I am so excited to share the Emma Every Day series with you! With four titles already available and four more due out August 1, 2021, this own voice series is a must have on your classroom bookshelves. Emma is a deaf third grader and in her books we learn about Emma’s likes and dislikes, some problems she encounters and how she overcomes them, and we are able to study Emma and make some decisions about what kinds of character traits Emma has. Her deafness is just a part of her story, not the central topic in any of her books.
Emma’s family and best friend, Izzie Jackson, speak ASL and Emma wears one Cochlear Implant (CI) on her left ear. At the front of each book, there is an information page that introduces Emma and her important people to the reader. There’s also a page that tells a little more about Emma’s CI and shows the ASL alphabet and manual numbers.
At the back of each book is a Learn to Sign page spread that shows signs that apply to the story. For example, a birthday party story teaches the signs: friend, happy, birthday, cake, gift, party, and thank you.
Each book also has a glossary with definitions for deaf and hard of hearing terms as well as other words from the story.
The books that are currently available for purchase are Party Problems (a story about Emma attending Izzy’s birthday party), Tap Dance Trouble (a dance recital story), Crazy for Apples (a story about Emma, her dad, and Izzy going apple picking), and Going on a Field Trip (when Emma and her class go to the American History Museum).
These early chapter books would be a fantastic addition to any first or second grade classroom. C.L. Reid, the author, has been deaf-blind since childhood. Her own voice perspective makes Emma’s stories a fantastic mirror for any deaf or hearing impaired student to enjoy and a beautiful window for a hearing person to read.
I look forward to the August release of the four new titles. In the meantime, my home bookshelves already have the available titles living on them and this series is on the most recent book order placed for the school where I teach. I encourage you to check Emma Every Day out for yourself.
Thanks for sharing this new series with us! I just purchased one of them for my daughter. If she likes it, then we’ll get the rest of them.
Thanks for sharing about this series! I just purchased one of the books for my daughter. If she likes it, we will get the rest.