Cora's the Boss
Children's Book Illustration
This is my first published children's book, which I illustrated. The story was written by Chantal Roche, it tells the story of her daughter, Cora, as she navigates preschool as a profoundly deaf child with Cochlear Implants. Along with learning American Sign Language (ASL) at her new school, Cora begins to understand valuable life lessons about sharing, helping others, and friendship. In the end, Cora gets a special gift, her sign name.
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Cora has Waardenburg syndrome, a genetic condition often linked to deafness, wide-set eyes, bright blue or different colored eyes, and a white forelock of hair. While working on her character, I took time to study reference photos provided by her family to ensure that Cora's appearance felt authentic and true to who she is.
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It was important to both the author and me to thoughtfully represent Cora's deafness, Waarenburg syndrome and ASL. We hope this story allows more people to recognize and appreciate the identity and diversity within the Deaf community, and helps Deaf children see themselves proudly presented on the page, even offering comfort and connection to parents who are new to raising a Deaf child.
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This book is available for purchase through vivajess.com.
Written by: Chantal Roche​​​
Role: Illustration
Tools: Procreate & Photoshop
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