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Reviewed by Brenda Daniels for Readers' Favorite
In My Dawg Koa by Kelly Brakenhoff, Koa and Duke are dog friends. These dog friends play at each other’s homes, climb trees, pretend to be outlaws, shoot hoops, and race cars. They interact with each other’s siblings and parents and enjoy meals together. Both Duke and Koa are deaf. Koa’s whole family is deaf, and Duke’s family can hear. Whilst Duke’s family does use sign language, at Koa’s home, in addition to the use of sign language, there is a special flashing-light doorbell, vibrating alarm-clock pillows for each family member, video phones for calls, and signals to draw deaf people’s attention. In a lovely ending to the story, Duke receives from Koa for his birthday the same basketball shoes he had admired on his friend, and a flashing doorbell light, like Koa’s, from his dad.
I enjoyed the gentle humor in My Dawg Koa. For instance, in the illustrations done by Theresa Murray, a scene depicts Duke pretending to be dead as he waits for his mom to stop talking. A quirky little caterpillar pops up now and then with funny body language and facial expressions. The meal scenes also communicate humor in interaction with the pictures, with their references to noise, cleaning up, and politely eating unwanted food. This humor helps Kelly Brakenhoff to portray ordinary, loving families and helpful deaf aids, without being preachy. It helps her educate her readers about deaf communication in a fun and helpful way. Inset in the story are photographs of a woman depicting ASL signs. These signs match words that are highlighted in the text. In the peritext are informative notes about how deaf and hearing people can respond appropriately to noise.
