“I was a regular little kid.  I played with my mom’s stuff.  I watched TV with my big brother, Ashley, and my big sister, Sarah.  I rode on the back of my father’s bicycle.  I found caterpillars with my friend Emma.  And I sang.  But then everything changed.”  Cece pg. 1 – 2, El Deafo

As a result of an illness at the age of four, Cece Bell became “severely to profoundly” deaf.  El Deafo is the story of her early years, starting school, making friends, first crushes, everything that goes into elementary school life, only difference is Cece has to do it with a large hearing aid, called the Phonic Ear, strapped to her chest.  Feeling like everyone is staring at Phonic Ear, or is it her, Cece feels lonely, until she realizes that having the Phonic Ear may just give her superpowers!  Will her new superpower make the kids like her?  Will she use her superpower for good?  Read El Deafo by Cece Bell, laugh with her, cry with her, fly with her, experience how Cece felt growing up a little different from everyone else.

El Deafo is a graphic novel, a novel that is a combination of text and artwork, like a comic book.  Cece Bell both wrote and illustrated this book.  If you’d like to see what else Cece has written and illustrated you can visit her website cecebell.com.

Fun Facts

# 1: Cece Bell is married to the author of the Origami Yoda series, Tom Angleberger.

# 2: Cece Bell got her master’s degree in illustration and design, right here at Kent State University.

 **The illustration is from El Deafo and was found on Cece Bell's website.