Little bear lives with Dad Bear, and little bear seems to hear through vibrations. When Dad Bear comes to wake him up, he feels the thump of his big feet, and when he’s called to breakfast, Dad Bear is so loud that ‘banisters shake, pictures wobble, and the stairs flinch.’ Little bear often misinterprets what Dad Bear says, and while they are watching TV, a man skiing, little bear thinks he hears: ‘Can bears ski?’ At school, little bear has to sit at the front of the class, and still can’t understand what is going on. He doesn’t understand the stories his classmates share, and often he is lonely. One day, Dad Bear takes him to the ‘audiologist’ (a big word, thinks little bear) and he is given tests to find out about his hearing. When the audiologist asks, ‘Can bears ski?’ very loudly, he is confused. After more tests and seeing a lip reading teacher and having some hearing therapy, he is ready for new hearing aids, and ‘can bears ski’ turns into ‘Can you hear me?’ Little bear has to wonder, ‘is life this loud?!’ He sometimes loses his aids, and sometimes if he is tired, sounds are still difficult, but all will be well. A charming and wonderfully evocative picture book of how life with a hearing impairment can affect a small person, and there is lots of humour in the illustrations as well as warmth and understanding.