Showcasing Our Similarities Through Storytelling
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Happy kids literature provides young minds with great literature, exciting illustrations, and meaningful lessons, that enrich their everyday lives.
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Our focus on representation of all ethnicities, offers an early introduction to the similarities we all share
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Introducing characters and leads of minority descent can lead to a greater understanding of the varying physical appearances of humans and especially, the kids in class…..
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Our mission is to create meaningful literature that encourages positivity and respect between all types of people. We help children understand their core values of equality by focusing on the similarities we all share.
OUR VISION
Our vision is to be the number one source of meaningful literature providers for kids and teenagers to help them be the better version of themselves.
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We are a children's publishing company specializing in publications for children with hearing loss.
Our products engage, connect, and inspire young people through relatable content, role models, and strategies focused on listening, language, and self-advocacy skills.
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Our Team
Melanie Paticoff
Author
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In 2010, Mel wrote Sophie's Tales: Learning to Listen while still an undergraduate student studying deaf education. She saw a need for children's literature featuring characters with hearing loss and was especially inspired by her cousin, Julie, who has cochlear implants and never had a book like this when she was a kid. In 2012, Sophie's Tales: Overcoming Obstacles was written to expand the line and introduced a new character, Champ, who wears glasses. Today, Mel continues her commitment to supporting inclusion, literacy, and self-advocacy for children with hearing loss with Sophie's Tales along with her magazine, Hearing Our Way, for older kids and teens.
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Sophie
Sophie is a Maltipoo (that's a Maltese + Poodle) who loves raising awareness about hearing loss! She was born in 2008, and since then, she has inspired her owner Mel to write two books about her, start a magazine called Hearing Our Way, and has visited lots of schools to read Sophie's Tales! She is a trained therapy dog, so she is allowed to visit schools, hospitals, libraries, and more. Sophie's favorite thing to do is meet kids at her book readings, and kids love that after they meet the real Sophie, they can have their own stuffed animal Sophie dog (with cochlear implants!) to cuddle with for years to come!
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From old site
Have you been searching for a character your child can relate to?
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Sophie's Tales is a kid-friendly journey through the cochlear implant process, a resource for families and professionals, and an age-appropriate start to building essential self-advocacy skills.
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This Will Get Your Tail Wagging
Prepare children for upcoming cochlear implant surgery.
Develop early self-advocacy skills by learning from characters' examples.
Increase inclusion in mainstream classrooms through disability awareness.
Reach language & vocabulary targets through literature designed just for them.
Share your child's hearing loss story in the classroom by relating to Sophie's story.
Provide families & professionals with essential tools for children with hearing loss
at home, at school, at the audiologist, or anywhere inclusion is welcome.
Education
2015-2017
Degree
University Name
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2011-2014
Degree
University Name
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2007-2010
Degree
University Name
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Explore the Collection
Bestseller, LL, OO,
- dog exclusive
- hearing our way
No product
Sophie's Hearing
Journey Starts Here
And your child's does, too.
Join Sophie as she is diagnosed, meets her audiologist, is fit with hearing aids, undergoes cochlear implant surgery, and practices auditory training.
Be the Champion of your Hearing Loss
When Sophie meets Champ, a Labradoodle with glasses, the two learn important lessons about differences, sportsmanship, friendship, and what it really means to be a winner.
PERFECTLY PRICED
Support, engagement, and literacy for all.
Prices start at $39.99 and always include a plush Sophie pal,
so every child can have a cuddly friend with hearing devices
just like them.
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Pssst...
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Can't get enough of Sophie?
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Check out her magazine
Why Sophie's Tales
Sophie's Tales is where it all began, and Sophie's Tales LLC is still the publishing co behind Hearing Our Way, which features adorable Sophie with CI on every cover!
Mel has a unique ability to bring all 3 perspectives of child, parent, and professional together in her products.
One of the First
Created in 2010, Sophie's Tales was one of the first children's books on the market to share the story of a character with cochlear implant.
The Perfect Gift
Whether for cuddle on CI surgery or for introducing CI on the first day of school, Sophie books and cuddly plush will be there for your child.
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Which subscription level is right for me?Hearing Our Way is available at a variety of quantities and price points to suit your needs. Please visit our SHOP page to continue your checkout process, or click here. If you have an existing subscription but need to make a change to your quantity and/or address, please email info@hearingourway.com. To update your payment method, please login to your account here. Yes, we accept Purchase Orders. Please email info@hearingourway.com.
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My school/organization needs to use a Purchase Order. Do you offer PO subscriptions?Yes, we accept POs. Please email info@hearingourway.com to begin your order.
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How soon will I receive my first magazine?Hearing Our Way is a quarterly magazine delivered 4 times/year - Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. DELIVERY SCHEDULE No matter when you sign up, your annual subscription will begin with the next drop date. Example: Sign up July 31st - First issue will be Fall, which arrives by September 1st. Cycle continues with Winter, Spring, and Summer, and renews the following July 31st. Example: Sign up August 31st - First issue will be Winter, which arrives by December 1st. Cycle continues with Spring, Summer, and Fall, and renews the following August 31st.
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I have a student who would like to be featured in Hearing Our Way. What is the process?We are always looking for students to feature in Hearing Our Way! We accept all types of content, from short 'About Me' letters, to interviews, to creative writing, poetry, art, photography, and more! We are also open to all types of content submission. Professionals are also welcome to submit their ideas. In general for any submission, this is what we would need: 1. Confirmation of your active subscription. This can be a family subscription, school subscription, etc. 2. Parent permission for student's name/story/photo to be printed in Hearing Our Way. 3. At least one high res photo (feel free to send a few). Does not have to be professional. 4. Basic info needed: - name, grade, age, hometown, hobbies, family - hearing loss diagnosis, devices, education, communication - special talents, skills, hobbies, accomplishments, times you've overcome obstacles - anything else you think we should know! All of this can be easily submitted via our form or by emailing info@hearingourway.com.
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My child/student was featured in Hearing Our Way, can I purchase extra copies?Yes, if we have extra copies of your child's issue remaining, we would be happy to mail them to you. We just ask that you cover shipping costs. Please email info@hearingourway.com to make your request. It is best practice to request extra copies of your child/student's edition BEFORE it goes to print, to ensure we have extra copies for you. If your child's audiologist, teachers, school, local organization, etc. would also like extra copies of the issue, please be sure to get in touch with us in advance so we can account for these large orders.
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My school/organization is hosting an upcoming event. Can you send us back issues to distribute to attendees?Yes, we love being a part of your workshops, conferences, and fundraisers. Hearing Our Way makes the perfect giveaway for welcome bags. Please email your request to info@hearingourway.com and be sure to include the date of your event, number of magazines you are requesting, and mailing address. If we have enough back issues, we will be happy to send them. Hearing Our Way will not will not pay any additional insertion fees. If your student / school / organization was featured, and you want extra copies of a specific edition, please get in touch BEFORE the magazine goes to print to ensure we can accommodate your request.
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I am looking for a list of articles about specific topics such as microtia. Where can I find that?We are working on compiling lists of specific categories so you can easily find what you're looking for. We've started with a helpful list of articles featuring kids with microtia/atresia, and we hope to add more lists soon! If you're looking for a specific topic, please email us at info@hearingourway.com, and we will help point you in the right direction.
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I submitted content but haven't heard anything yet.Once we have received your submission, it takes time for us to get back to you. We review each submission closely, and we often have a number of submissions waiting for review. You can expect a response within 1-3 months, but often sooner. You are welcome to send a follow up email to info@hearingourway.com if it has been a few weeks. We appreciate your patience. Please note that if your content is selected, our average bookings run about a year out. This means if you submit your story in Summer 2023 and are selected, you may not be featured until Summer 2024 or later.
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Is Hearing Our Way magazine for me?Hearing Our Way magazine is designed for children and teens with hearing loss, but the list doesn't end there! Our readers also include: - young adults and adults with hearing loss - parents, grandparents, siblings, cousins, and friends of children with hearing loss - teachers of the deaf, itinerant teachers, AVTs, SLPs, and other providers - school and public librarians, general ed and special ed teachers, school principals and districts - audiologists, ENTs, cochlear implant centers, children's hospitals - local chapters of hearing loss organizations such as Hands & Voices, HLAA, AGBell, & more - organizations and companies who support children with hearing loss Hearing Our Way is packed with fun, inspiring, and educational content in every issue. Listening, language, and self-advocacy symbols throughout the magazine highlight features that promote these skills. Hearing Our Way features people with hearing loss: - of all ages, from babies to adults - of all races, religions, ethnicities, and backgrounds - from all over the country and outside the United States - who use a variety of communication modes including spoken language, sign language, cued speech, and multi-language households - who have all types of hearing loss - including mild-to-profound, sensorineural, conductive, single-sided, and more - and who use all types of hearing devices, from no assistive devices to FM/DM only, to bone-anchored hearing aids, hearing aids, and cochlear implants. All are welcome to subscribe to Hearing Our Way, and anyone with an active paid subscription is eligible to submit content for consideration.
Address
Provide 'Look Inside' like HOW page has
Sophie's Tales is rec'd for ages 0-7. Don't miss our publication for children ages 0-21, Hearing Our Way magazine.
123-456-7890