Cecelia Carolina Bell (born December 26, 1970, in

Richmond, Virginia Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

) is an American author, cartoonist, and illustrator. Most well known for her

graphic novel A graphic novel is a self-contained, book-length form of sequential art. The term ''graphic novel'' is often applied broadly, including fiction, non-fiction, and Anthology, anthologized work, though this practice is highly contested by comics sc ...

'' El Deafo'', Bell's work has appeared in ''

The Atlantic ''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher based in Washington, D.C. It features articles on politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science. It was founded in 185 ...

'', '' Vegetarian Times'', ''

Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly news magazine based in New York City. Founded as a weekly print magazine in 1933, it was widely distributed during the 20th century and has had many notable editors-in-chief. It is currently co-owned by Dev P ...

'', the ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'', '' Working Woman'', ''

Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentleman ...

'' and many other publications.

Biography

Bell suffered

hearing loss Hearing loss is a partial or total inability to hear. Hearing loss may be present at birth or acquired at any time afterwards. Hearing loss may occur in one or both ears. In children, hearing problems can affect the ability to acquire spo ...

as a child due to a case of

meningitis Meningitis is acute or chronic inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, collectively called the meninges. The most common symptoms are fever, intense headache, vomiting and neck stiffness and occasion ...

. As a result, she had to get used to using bulky and prominent hearing devices around her school-age peers. Bell attended the Paier College of Art 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 university, public research university in Kent, Ohio, United States. The university includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio located in Kent State University at Ashtabula, Ashtabula, Kent State ...

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.

Career

''El Deafo''

''El Deafo'' is based on Bell's own childhood. She wanted there to be a handbook for hearing people so they knew how to understand and communicate with deaf people without being disrespectful. The project eventually evolved into a

where children who were deaf could see themselves positively represented in a book. Bell uses the imagery of everyone illustrated as

rabbit Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also includes the hares), which is in the order Lagomorpha (which also includes pikas). They are familiar throughout the world as a small herbivore, a prey animal, a domesticated ...

s as a visual metaphor. When she was growing up, she felt like she was the only "rabbit" whose ears didn't work, 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 of the graphic novel comes from the idea that Cece feels powerful like a

superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...

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 ...

she uses in order to hear her teachers at school.

Personal life

Bell is married to children's author Tom Angleberger.

Awards and honors

Bell 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 contr ...

Honor and

Eisner Award The Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, commonly shortened to the Eisner Awards, are awards for creative achievement in American comic books. They are regarded as the most prestigious and significant awards in the comic industry and often referred ...

for '' El Deafo''. Five of Bell's books are

Junior Library Guild Junior Library Guild, formerly the Junior Literary Guild, is a commercial Book sales club, book club devoted to juvenile literature. It was created in 1929 as one of the enterprises of the Literary Guild, an adult book club created in 1927 by Samue ...

selections: ''Sock Monkey Rides Again'' (2007), ''El Deafo'' (2014), ''Rabbit & Robot and Ribbit'' (2016), ''Smell My Foot!: Chick and Brain'' (2019), and ''Egg or Eyeball?'' (2020), In 2014, '' El Deafo'' was named one of the best books of the year by ''

The Horn Book Magazine ''The Horn Book Magazine'', founded in Boston in 1924, is the oldest bimonthly magazine dedicated to reviewing children's literature. It began as a "suggestive purchase list" prepared by Bertha Mahony and Elinor Whitney Field, proprietors of t ...

'', ''

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...

'', the Los Angeles Public Library, ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'', and ''

School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, wi ...

''. It was also a ''

New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' Notable Children’s Book. In 2019, ''Smell My Foot!'' was named one of the best books of the year by the

Chicago Public Library The Chicago Public Library (CPL) is the public library system that serves the Chicago, City of Chicago in the U.S. state of Illinois. It consists of 81 locations, including a central library, three regional libraries, and branches distributed thr ...

and ''

''.

Publications

As author and illustrator

Standalone books

* ''Busy Buddies: Silly Stuff That Goes Together'' (2006, Candlewick Press, ) * ''Food Friends: Fun Foods That Go Together'' (2006, Candlewick Press, ) * ''Bee-Wigged'' (2008, Candlewick Press, ) * ''Itty Bitty'' (2009, Candlewick Press, ) * '' El Deafo'' (2014, Harry N. Abrams, ) * ''I Yam a Donkey!'' (2015, Clarion Books, ) * ''Chuck and Woodchuck'' (2016, Candlewick Press, ) * ''You Loves Ewe!'' (2019, Clarion Books, ) *
Animal Albums from A to Z
' (2024, Candlewick Press, )

Sock Monkey trilogy (2003-2006)

# ''Sock Monkey Goes To Hollywood: A Star Is Bathed'' (2003, Candlewick Press, ) # ''Sock Monkey Boogie Woogie: A Friend Is Made'' (2004, Candlewick Press, ) # ''Sock Monkey Rides Again'' (2006, Candlewick Press, )

Rabbit & Robot duo (2012-2016)

# ''The Sleepover'' (2012, Candlewick Press, ) # ''Rabbit and Robot and Ribbit'' (2016, Candlewick Press, )

Inspector Flytrap trilogy (2016-2017)

# ''Inspector Flytrap'' with Tom Angleberger (2016, Amulet Books, ) # ''Inspector Flytrap in The President’s Mane Is Missing'' with Tom Angleberger (2016, Harry N. Abrams, ) # ''Inspector Flytrap in The Goat Who Chewed Too Much'' with Tom Angleberger (2017, Harry N. Abrams, )

Chick and Brain duo (2019-2020)

# ''Smell My Foot!'' (2019, Candlewick Press, ) # ''Egg or Eyeball?'' (2020, Candlewick Press, )

As contributor

* ''The Best American Comics 2016'', edited by Roz Chast and Bill Kartalopoulos (2016,

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Company ( ; HMH) is an American publisher of textbooks, instructional technology materials, assessments, and reference works. The company is based in the Financial District, Boston, Boston Financial District. It was fo ...

, ) * ''Lunch!'' (2016, Random House Books for Young Readers, ) * ''Funny Girl,'' edited by Betsy Bird (2017, Viking Press)

As illustrator

* ''The Secret of the Fortune Wookiee'', written by Tom Angleberger (2012, Harry N. Abrams, ) * ''Bug Patrol'', written by Denise Dowling Mortensen (2013, Clarion Books, ) * ''Crankee Doodle'', written by Tom Angleberger (2013, Clarion Books, )

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 American artists with disabilities American writers with disabilities