The Sound of a Smile

A stunning new illustrated children''s book exploring deafness, friendship and the universal ways in which we can all communicate. One girl can''t hear the noisy world around her. In her ears, those sounds are sleeping. But she has found sounds that are hiding . . . Between the notes of a song. Between the beats of a wing . Between those sounds are my sounds. And I listen. What if someone in the noisy world listened to the beauty and magic of the silent things, too? Perhaps they might discover the sound of a smile; or even better, the sound of a friend. Through this hopeful and heartwarming story, author and poet Louise Grieg has drawn from her own experience to portray the feeling of isolation that can come with deafness. Brought to life with stunning illustrations from David Litchfield ( The Bear and the Piano ), this is a book to encourage communities - hearing or deaf - to put language barriers aside and come together in friendship.

About the author

David Litchfield first started to draw when he was very young, creating comics for his older brother and sister. Since then his work has appeared in magazines, newspapers, books and on T-shirts. David's first picture book The Bear and the Piano won the Waterstones Children's Book Prize. He lives in Bedfordshire.

Product details

• Authors: Louise Greig, Greig Louise
• Assisted by: David Litchfield (Illustration)
• Publisher: Orchard Books
• Languages: English
• Age Recommendation: from age 3
• Product format: Hardback
• Release: 16.07.2026
• EAN: 9781408365489
• ISBN: 978-1-4083-6548-9
• No. of pages: 32
• Subjects: Children's and young people's books > Non-fiction books / Non-fiction picture books > Mankind; JUVENILE FICTION / Social Themes / Friendship, Picture storybooks, Interest age: from c 3 years, For National Curriculum Early Years, For National Curriculum Early Years (England and Wales), Relating to people with hearing disabilities or impairments, JUVENILE FICTION / Disability