Rose Ayling-Ellis: "When you grow up not seeing yourself in stories, you don't stop imagining"

I loved Sleepovers, like I did all of Jacqueline Wilson’s books. Usually late at night, hiding under my duvet with a torch, trying to not get caught on a school night. I loved the emotional depth, the messiness, the tragedy, the way her stories never pretended that everything is perfect.

What stayed with me, however, was something that felt small at the time but was actually huge. There was a disabled character in that book. Not as a lesson, not as a historical figure. Not a ‘problem to fix’. Just a character. A person. Existing.

That representation mattered, but the sadness came with it too, because even as a child, I noticed how rare it was; what I never saw were deaf characters. So I did what children do. I imagined them. I pretended characters were like me. I drew hearing aids on my Barbie. I made space for myself where none existed.

When you grow up not seeing yourself in stories, you don’t stop imagining. You imagine more, but imagination shouldn’t have to replace representation. So, I didn’t wait for change – I created the children’s book I wished I had growing up.

The Big Bang! is a story about three cats learning how to communicate with each other. I didn’t want the story about “overcoming”, I didn’t want an “inspiration” narrative. I wanted this story to be about trying and trying again. About making mistakes, learning, adapting and meeting each other halfway.

Halo and Rocky don’t just expect Casper to change, they learn that they have to do the work too. No one is left behind, no one is made to prove themselves. That is what real inclusion looks like. Not spotlighting difference, but normalising it.

Some people may ask, “Surely no child is thinking in that much depth?” Or, “Why is everything so ‘woke’ these days?” But if you’re only noticing representation now, then you’re one of the lucky few who didn’t need it.

For some of us, not seeing ourselves was impossible to ignore. And the truth is, I don’t want children to think about representation at all, in fact, I want the opposite. I want them to not notice it. I want it to feel natural, for them to just enjoy the story, falling in love with the characters and be entertained. Because the absence was loud for me and I hope it is quieter for deaf children today.

But children today are growing up with new challenges that many of us didn’t have.

I used to go to my local library to get books, then to Blockbuster to rent DVDs. It feels like a precious memory now. A time where life felt slower and choices felt more thoughtful.

As I got older, the torch under the duvet became a laptop, and the rented DVD became endless scrolling. My attention span got shorter as libraries started closing down. Now only one in seven primary schools has a library, and access to reading feels more fragile than ever.

World Book Day has never felt more important. I remember those days my brother dressed as Willy Wonka and I just wanted to be a fairy. Now that memory reminds me not to take stories, books or imagination for granted.

Now I put time limits and blockers on my phone. I put it away when I’m watching a film or a good drama. I read more. I’m more creative. My mental wellbeing is the best it’s been, I’m more patient. Reading slows us down in a world that constantly speeds us up.

If it’s making this much of a difference to me, what is doing to a child’s brain? Reading gives children something that technology can’t, having an imagination that isn’t algorithm-led.

I hope I’ve inspired you in some way not by my story or by being deaf but by something simpler. To slow down, to be more present. To make more space for stories, for imagination, and for each other. Next time you buy that book, really do make time for it.

Books don’t just teach us how to read, they teach us how to see. In a world that moves ever so fast, learning how to really see each other might be the most important story of all.

Rose Ayling-Ellis wrote The Big Bang! for World Book Day on Thursday 5 March 2026 – The Big Bang! is available now, and you can find out more about World Book Day at its website.

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