Hi, and welcome to the first post-publication edition of the Deaf Baby Instruction Manual newsletter.

Writers almost universally talk about the weirdness of getting a book published, and holding something in your hands that’s lived so long in your head. But anyone who’s ever put thought and effort in a long-term project will understand how getting over the finish line can be both happy and a little sad, satisfying and kind of unreal.

So I’m starting this new chapter (haw-haw) in a kind of cautious mood. I am very grateful for the early success of the book, and all the support I’ve gotten from the communities connected with it. Lots of you have had kind things to say, and so far, the critiques have mostly been gentle. But I’m also aware that when you build a boat, you’ve got to sail it, which is why I’ve been running around so much lately doing readings and virtual events.

It seems funny to say this about something as didactic as the Deaf Baby Instruction Manual, but I’ve only got a limited role in how the book will be used, and what people will get from it. Going out and meeting parents and professionals is part of that role. Without readers, it’s obviously dead in the water, but reading in front of an audience means I get to see people’s reaction to different bits of the book, and participate in the conversations that come out of it.

Since helping families is the goal, those conversations are key, because they’re the next step towards actually taking action to better support their deaf and hard of hearing kids. So if you want me to come talk about what’s in the book, and start some conversations, please contact me here.

Amazon, Goodreads, and the good ol’ Library

Now’s the part where I beg you guys for reviews! Online reviews are important for the long-term health of a book, and throwing me a 5-star rating on Amazon or Goodreads will keep the Deaf Baby Instruction Manual high in the search results, and get it into the hands of families looking for information. So if you bought the book on Amazon, please bounce back to the page and leave a review, or do the same if you’re a Goodreads-er. Thanks!

I also continue to get questions about requesting that your local library stock the DBIM. I linked to this tutorial into a previous email, but basically, most library systems have a web page to “suggest a book” or “make purchase request.” You’ll just need to have the right information to fill out the form:

Title: The Deaf Baby Instruction Manual
Author: Will Fertman
Publisher: Bloomsbury Academic
Publication Date: April 16, 2026
ISBN: 9798765189375

Good luck, and I’ll see you in the stacks.

Comic Club!

Recently, I’ve been running an after-school comic book club at Oscar’s school. The club was his idea, after Robot Club and before Video Game Club, and it was the only one of the three I was qualified to administer. But it was a no-brainer, really; if you’ve ever met me in person (or checked out my Bluesky feed) you’ve gotten my rant about how we’re in the golden age of children’s literature, and especially comics. (And 90% of all children’s literature is secretly comics: words + pictures covers pretty much everything from Eric Carle through to chapter books.)

This made it easy to put together a big box of my non-problematic faves from Oscar and Leo’s collection, including but not limited to Hilo, Tea Dragon Society, Phoebe and Her Unicorn, Johnny Boo, Dog Man, My Aunt is a Monster, a bunch of Elise Gravel work, a few stray Ms. Marvels, Squirrel Girls and Tiny Titans, some of the excellent “new” Archies, and a bunch more. Every other week, I gallumph them over to CSD’s library where head librarian Joann Ikeda co-leads the club with me.

It’s a strictly drop-in affair—no attendance taken, and no homework given. We start with a quick topic for day: favorite books / characters, different genres, different jobs involved in making comics, women creators, etc. Then kids are allowed to either go read comics or make their own.

Reading, writing and drawing are the goals. I bring art supplies and pre-printed sheets with various comics panels for the kids to start with. Then I hover around the edges, helping define unfamiliar vocabulary (we keep a big list of “weird words” the kids discover in their reading) suggesting interesting further reading or encouraging kids to keep drawing (and use more color!) I sometimes struggle to keep up with their ASL, but Joanne is right there to lend a hand, draw out their thinking and encourage them to dive deeper.

In terms of production, the kids have made everything: gag strips, sports stories, a couple “6,7” jokes, fanfic sequels, movie reviews, Sonic the Hedgehog (and Slenderman!) pastiches. We’ve also gotten glimpses of one student’s ongoing, multi-chapter shojo-style family drama. And of course the kids have also made many unclassifiable experiments where the muse drove them places I couldn’t follow.

On the consumption side, there’s just been no end to the great books from up and down the age and reading-level spectrum. Everything from science-oriented titles Science Comics or Heaven’s Design Team to superhero hybrid works like Katie the Catsitter and Sparks, memoirs like Smile or dramas like Babysitter’s Club or Boys Run the Riot. Not to mention all the comic strip collections of Garfield, Calvin & Hobbes, Nancy, For Better or Worse (!!!), and That Deaf Guy.

My favorite new discovery is The Accursed Vampire by Madeline McGrane. It tells the story of the vampire kid Dragoslava, the put-upon servant of an emotionally manipulative witch, who’s been tasked with retrieving her spellbook from a renegade apprentice. It’s a droll, sensitive and slightly spooky tale about choosing good relationships over bad ones, and loving yourself even when other people see you as a monster. Appropriate for late-elementary kids and above.

While I’m not done with young children’s books by a long shot—Beyond Brown Bear will be back next issue—I’ll also be bringing my discoveries from Comics Club as well, focusing on visual learning, art, literacy, and on the comics (and probably plain ol’ books) that Oscar and his friends are digging now that they’re in their elementary era.

Pics from the Book Tour and Launch Party

My trip back East was an incredible experience, made more special because my parents and brother were there for it. I met many wonderful Deaf folks, parents, professionals, students and educators, and I want to thank everyone who hosted me: Andrew Bottoms and Naomi Caselli at Boston University Deaf Center, Kim Ofori-Sanzo and Amy Fetterman at Language First’s CT Early Language Center, Patti Marino-Aratingi and Joseph Santini at NYSD Fanwood in New York, and Alee Capps at The Learning Tree in Fremont:

This email is already long enough, so I’ll spare you the full travelog, but here are a couple pictures to give you the idea.

As always, if you’ve got questions about me, the book, or kid vampires, drop me a note and we can chat.