with hearing loss. The use of movement and loud colors was also a really interesting look into how little bear does actually hear the world prior to his hearing aids. The characters, mostly little bear, feel very real. Notably when little bear loses his hearing aids, it's something that a child would definitely do unintentionally when they aren't used to something. Dad bear also adapts to the needs of little bear very well by facing him when reading him a story and using his finger to lead little bear through the book as well. It's a very cute story about a topic I don't see talked about nearly as often as it should.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.
This book describes life as a deaf person who uses vibrations, loud noises, and lip reading to communicate with the outside world. I think it's a great thing to include little bear's appointment with the audiologist. This part of the book could really be beneficial when helping decrease anxiety with those who also need to go see the same type of doctor. Plus, it gives information to those who don't, knows what people with hearing issues sometimes do to help them.
Another beneficial point to this book is that it talks about how little bear can understand better when Dad bear speaks clearly and when he can see his entire face. Knowing these types of things can create a more inclusive space in classrooms, and in the world, if people knew.

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Children's picture book. Little Bear seems to be missing out on what's going on around him. He feels vibrations more than he hears his dad in the morning. His friends at lunch laugh and he doesn't know what the joke was. And he keeps getting asked: can bears ski? Finally, Little Bear goes to visit an audiologist, where he places a block down each time he hears a sound. The results of the test show that he needs hearing aids. Little bear starts to wear them and also starts learning how to read lips. And he realizes that he has been asked: can you hear me? A cute story with a lovable protagonist that does for picture book readers what El Deafo did for middle grade readers-- normalize the fact that some people need help in order to hear. I don't recall seeing hearing aids in picture books before, so this is an important book to add to promote diversity and representation of all readers.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.
Thanks to Candlewick Press for this copy!