Kay’s New Friends

About the Book

Kay is very excited to start school in her new African home. She is sure she will make lots of new friends and learn many new things. However, it isn’t long before Kay’s excitement becomes loneliness. Kay is different. She comes from a different country, speaks a different language and is profoundly deaf. Kay’s classmates don’t understand what it means to be deaf. Because they don’t understand, some of her classmates mistake her behavior as weird or rude. There must be some way to make them understand! In today’s world, more and more special needs children are being main-streamed into regular classrooms. All of the students in the classroom must learn to tolerate and accept each other, work together, and become friends. When Kay—our deaf heroine—makes the exciting transition to a new school in a new country, she and all her new classmates must learn to communicate in different ways.

About the Author

Carole Ferster is a retired biologist and Bronx Zoo educator. She has seven grandchildren, one of whom is deaf. She embarked on an educational journey to learn sign language, where she met her study partner Sue Langus. Their experiences on the journey they shared inspired this book. Sue Langus honed her skills of communication during more than thirty years of practicing dental hygiene. Upon retiring, she combined her dexterity and verbal skills into learning and teaching American Sign Language. Sue is mother of two, and grandmother of two. Sarelle Rosner is an artist, educator, and guidance counselor. Blending these disciplines, she has taught children with special needs to work successfully together with their typically developing classmates. She has found that creating art for and with students can help bridge many diverse learning styles and disabilities.