2022.12.26
In this year’s Joanna Nichols Memorial Month “Search for Hearing Loss Storytellers” event, after going through video selection, secondary selection, and countless nights of practice, the children with hearing loss finally received the opportunity to become voice actors and entered the broadcasting studio of their dreams. Today, they will record the audio for “The Secret in the Red Box” audiobook and animation.
The first ever animation “The Secret in the Red Box” voiced by children with hearing loss
CHF’s children become voice actors of the picture book originated animation “The Secret in the Red Box”!
The Hearing Loss Storytellers rocked with their voice and speech
In the recording studio, the small faces of the Hearing Loss Storytellers were full of seriousness to accomplish their mission. Each one confidently recited their carefully prepared lines with a fluent and enthusiastic tone of voice, making the characters in the book, such as the little bear, the spectacled monkey, Grandpa Donkey, and the little bird, come to life before our eyes. It made people carried away with them.
“I wear a hearing aid like the little bear in the book, in this way I can hear a lot of sounds. I like to hear my own voice the most because it sounds great,” said Feifei, who voiced the little bear in the story. When she first entered the recording studio, Feifei was a little shy and hesitant to recite her lines loudly. It wasn’t until we talked to her about why she likes the little bear in the book and her hearing aid that helps her hear, that she relaxed. She didn’t expect that as soon as she started recording, she would be faster than anyone else. “Teacher, can you play my recording for my mom? I think I did great!” In the end, Feifei still remembered to show off the result of her recording to her parents.
“Be careful, little bear!” “So the secret in the red box is…?” “Teacher, can I do it better this time? Can we record one more time?” Yanli, who voiced the spectacled monkey, was the big brother among the little storytellers this time. He earnestly demanded of himself, not only filling his notebook with symbols and notes, but also listening to his audio repeatedly, just to present the story most vividely to everyone. “I also want everyone to know that I love telling stories and I can do it really well!”
“Dad, there is a super large microphone in the recording studio. When the teacher presses the round button, I can hear my voice!” Tingyu, who was the narrator, introduced everything new and exciting that she saw in the recording studio with a lot of gestures and movements. She has loved telling stories since she was little and not only volunteered to participate in the Little Storyteller competition, but also urged her parents to shoot a video of her for the competition. After being selected, she practiced with her father repeatedly until she memorized all the lines perfectly. On the day of the recording, she presented it flawlessly, truly becoming a little storyteller!
In this audio book of “The Secret in the Red Box,” there are more children with hearing loss like Fei-Fei, Yan-Li, and Ting-Yu who love to speak and listen to voices. They use their cute voices to take us on an adventure with the two protagonists, Little Bear and Glasses Monkey.
In 2015, the Children’s Hearing Foundation launched the picture book “The Secret in the Red Box,” which focuses on understanding oneself and others through the perspectives of the hard of hearing Little Bear and Glasses Monkey, highlighting the importance of “listening and communicating” even if we are imperfect. In 2022, children with hearing loss from the foundation decided to record their own voices to share the story of “The Secret in the Red Box” with everyone. In addition to releasing an updated audio book, an animated version was also produced to allow more people to hear the value of each child with hearing loss.
