Jen Blyth and Kerrie Taylor had a simple and powerful vision.
The Melbourne friends wanted to give deaf children and their families access to bedtime stories in Auslan, the language of the Australian deaf community.
After years of hard work, A Visit to the Zoo, Australia’s first bilingual children’s storybook has been released.
The authors, who are both Deaf, launched the book at Furlong Park School for Deaf Children last week.
Blyth said it was filling a clear need.
“There are lots of books about being deaf, but there’s not really many story books about deaf people,” she said.
“This book helps families bond and communicate with their deaf children and also helps children develop their literacy skills, which is so important.
“We’re really excited to see the children identify the signs with the pictures and go along with the story.”
The book took two years to produce, something Taylor said was essential in ensuring the book hit the mark.
“The creative process was relatively quick for us, but we took a bit of time finding the right Auslan illustrator to make sure we got the facial expressions and signs right,” she said.
With more than 300 copies already sold, Taylor said the plan is to continue the series.
“Now we’ve got the hang of the whole process, hopefully it’s all a bit quicker to get the next few books out,” she said.
“The goal is to have a library full of books with Auslan signs in them.
“We want to make sure the books are relatable for deaf children, and their every day lives, and help build their language skills.”
More information: www.tallgiraffe.com.au
