Laurie

PreS-Gr 2—In a straightforward voice, Laurie describes the frustrations of being hearing-impaired: "I would love to be like other children. But I'm not. I don't hear well." Shunned by her classmates, who don't understand her need to ask them to repeat their words or to look at her so that she can read their lips, the child feels she doesn't belong. Her mother takes her to an audiologist, whose prescription of hearing aids greatly improves Laurie's day-to-day social interactions—and her safety crossing the street. She discovers that sometimes she even misses the silence a bit and elects to turn the hearing aids down at noisy parties and alone in her room. Ultimately, Laurie learns to manage her disability and feels, at last, that she belongs. Based on the author's own experience, this is a sympathetic and believable story. Charming illustrations, rendered in a palette of softly washed blues and reds, appeal in their varied perspectives. The translation makes no mention of sign language and contains a few jarring notes. Readers may question why the child's parents didn't take her to an audiologist sooner and why they allowed her to cross streets alone. Laurie also continues to refer to her hearing aids as her "computer friends" after her mother corrects her. Still, on many levels this title complements Jeanne Whitehouse Peterson's classic I Have a Sister—My Sister Is Deaf (HarperCollins, 1977) and would be a useful additional purchase.—Kathleen Finn, St. Francis Xavier School, Winooski, VT