The Emma books are adorable and the natural successor to the Moses books that came before them. I love that they show signs and indicate in the text how and when the signs are used. I think some of the fingerspelling is a little out of place, though, as it is even used for words that could or would be simply signed.

Party Problems is part of the Emma Every Day series. Emma is deaf, but has a cochlear implant. My great nephew has a cochelar implant and he does not use sign language, he is working on his speech and he talks to his family and friends. Having said that, I think it depends upon your age when you get one and how much it improves your hearing. This story has Emma heading down the street to her friend's birthday party. She is accepted easily by all and makes a new friend. They have some finger spelling in the story and show some signs at the end. This is a simple story that my grandson and I read together. We also talked about his cousin being born deaf and what the cochlear implant does for him. This is a good book to show that people who are deaf can do everything a hearing person can do.

While this book is easy to read, there wasn't much to the story. When I read I think of how I could use the book in school and classroom libraries. I liked the character, but wished there was more of a plot to engage readers.

Communication and Play at a Party

This is a very sweet early reader chapter book that features Emma, who is deaf, as she prepares to go to a birthday party at her friend's house. She has some fears at first (will her friend like her gift... will she know any other guests?) but finds the children welcoming, some even signing with her. They play a game and open presents. That's pretty much the gist of the story.

Before the story starts, ASL signs for individual letters and numbers (to 10) are shown in simple drawings. Some were too simple or were shown from the wrong angle because some looked too similar or were hard to see where to put your fingers precisely. I actually did manual signing when I was a child, so I am familiar with these letters. But my memory isn't perfect for all of them, and sometimes the illustrations did not help. Throughout the text, Emma and her friends sometimes will manually spell certain words, shown as the manual symbols next to the word in English. If the symbols were better, this book would have been awesome. At the very end of the book, they give some ASL motions for complete words, although, again, these weren't always clear. I think a child might get frustrated at the difficulty of understanding what movements they are supposed to make for the letters and words. I do like that in the book, however, Emma's friends, at least some of them, know how to sign and use that to communicate with her. Despite the problem with the signing illustrations, this book is actually well suited for both a deaf child and her or his friends who might be interested in learning to communicate with their hearing-impaired friend. Except for the signing illustration issues, I thought this was a decent book that would help give a deaf child more confidence as well as help his or her friends.

3.5 stars. Cute, simple story. Not much conflict. Emma experiences some anxiety - will Izzie like her dress? Will the noise of the party make it hard for her to communicate? Will she know anyone else there? All are quickly and easily resolved.

Emma's hearing loss, cochlear implant, and use of sign language are part of who she is, but not the issue around which the story is built, which I enjoyed. I loved the occasional finger spellings in the text. Fun information in the back matter.

I like that while Emma is Deaf, that's simply an aspect of her character. It's not a major part of the plot. The story itself is pretty universally relatable, centering on the fears that you won't fit in with kids you've never met.

This is a cute early chapter book that will be a big hit with beginning readers. Emma is nervous as she gets ready for her friends' birthday party. Will Izzie like her present? Will Emma know anyone there? Emma is deaf. She uses a cochlear implant to help her hear and she also uses ASL. There is a diagram of the manual alphabet at the beginning of the book and then some words within the story are spelled out using ASL. Though Emma is deaf, the story is not centered around that aspect of her identity. This is a story about worries, being with friends, and having fun.

A cute short story about friendship. It’s perfect to approach deaf culture and American Sign Language to the young.

I requested and received an e-ARC of this book from C.L. Reid and Capstone through NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I LOVE THIS BOOK! This book teaches kids the ASL alphabet, how to hand spell, and how to sign a few key words from the book. I love that this book was written by a deaf-blind author that uses ASL to communicate. I think ASL should be taught in school and these books are a great way to introduce ASL to children. I cannot wait to read the three other Emma Every Day books; Going on a Field Trip, Crazy for Apples, and Tap Dance Troubles.

This title fills a gap in titles available for early readers by featuring a young character who is deaf without it being the focus of the story. While Emma's deafness certainly plays a key role (as it would in any situation in her life), the story remains centered on her anxiety over attending a birthday party and wondering how she will fit in. Not only is this relatable to most kids, but it normalizes her deafness in a gentle way. The inclusion of ASL signs is very appreciated--the more exposure and opportunities to learn about different abilities and cultures kids have, the greater their ability to be inclusive and accepting.

We need more titles like this for young readers!

I was so excited to read this book. But I felt like it didn't do what I was hoping. None of the signing was pictured really (except in the glossary). I don't think anyone would finger spell "ha ha" - wouldn't they just laugh? It ended up being bland.

This is such a cute book. I loved it. The illustrations are great. I like the simple story and the message behind it. I love the alphabet and number in sign are in the book. The glossary at the end of the book is fantastic for kids. I will be buying this for our library.

Emma Every Day is a perfect mix of early reader and exposure to ASL. Often readers have to wait until upper elementary to see any authentic Deaf characters in books so it was joy to read about Emma. I hope this series continues and that Emma has many more adventures with her friends!

Great beginning chapter book for novice readers. I love the fact that Emma is a girl who is deaf. Finger spelling and words used in the book are demonstrated with illustrations. Emma is facing a very every day problem. She has her best friend's birthday party. She is nervous about what she is wearing. Will her best friend like her gift? She's worried that she may not know anyone else who is there.

This is a great first chapter books series for beginning readers. I think my daughter will absolutely love Emma. I can't wait to order this for our library!

This is a great book showing that someone who is deaf has the same feelings as everyone else.

Emma is invited to Izzie’s birthday party. She is worried that her dress is too fancy. She is nervous that she won’t know anyone but Izzy at the party. When she gets to Izzie’s house, Izzy tells Emma she likes her dress. When Izzy doesn’t see anyone, she knows in the crowded room, Emma begins to worry again. Suddenly, a girl runs up and signs to Emma that her name is Sarah. Since Sarah knows sign language, the two can talk.

This was a good story about how kids get nervous about going to a party. It is that much more difficult when a person is deaf. I would have liked to see Emma unable to communicate with the other children to show this difficulty. It does say that she couldn’t understand what others were saying but I feel this could have been enhanced a bit.

Overall, it is a nice book with very cute illustrations. I was happy to see the learn to sign pages at the end.


I received an ARC from Capstone through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book. I am voluntarily submitting this review and am under no obligation to do so.

Emma Every Day is a such a cute book. I love that way it introduces young readers to sign language and to people with hearing challenges.

I absolutely loved how sign-language was included in this story. I think it makes Emma Every Day special. My daughter, who is six, was absolutely hooked by the sign-language. She tried to do all the signs as we read through the story. It was a fun way to enjoy a book together!

Title: Party Problems
Author: C. L. Reid
Release Date: 8.1.2020
Review Date: 5.1.2020

I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.


This one was cute. Where I live with everything that’s going on the Governor gives an update every evening and has a translator for the deaf community and everyone is so fascinated with her so I think the kids would really like this series.

I’m thrilled to see this series of books and even more thrilled that they are written by a Deaf Blind author. Deaf children are rarely portrayed in literature. I work with deaf children everyday as an interpreter, so this will give me a book series I can recommend to them. They will see characters they can relate to and characters just like them.

It’s wonderful to see the fingerspelling included in the text. And since many Deaf kids have cochlear implants, the inclusion of a character that uses a cochlear implant will be a point many will relate to. The illustrations are bright and fun.

I was a bit disappointed with the lack of depth and character development. The character is portrayed as feeling nervous about going to a party, which is certainly the norm, but I’d like to see the author expound on why it’s difficult for Deaf kids to go to parties. She did briefly mention the noise of the party being a problem, but she didn’t mention how that made the character feel. I’d like to see even more of a glimpse into the internal struggle. I realize it’s a simple kid’s book, but I hope the author explores more of the difficulties Deaf kids experience.

I know many Deaf kids feel alone in the mainstream school setting. I hope the author explores a more authentic Deaf experience where the characters do not have cochlear implants and they rely completely on American Sign Language to communicate, perhaps at a school for the Deaf and/or a using a sign language interpreter to communicate with their peers.

There is so much potential for this becoming an excellent series, covering a wide range of topics that relate to many Deaf experiences. I will definitely be watching to see what they’re release in the future.

I received an ARC copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

What a beautiful little picture book, featuring a day in the life of a young deaf girl. Showing the different ways she understands what's going on around her, and with the full finger spelling alphabet so children can practice. I strongly believe everyone should be able to fingerspell at the very least, and this is a great way to make it fun for children. Fantastic.