El Deafo
by Cece Bell
It’s adorable, poignant, and timely. El Deafo follows the story of Cece, a rabbit who contracts
meningitis when she is four and becomes deaf as a result. Cece grapples with
classmates who condescend to her because of her hearing aids, and classmates
who become friends with her solely because she is different. We even follow
Cece through her first crush; her mannerisms and thoughts are spot-on.
At the
heart of it all is Bell’s message that we are all different in our ways, and
those differences are to be celebrated and understood instead of trapped in
societal expectations. The full-color illustrations are well-done, although the
characters’ facial expressions could be more revealing. Overall, a great
graphic novel to recommend to elementary and middle school children.
