Having a Hearing Test

Children's Literature - Elizabeth Leis-Newman

A basic look at what a child should expect when having a hearing test, there's nothing wrong or inaccurate here, but there's also nothing that makes the book stand out. Geared toward kindergarten students, the contents include explaining what a hearing test is and why a child would have one, who does the hearing test, what type of equipment is involved, whether it will hurt and what happens if there is a problem. It's the last section that falls the shortest, in that it says that a patient may receive medication, have an operation or have a hearing aid. There's no mention of what a cochlear implant is, what being deaf means, or ear injury or pain that can result from ear, nose and throat problems. A page called "Tips to Keep Your Ears Healthy" could also have used more meat, as could a picture glossary that only has the terms operation, hearing aid and expert. Even for this age bracket, it would have been worthwhile to explain more about ear infections, which many children at its targeted age group experience. Additional sections include an index and a short list of books and websites to learn more. Librarians, teachers or a parent may only feel the need to purchase this if there is fear on the part of a child undergoing a hearing test, or if there are lots of questions. Otherwise, it's information that can be imparted by a caring adult. This book is part of the Heinemann Read and Learn series "Growing Up," and is listed as a Level J. Reviewer: Elizabeth Leis-Newman