C.I. Quest: a tale of cochlear implants lost and found on the farm (the young farmer has hearing loss), told through rhyming verse packed with 'learni

Oh no! The farmer has lost his speech processors! All the animals on the farm join the search… but who will be the first to find the devices and be crowned today’s Farmyard Hero?

This rollicking rhyming story incorporates a wide range of ‘learning to listen’ animal sounds as we go on a journey across the farm in search of the farmer’s missing magic ears!

Gorgeously illustrated with a lovable cast of farmyard characters brimming with humour and personality, this book is ideal for early learners and early listeners - either for use at home or as a teaching resource for schools, teachers of the deaf, therapists and speech pathologists. The book can be used during or in support of speech and language / auditory verbal therapy sessions to practice a wide range of environmental sounds, to learn animal names and to discuss why different characters react in different ways and feel the way they do.

This is an inclusive children’s book, featuring a main character who is deaf, but it is not specifically about hearing loss – as such, it is a fun, engaging story for any small person. The young farmer in the story has hearing loss but, most importantly, he is just like any other child, having fun on the farm with his animal friends. Nonetheless some subtle deaf awareness messages are gently integrated into the story, making the book a helpful resource for mainstream teachers educating their pupils about hearing loss. At the same time, the book allows deaf and hard of hearing children who use cochlear implants, hearing aids or other assistive hearing technology to see themselves represented. As the author says, “One thing I have learned as the parent of a deaf child is this: #RepresentationMatters is not just a buzz phrase with no meaning - it really does matter, and it really does make a difference to our children!"

Tanya Saunders is Mum to twin daughters, both of whom want to be farmers (or maybe fashion designers, or vets, or teachers). One of them wears cochlear implants - she calls them her "magic ears" because they help her to hear. (Without them, she can hear nothing at all.)Like her daughters, Tanya loves animals. In fact, she loves them so much that it was hard for her to choose which animal to make today's farmyard hero... so she has decided to write some more Farmyard Heroes stories, with a different animal saving the day each time!Tanya blogs about parenting, publishing and writing at www.avidlanguage.com/hearsay-blog