Little Bear takes a lot of waking up in the morning. It’s not until Dad Bear’s calls are so loud his bed shakes, that Little Bear leaps from his covers.

Dressing in his favourite bright, loud coloured clothes, Dad’s calls are soon rumbling under his feet. Down the stairs he dashes to breakfast.

“Can bears ski?” asks Dad. Little Bear thinks it’s a strange question.

At school Teacher Bear asks him, ‘Can bears ski?’

David Bear asks him at lunch, ‘Can bears ski?’

Dad Bear takes Little Bear to a Doctor Bear. She has a special name. An Au-di-ol-o-gist. ‘Can bears ski?’ she asks. After lots of tests, Doctor Bear fits two small plastic things in his ears. Finally he understands the strange question.

It’s not ‘Can bears ski?’ at all. His new hearing aids open up a whole new noisy world for Little Bear.

This story of a father and son’s discovery of his hearing difficulty is heart warming. Little Bear doesn’t know any different, happy in his quiet places. It’s only when he goes to school that the teacher notices, Little Bear misses out on jokes among his friends, and a trip to an audiologist reveals the scope of the problem.

Not only does this gentle journey promote understanding among young children about others who are hearing impaired, but also how to ensure they are understood themselves. Little Bear himself also shows how clever he is learning to lip read. Any child with a hearing difficulty or even glasses will recognise themselves in Little Bear.

Author – Raymond Antrobus

Illustrator – Polly Dunbar

Picture Book

(2021, Walker Books, Deafness, Hearing Impaired, Hearing Aids, Audiologist, Audiogram, Audiology, Ears, Lip Reading, Therapy, Empathy, Understanding, Animals, Family, Love, Father, )