Cecelia Carolina Bell (born December 26, 1970) is an American freelance author and illustrator born in Richmond, Virginia. She attended the

Paier College of Art Paier College (formerly Paier College of Art) is a private for-profit art college in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Previously located in Hamden, Connecticut, Paier is the only independent art college in Connecticut. History In 1946, Paier was e ...

as an art major and went on to get a graduate degree in illustration and design at

Kent State University Kent State University (KSU) is a public research university in Kent, Ohio. The university also includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio and additional facilities in the region and internationally. Regional campuses are located in ...

in 1991. She became a freelance commercial artist, illustrator and designer for an array of projects before beginning her career as a full-time author illustrator, Her work has appeared in

The Atlantic Monthly ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...

Vegetarian Times ''Vegetarian Times'' is an American publication focused on food, culture, health and lifestyle for vegetarians, vegans, and all people interested in plant-based eating. ''Vegetarian Times'' promotes an eco-friendly lifestyle with recipes, and he ...

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely ...

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

Working Woman Since the industrial revolution, participation of women in the workforce outside the home has increased in industrialized nations, with particularly large growth seen in the 20th century. Largely seen as a boon for industrial society, women in ...

, ''Esquire'' and many other publications. Bell is married to children's author

Tom Angleberger Tom Angleberger is an American children's writer, best known for the ''Origami Yoda'' series. As of March 2013, more than 3.3 million copies of his books had been sold worldwide. Angleberger lives in Virginia with his wife, Cece Bell, who is al ...

. She won the

Newbery Medal The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished cont ...

Honor and Eisner Award for her book ''

El Deafo ''El Deafo'' is a graphic novel written and illustrated by Cece Bell. The book is a loose autobiographical account of Bell's childhood and life with her deafness. The characters in the book are all anthropomorphic bunnies. Cece Bell, in an int ...

''.

''El Deafo''

'' is based on Cece Bell's own childhood as she grows up

deaf Deafness has varying definitions in cultural and medical contexts. In medical contexts, the meaning of deafness is hearing loss that precludes a person from understanding spoken language, an audiological condition. In this context it is written ...

. She wanted there to be a handbook for hearing people so they knew how to understand and communicate with deaf people without being disrespectful. It eventually evolved into

graphic novel A graphic novel is a long-form, fictional work of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comic scholars and industry ...

where children who were deaf could see themselves positively represented in a book. Cece uses the imagery of everyone illustrated as rabbits as a visual metaphor. When she was growing up, she felt like the only rabbit whose ears didn't work as in doing so she shows being deaf as a power. She also shows and talks about how being deaf isn't something negative. The title comes from the idea that she feels powerful like a superhero with the assistance of her Phonic Ear, the

hearing aid A hearing aid is a device designed to improve hearing by making sound audible to a person with hearing loss. Hearing aids are classified as medical devices in most countries, and regulated by the respective regulations. Small audio amplifiers s ...

she uses in order to hear her teachers at school.

Bibliography

* ''

'' * ''Sock Monkey Takes a Bath'' * ''I Yam a Donkey'' * ''Sock Monkey in the Spotlight'' * ''Food Friends: Fun Foods That Go Together'' * ''Sock Monkey Boogie Woogie: A Friend Is Made'' * ''Sock Monkey Rides Again'' * ''Sock Monkey Goes to Hollywood: A Star is Bathed'' * ''Itty Bitty'' * ''Bee-Wigged'' * ''Rabbit and Robot: The Sleepover''

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, Cece 1970 births American children's writers Newbery Honor winners Writers from Richmond, Virginia American deaf people Deaf writers Deaf artists Living people