• Age: 5 to 7
• Grade: k to 3
• Reading age: 6 to 8

Colin's mom has hired Heather and Molly to paint his room. They are deaf, and chat with their hands using sign while they paint Colin’s room, leading to a delightful speckled effect on the walls.

Alexis Domney graduated from Sir James Whitney School for the Deaf - the oldest school for the Deaf in Ontario. She spends her time volunteering at Deaf community events and is currently volunteer staff for the Canadian Deaf Youth Leadership Camp in 2012. She lives in Pemberton, British Columbia.

Alexis Domney's profile page

Alice Crawford is a Deaf professional graphic designer and illustrator. Her whimsical collage illustrations are made from scraps of paper, catalogues, and discarded printed-paper stock from distributors, fabric, and her photos of found objects and of nature. She lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba with her family.

Alice Crawford's profile page

This purposive story has much to recommend it. It folds in details of hearing-Deaf communication naturally, and Crawford’s multimedia collages burst with energy and color.

Kirkus Review

This is a great choice for discussing Deaf culture, emphasizing their love for communication in ASL, and the many ways hearing people can communicate with the Deaf.

School Library Journal

“…it breaks my heart when I see Deaf children read books as if they would be a better person if they learned to speak…”

Prairie Books NOW

Incorporating deaf characters into a story that is not specifically about deafness is valuable, as is the supportive material about signing and the explanation of how the message relay system works to enable deaf tradespeople to take telephone calls.

Quill & Quire

Splish, Splat! is a delightful story that young children will enjoy. An additional benefit is that it provides readers with new insights about Deaf people in ways that will value their life experiences.

CM Magazine

Readers are shown that people who are deaf are not only able to work at any job as anyone else might, but more importantly that they are just as human in every way as any other person.

Resource Links

It is a great springboard for discussion of several topics, including communication and ability.

ETFO Voice Magazine