Can Bears Ski?

Where it came from

Author Raymond Antrobus and illustrator Polly Dunbar draw from their personal experiences of deafness to show both the isolating aspects of growing up deaf in a hearing world and the many ways love can be communicated beyond spoken language. Recent editions of the book also include an illustrated BSL alphabet to improve accessibility.

Antrobus aimed to depict not only the child’s process of understanding deafness, but also the father’s parallel journey as he learns—imperfectly at first—how best to support his son with patience and love.

Where it went next

Can Bears Ski? received significant critical recognition, including the Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Honor. In 2024, the Pied Piper Theatre Company, in collaboration with Deafinitely Theatre, was awarded Arts Council funding to adapt Can Bears Ski? into a stage production.

Associated Works
Raymond Antrobus is an award‑winning poet whose accolades include the Ted Hughes Award and the Somerset Maugham Award, and his work has appeared on the GCSE syllabus. His second picture book, Terrible Horses (2024), explores themes of sibling rivalry.

Polly Dunbar is a highly acclaimed British author‑illustrator known for bestselling works such as Penguin, Flyaway Katie and Shoe Baby.