Book Review: I Deaf-initely Can, Rhett the Heeler (deaf dog and girl)(also in Spanish)

I Deaf-initely Can: Rhett the Heeler, by Karlie Waldrip (Karlie Waldrip, 2024, 29pp, ages 2-8, $16.99 PB) Reviewed by Skye Anderson

We LOVE this book. It's non-fiction but it needs an explanation. By looking at the cover, looking at the dog on the right, you might think, "What happened to him?" He is speckled and blue. But that is exactly how an Australian Cattle Dog looks, also known as a Blue Heeler or just Heeler. (Check him out in the photo on the last page of the book.) I think they are adorable.

As the story opens, and it's a real true story, we find a deaf Heeler in a dog shelter. He is a happy dog and one day a deaf girl comes to play with him but doesn't take him home. She does return a few days later though, and does take him home then.

Karlie the girl and Rhett the dog do everything together. They go everywhere together. Karlie is deaf, just like Rhett so they communicate using ASL (American Sign Language) - well, Karlie does, and Rhett learns to understand her signs.

But you don't have to be deaf to use ASL. One of my students uses it with her hearing dog! I teach hand signals in my dog training class but I could also teach ASL!

Karlie (and Rhett) loves to teach people about the fact that Rhett can do everything just like all of his furry four-legged friends - run, fetch, explore, swim. And so can Karlie.

We also love the illustrations by Lucy Rogers, also a deaf artist, and love Karlie's maroon T-shirt that says LOVE in ASL.

If you would like to try your hand at ASL, just look at the inside covers and copy the hand signals in three places in the book. Then, go teach your own dog!

We Deaf-initely Can! Let the Adventures Begin! is book two in the series. I can't wait to read it.