A picture book of Helen Keller

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Helen Keller was born in Tuscumbia, Alabama on June 27, 1880. When she was just a year and a half old, she was left blind and deaf from an illness. In a very simple text, the author covers the important facts of Helen Keller's life. Besides her extraordinary work with teacher Anne Mansfield Sullivan, she published several books and was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1964. Her bravery, brilliance, and spirit brought hope to millions of disabled people.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

School Library Journal Review

Gr 1-3-- As he did in his other picture-book biographies, Adler concentrates here on the childhood of his subject. There is enough information given for readers to understand Keller's frustration and to see the enormous help that Sullivan gave her. Details of the mean things she did to her mother and friends before meeting Sullivan clarify this even further. The way in which Keller learned that objects had names is included; the book then shifts to her college years and touches on highlights of her life including visiting soldiers, writing, and lecturing. Although coverage is too brief for any kind of report, it is interesting enough to awaken children's interest in learning more about Keller. The Wallners' line and watercolor cartoons match the simple text and are appropriate to the book's tone. --Margaret C. Howell, West Springfield Elementary School, VA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

Gr. 2-4, younger for reading aloud. The author-illustrator team, whose picture-book biographies of famous people have deftly filled a gap, misses the mark here. Although the reader gets a vague understanding of Keller's personality, stamina, and accomplishments, the vivid drama of her life appears pale when compared with that of others covered in the series (A Picture Book of George Washington and A Picture Book of Abraham Lincoln [BKL Je 1 89]). Although Keller spent decades working for the American Foundation for the Blind, for example, the text never explains what she did there. There are huge gaps in the important dates at the end (nothing between 1904 and 1924 or between 1946 and 1964). The line-and-watercolor artwork, so effective in previous books, also falls short. Instead of intricate, interesting scenes, too many paintings feature large figures with dull and unattractive faces. The book has a place on library shelves because of need and demand at this level, but try Mom Can't See Me [BKL S 15 90] for a warm, pithy, highly readable biography of a blind person. ~--Deborah Abbott

Horn Book Review

With simple language and lively illustrations, the book conveys basic information about the life and accomplishments of Helen Keller. From HORN BOOK 1990, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.