Hi y’all! I’m Karlie Waldrip—a proud deaf children’s book author and former deaf education teacher from Texas with four years of classroom experience. Born deaf, I was raised using both spoken language and sign language. I wore hearing aids growing up and later chose to get cochlear implants to better access sounds around me. My life experience as a deaf person has deeply shaped my passion for representation, inclusion, and empowerment in early literacy.

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I’m the author of three children’s books—inspiring stories told from the perspective of my deaf rescue dog, Rhett. I adopted Rhett from a small-town Texas shelter and gave him a voice to help educate the world about the beauty and capabilities of deaf dogs. Through these stories, I share deaf culture, language, and resilience, hoping to inspire both deaf and hard-of-hearing children, as well as hearing children, to believe in themselves.

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All three children’s books feature deaf characters and are brought to life by two deaf illustrators: Lucy Rogers, who illustrated I Deaf-initely Can, Rhett the Heeler and We Deaf-initely Can, Let the Adventures Begin, and Emma Clements, who illustrated Where Could Rhett Be? Look Up. Look Down. Look All Around!

Thank you for supporting our journey—let’s continue to educate the world, one book at a time!