El Deafo by Cece Bell

 

El Deafo
by Cece Bell
Graphic Novel

Summary:
        El Deafo is a children’s graphic memoir of the author’s experiences growing up deaf in the 70s. She hates being different and struggles to make friends because she is trying so hard to fit in to the hearing world. It isn’t until she embraces being deaf that she makes genuine friendships, which teaches her that being herself is the best way to be.

Justification:
        This is a great graphic novel to include in a library collection. Graphic novels are a format that kids are turning to more and more frequently, so having a collection that features diverse characters is crucial. This novel features disability representation, which helps students develop empathy and learn how to put themselves into the shoes of others. 

Illustrations:
        Cece Bell’s illustrations are colorful, fun, and full of personality. All of the people in the novel are depicted as cartoon bunnies rather than people, which effectively makes them look more similar to each other, and highlights the other differences between the characters, like personality and disability. One aspect of the illustrations that I enjoyed is how Bell visually depicted the moments where the main character either could not hear or could not make out what the other person in the scene was saying. Frequently, speech bubbles were completely empty or full of undiscernible gibberish. This allows the reader to experience, even just for a moment, what it might be like living as a deaf person. 

Style and language:
        Bell’s use of language creates an extremely engaging novel. Appropriate for all elementary grades, the language is easily understood. An important aspect of the style and language is how visual the novel is, and how much of the tone and style is depicted through visual context clues, such as facial expressions, speech bubbles, and setting.

Characterization:
        The characters in this novel are very realistic and there are many personalities to appeal to different kids. The main character, Cece, is one that many kids could relate to, whether disabled or not. Though her deafness is at the heart of many of her struggles, she also struggles with things that every kid might: crushes, friendships, and grades. The other characters in the novel learn how to be a good friend to Cece, which means being receptive to what she needs and listening to how they can alter their approach. 

Bell, C., & Tubert, S. (2023). El Deafo. Listening Library.