I Have a Sister My Sister is Deaf explains what it means to be deaf in a straightforward manner. The narrator examines how being deaf affects her little sister's life as well as her own. Jeanne Whitehouse Peterson does not sugarcoat the experience nor does she paint her sister as a victim. The reality is that she has a sister who cannot hear the telephone, the piano, or her sister calling her name. Yet, she can read lips and speak with her "face and shoulders." I admire Whitehouse Peterson's ability to educate people about deafness without being didactic. For example, she includes an anecdote about how friends ask if being deaf hurts. She replies, "No...but her feelings do when people do not understand."

The pictures by Deborah Ray are done in pencil. The gray and black drawings communicate a melancholy that isn't in the text. Also, if the little sister relies on visuals, wouldn't it make more sense for more colorful, engaging illustrations? As an adult I admire Ray's technical prowess, but I think children may overlook this wonderful story because of the illustrations' muted tone. ( )