Dina the Deaf Dinosaur

Click cover to enlarge.

By: Carole Addabbo, Illustrated by: Valentine

Dina the Deaf Dinosaur by Carole Addabbo, illustrated by Valentine.

$19.95 trade paperback (2005) ISBN 1-889262-92-7

(Please note: the hardcover edition, ISBN 1-889262-04-8, published in 1997, is out of print and unavailable)

Dina runs away from home to the forest because her parents won't let her learn sign language. There she befriends an owl, a chipmunk, and a mole. Age: Five through ten.

Detailed Information

Published or Reader Reviews

"Warmly colored book:a straightforward plea for acceptance on behalf of children who may not know how to ask for it themselves."

—Los Angeles Times (Kevin Baxter)

"A tender book about misunderstandings and the various ways we can speak to each other. book to be cherished and given many times over."

—Hannah Merker, Newswaves

"A delightfully whimsical yet true to life treatment of communication, so important to all of us. Should captivate children of all ages."

—Martin L. A. Sternberg, Ed.D., American Sign Language Dictionary

"Dina the Deaf Dinosaur is a graceful combination of education and entertainment."

—Matt Penn, Director

"I adore children's books, especially when the story is so endearing. Dina the Deaf Dinosaur is a wonderful story that is beautifully illustrated. This is the kind of book you would want to give any child, hearing or deaf. The message is so tender. 'Communication is the beginning of love"

—Endeavor, published by the American Society of Deaf Children (Sandy H.)

"Highly recommended."

—The Children's Bookwatch

"If you're looking for a meaningful book that children from four to ten years old will love, treat them to Dina the Deaf Dinosaur...a touching children's story and an excellent primer for communicating in and learning more about the world of our deaf peers..."

—Disability News Service

About the Author

Carole Addabbo

Carole Addabbo is the author of the charming children's book Dina the Deaf Dinosaur. Addabbo, who has been deaf since birth, has taught American Sign Language at New York University as well as acting internationally with the National Theatre of the Deaf theatre company.

Click here to find more books by Carole Addabbo

About the Illustrator

Valentine

Valentine is an accomplished fine artist and professional weaver who relocated from Rhode Island, where she and her husband raised their two children, back to her home state of California. Valentine's amazing illustrations, each one an original watercolor, for the children's book by Carole Addabo, Dina the Deaf Dinosaur, reflect the unique detailed style of this imaginative artist.

Click here to find more books illustrated by Valentine

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Foreign, Subsidiary, & Film Inquiries

Foreign sales" Norwegian

For all other languages, or English reprint considerations, send your request to the foreign rights department at Hannacroix Creek Books, Inc.: hannacroix@aol.com. Our company maintains an active network of highly-regarded and prestigious foreign agents in most major territories; in territories where we are not represented by a foreign co-agent, we deal directly with foreign publishers.

For reprint consideration of Dina the Deaf Dinosaur, including mass market paperback rights, or for book clubs, contact the subsidiary rights department at Hannacroix Creek Books, Inc. (hannacroix@aol.com, Fax: 203-968-0193) and your inquiry will be considered.

Direct your film rights inquiries to our Film Rights Department (e-mail: hannacroix@aol.com, call, or fax based on the contact information listed at this site).

Articles

"Dina the Deaf Dinosaur: An Interview with the Author"

This interview was conducted by the publisher via e-mail with Dina the Deaf Dinosaur's author, Carole Addabbo:

Question: "Why do you think your book will appeal to all children, whether they are deaf or can hear?"
Carole's Answer:"This book is intended to enable hearing children to understand the challenges deaf people face and the beauty of sign language. I also hope to let deaf children know that they are not alone. For parents of deaf children or whose children have deaf friends or neighbors, this children's book demonstrates the frustration deaf children may face and show how isolated they can become. But there are larger messages here: Communication is the key to community; Understanding cannot occur without communication; a small expenditure of effort can create warmth, friendship and, indeed, family."

"I also hope the book will inspire hearing children to learn more about sign language, and perhaps try to master the skill and art of this language of the eye."

Question: "What was it like for you when you were growing up that makes you relate to Dina's experiences?"
Carole's Answer:"I grew up believing I was the only person in the world who could not hear. My parents, older brother, and younger sister could all hear. I lived through a very frustrating childhood filled with speech classes, large boxes with wires and earpieces that were the hearing aids of the 1950s and 1960s, schoolmates who did not include in their games and gossip. While I did learn to read lips, I was never certain that I understood what was being said and if anyone turned his or her head in conversation, I was completely lost. I became leery of joining any group conversations for fear of speaking off the point or, worse, making a comment out of context."

"School rooms were no better as I could only pick up a handful of words from lectures and missed out entirely when the teacher would turn her head to write, while still talking, on the blackboard."

"I met my first deaf friend when I was 14. It was a revelation. Her parents and siblings were all deaf or hard-of-hearing and had lights which flashed when the door bell range, and a special device with a keyboard instead of a telephone. I knew for the first that I was not alone. I also saw how they communicated constantly and intensely with their hands."

"I picked up this language for the eye quite quickly and comfortably. My parents had forbade me to use this new language and were not pleased to know I was spending time with these new friends. But, for the first time in my life, I was comfortable with others and could enjoy conversation. I grew to resent my family's refusal to learn this language and to leave me to be alone through family dinner discussion and, often, through life itself."

"I believe Dina experienced the same frustration and a similar new found sense of community when she met the forest animals. She clearly enjoyed these new friends and was ultimately pleased to return to her parents once they learned how to communicate with her."

Question: "Why did you pick a dinosaur for Dina the Deaf Dinosaur"?
Carole's Answer:"Dinosaurs fascinate children and adults alike. While they may have been ferocious during their time on earth, they are endless curiosities for us today, and quite tame. I felt that a dinosaur was an appropriate vehicle because it is unique, non-threatening, and the notion of a deaf dinosaur would be quite an unexpected combination. I thought it fanciful to use the comparison of a very old world animal with common animals of today - an owl, chipmunk, and mole - to provide contrast and to identify Dina as unique in every way."

Links of Interest

Here are some possible links on the Web to organizations and information sources on deafness. Links checked December 15, 2008. (Please note: any of the listings that follow do not constitute an endorsement by the publisher or author. Also, since information may change unexpectedly or instantly on the Web, the accuracy of these links, the contents of the sites at those links, or the timeliness of the information that any site posts can not be vouched for or verified by the publisher, author, or illustrator):

American Society for Deaf Children
P.O. Box 3355
Gettysburg, PA 17325
http://www.deafchildren.org
E-mail address: asdc@deafchildren.org

National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders Information Clearinghouse (NIDCD)
31 Center Drive
MSC 2320
Bethesda, MD 20892-2320
http://www.nidcd.nih.gov
A U.S. government agency dedicated to research, advocacy, and public awareness about deafness and hearing loss.

Jamie Berke, Deafness Guide at About.com
http://deafness.miningco.com Berke, who has been deaf since birth, writes this informative site with lots of articles about different topics related to deafness and hearing loss including reviews of her favorite movies and novels that deal with deafness.

National Association of the Deaf (NAD)
814 Thayer Avenue
Silver Spring, MD 20910
http://www.nad.org
Founded in 1880, an advocacy and educational association concerned with the rights and needs of deaf and hard of hearing people. A directory of organizations and businesses that are affiliate members, listed by state, is maintained at their website.

National Deaf Education Center
Gallaudet University
800 Florida Avenue, N.E.
Washington, D.C. 20002
http://clerccenter.gallaudet.edu
From their website: "The aim of the Clerc Center is to improve the quality of education for deaf and hard of hearing children and youth from birth through age 21."

Gallaudet University
800 Florida Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20002
http://www.gallaudet.edu Founded in 1864 by an Act of Congress, this university, which offers undergraduate and graduate degrees, has all its programs created with the needs of deaf and hard of hearing students in mind.

DeafNation
http://www.deafnation.com
Informative resource on deafness and hard of hearing on the Internet. Also sponsors DaefNation Expos at various locations around the United States.

Canadian Hard of Hearing Association (CHHA)
2435 Holly Lane Suite 205
Ottawa, Ontario K1V 7P2
http://www.chha.ca
Founded in 1982, CHHA is a nonprofit organization run by and for those who are hard of hearing.

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)
10801 Rockville Pike
Rockville, Maryland 20852
http://www.asha.org
A professional association with more than 118,000 members and affiliates including audiologists, speech-language pathologists, and scientists specializing in speech and language.

Media Kit

To book author Carole Addabbo or illustrator Valentine for a TV, radio, or print interview, or for an author event at a bookstore or library, send an e-mail to the publicity department at Hannacroix Creek Books: publicist@hannacroixcreekbooks.com or fax (203) 968-0193

If you are a member of the media, click contact hannacroix@aol.com to receive a press release, author and illustrator bios, and sample interview questions, for Dina the Deaf Dinosaur.

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