I teach a unit about disabilities. This will be an important book to add to my collection as the goal is to help build empathy and learn how to interact with everyone.

Absolutely amazing. Between the written words and the beautiful illustrations, this book allows for both children and adults to empathize with the daily struggles of those among us that are deaf. It would be a great addition to any children’s bookshelf!

The story is just what you think it is - it is about how deaf people are human, too. A beautiful message that ALL children of ALL ages need to know. But the suprise of this book is the STUNNING artwork. It is seriously gorgeous. A true feast for your eyes.

Please, Don’t Treat Me Differently, Because I’m Deaf is a gentle book that teaches kids about empathy, understanding, and inclusion through the voice of a young deaf child. The rhyming verses are easy to follow and heartfelt, making complex topics feel accessible and warm. What I loved most was how it created an opening for a meaningful conversation with my child—without being preachy or overwhelming. The message is one every kid (and adult) should hear.

Louder Than Words: A Must-Read in Every Classroom!

Please, Don’t Treat Me Differently, Because I’m Deaf speaks volumes with its sweet rhymes, powerful perspective, and heart-hugging message that had me teary-eyed and totally inspired.

This book? A total YES! 💙📚 Please, Don’t Treat Me Differently, Because I’m Deaf doesn’t just rhyme—it shines. It’s sweet, real, and packed with so much heart, I almost hugged the pages. I mean, it’s not every day a book teaches kids to be kind, aware, AND cool about differences without making it a snooze fest. I loved how it made me smile and tear up a little (don’t judge). Read it with your kiddos, your students, your neighbor’s cat—whoever! Just read it. 🧏‍♀️✨

Jumping right into this review, I've said it a million times...NO MORE AI IMAGES!!! In the case of this book, I think some stock images would still work fine, and it would add some more life to this book, and I think that it could allow for some more variety between pages. In short, I believe that the AI images of this book hindered it rather than assisted it.
However, I didn't dislike this book. I think that this book is absolutely great for all kids to read in order to spread awareness and empathy around kids that are deaf. Additionally, the way this book is written is perfect, and I really appreciate that the author speaks from experience. It will make for a more relatable and meaningful reading experience for kids that are deaf.
Lastly, I'm a bit confused by the last bit of this book. It felt very out of place, and I honestly could have done without it. I think just sticking to the poetry and leaving it at that would be beneficial for this book to avoid confusion and make this book more concise and polished.

This is a great rhyming book for kids about what it’s like to be deaf or hard of hearing and how we need to be patient and slow down our speaking to allow for lip reading.

The book helps the reader understand from a deaf or HoH perspective how it can be frustrating for them to be overlooked or not given enough time to grasp what is being said to them and they can be assumptions made about their level of understanding and intelligence because people don’t have the patience to allow them time to lip read.

I really liked this and it’s pitched at the perfect level for children to understand the only thing g I would have liked was for there to maybe have been some starter signs in the book that linked to the poem/book. Kids love to interact and it’s a great way to inspire them to want to learn to sign.

thank you, NetGalley for an advanced ARC of this book

This is a nice little book of positive affirmations for children, the pictures with the words go together lovely

The title of this short, illustrated title lets the reader know what is important. This book was written by a person who knows about hearing loss from personal experience and shares perspective.

This book could well offer a good entry point for discussion with kids about understanding and treating people with empathy.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Da'Bombay Publishing LLC for this title. All opinions are my own.

A great book to help teach children about diversity and how to treat people with disabilities (and other differences) with understanding and respect. A good one. Thank you, Da'Bombay Publishing LLC and Netgalley for the complimentary copy.